Evening star., 1960-06-09

S@ASN0AA NA
and constructive comments
regarding the reactivated
Freedom Wall proposal, in
your excellent recent editori-
ais. AS always, you have
treated with this matter en-
tirely on its merits, and I am
confident that the many
interested groups in the
Washington area, including
the Congress, appreciate the
research and study that you
have devoted to this problem,
and the very sound advice
that you have offered as a
public service.
1t is shocking, however, to
read in the news columns
that a representative of our
Federal Government, the
head of the National Parks
Service, and others interested
in continuing to promote the
monument project, actually
called a full-Scale press con-
ference in Nyack, N. Y, to
discredit those who have op-
posed their scheme, by refer
ring to them as "nit-pickers"
with a personal ak to grind,
and by making other un-
called-for and irresponsible
statements to the nationwide
press services in the further
ance of their own personal
ambitions.
The further statement at
tributed to this minor official
of the Government in regard
to the groups that have pro-
tested against their monu-
ment that, 1--WE can't let
these little flea bites bother
U.S." is most unbecoming to
any employe of the Govern
ment. 1t demonstrates the
highest degree of arrogance,
and disregard of propriety.
He is fully aware highly re-
sponSible people in the Con-
gresS and in local govern
ment have opposed his mon
ument promotion for years,
and for very substantial
reasons. He is also aware
that highly responsible State
and national veterans organ
izationS, civic-minded citi-
Zens groups and great metro
politan newspapers such as
yours have objected to this
monument on a wide variety
of grounds-any one of which
is valid enough to render the
monument promotion unac-
ceptable and undesirable. To
refer to these people as nit
pickers," and to their objec-
tions as flea bites" is in
very poor taste, to say the
least.
1t is Illuminating to learn
from their press statements,
that these inspired" people
plan to continue to push for
their monument indefinitely,
regardless of the cost to the
Government that will be in
volved in continuing the &C
tivities of the National Mon
ument Commission and its
personnel, and in involving
the time and expense of the
Congress in continually hav-
ing to deal with this matter.
The act of August 81, 1854,
which created the Monument
Commission only for the pur-
pose of obtaining proposed
plans for a monument, IN
der Section S (g), states:
Thirty days after the SUBJ
mission of it's final report the
Commission shall cease to
exist"
There is, as a result, a Sc
rious legal question now as to
whether the National Monu-
ment Commission, after sub
mitting its report that was
acted adversely upon by Con-
gress in 1858, actually should
be in existence today. Ger
tainly this Commission should
cease to exist after having
submitted the final plans for
the monument, finally ap-
proved by the agencies re-
quired by the 1854 Act, which
it submitted to Congress last
month.
1t is also Illuminating to
learn from their current re-
leases to the press, that the
sponsors of the monument
actually are employing and
using the services of one OF
the Nations largest public
relations firms, Carl Byoir &,
Associates, Inc, of New York
to support the services of the
Don Belding advertising firm
of Los Angeles, in forcing
Congressional acceptance OF
their monument by creating
pressures through a Nation
wide Madison Avenue" pro-
motion campaign. They have
confirmed an impression that
has existed here for some