davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1961-03-19
=. -Balmore Sun
'shufe, and Tis Hoping Won't Have to Use It.

(undecided) constitutionality ques-
ton?
Senator Morse and several Of
his Democratic colleagues insist
that loans to parochial schools
would be constitutional. But the
Oregonian, a well-known political
maverick, has become, of all
things, an organization man. AS
chairman of the pertinent Senate
Labor Subcommittee, he demands
that the Kennedy order Of priority
be followed strictly.
If Mr.. Kennedy, the first Cath
olic ever elected President, wants
a second term-and there is little
doubt that he does-he must
wish that Congress not make his
already difficult position any
more so.
Should Congress vote public
school and parochial school aid
either together or separately, Mr..
Kennedy would be faced with
CneSe alternatives.
Cd Sign the measure giving
parochial school aid and bring
down the wrath of those many
non-Catholics who have been
concerned over how a Catholic
in the White House would handle
the problem of the separation of
church and state or (2) exercise
his veto and ALLEVIATE many mem
berS of his own faith who, now
that it has been demonstrated
that a Catholic can be elected
President, will not have the same
natural tendency to vote on this
ground next time.
Evening star., 1961-03-19
Potential Korea

This, very briefly, Is the back
ground for the present situation
in Laos that has become a po-
tential new Korea" where East
and West may clash over domina-
ton of a small but strategic
country.
Last week there were strong
indications that the new Ken
nedy administration had decided
that there could be no abandon
ment Of Laos to Communist take
over. Proposals for effective neu-
tralization advanced by King Sa-
wang Vathana and by Prince Sou
wanna himself had been well
coined by the White House and
the State Department but had
failed of fulfillment. The Soviet
transport Of military equipment
from Hanoi, capital of North Wet
Nam, to the Pathet Lao troops
continued.
Ten days ago Pathet Lao Of
fenSive seized vital road junction
from the Boun Gum forces, and
planned government operation
against the Plaine des Jarres was
thereby disrupted. It was then.
said Vientiane official sources,
that much-increased United
States military aid program was
finally decided upon.
President Kennedy has more
than once indicated that he looks
upon Soviet actions in the Laos
situation as evidence Of the real
sincerity Of the Kremlin'S drive
for peaceful co-existence and
relaxation Of tensions. Repeatedly,
one Of American Ambassador
Llewellyn Thompson's major mis-
sions, when he returned to Rus
sia from conferences with the
President and State Department
officials, was to notify Soviet
Premier Khrushchev that the
United States would counter Com
munist aid to the Pathet Lao with
more-than-an-equal boost to the
Boun Gum forces.
Evening star., 1961-03-19
Policy Reversal

The decision marked a sharp
reversal of previous United States
policy in voting on colonial ques-
tions at the U. N. Under the
Eisenhower administration, the
United States had always avoided,
sometimes very uncomfortably,
taking a stand on colonial issues
that would offend NATO ally or
friendly power.
When Mr.. Stevenson spoke to
the Council, the delegates of
Britain. France and Nationalist
China had already registered their
opposition. The United States
position therefore came as even
more Of a shock than it would
have had it been indicated in ad-
vance.
The resolution itself failed of
passage because of six absten-
tions. There were no negative
votes. The United States joined
with Liberia, the United Arab Re-
public, Ceylon and the Soviet
Union in backing the resolution.
After the vote, the Liberian
delegate hailed the American ac-
tion as one that would reverber-
ate throughout Africa and the
world" Judging by reactions
from African and Asian nations,
as we'll as many individuals even
in Western delegations, this COM
ment was accurate.
But in Lisbon, London and
Paris, the response was of a very
different sort. Predictions were
being made yesterday that NATO's
Council would consider the mat
ter at its next meeting, under the
terms of the NATO alliance that
provide for consultative process"
among member nations on any
Continued on Page CA
Evening star., 1961-03-19
The TROUBLE Record

If one checked the record, it is
clear that Mr.. Roosevelt really
had little trouble with his vested
interests" Mr.. Truman did not
fare quite so well. legislatively,
and, to go along with the game.
he had more difficulty with his
special interests"
How Mr.. Kennedy will fare re-
mains to be seen. But there is
public disposition to question the
proposition that because a Presi-
dent is personally popular, Con-
gress must follow along meekly.
Mr.. Kennedy's Immediate pred
eceSsor. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
was perhaps the most popular
American President Of the goth
century. Yet, he had no smooth
sailing with Congress-, a body
which for six of his eight years in
office was controlled by the OPP
position party. He exercised the
veto power more than $50 times.
Without doubt there are groups
of Americans with interests in
special fields who oppose parts
or all of the Kennedy legislative
program. The American Medical
Association. for example, does not
believe Federal medical aid to the
aged should be paid through the
Social Security System.
But the fact that most Ameri-
cans, according to well-known
opinion polls, think that Mr..
Kennedy has got off to a good
start and approve, generally,
parts Of his legislative program,
hardly means that the people are
demanding, or are in the mood
to demand, adoption of the New
Frontiers goals,
Evening star., 1961-03-19
School Aid:
Policy, Too

President Kennedy, opposing
the stand Of the Catholic bish-
ops, last week renewed his plea
for separate congressional con-
SideratiOn Of Federal aid to
public schools and to private
and parOchial schools, as the
debate ragged.
II am very hopeful that when
the smoke is cleared there will
continue to be harmony among
the various religious groups of the
country"
Thus did President Kennedy
urge at his Wednesday news con-
ference that the school aid debate
which has ranged Protestant and
Jewish leaders against spokesmen
for the Catholic Church, be car
ried on in a manner which will
permit all viewpoints to be aired,
but which will leave no deep scars.
The Presidents formula for
handling this vexing problem is
simple to state:
Let Congress first take up his
proposal to make grants totaling
S2.3 billion to public elementary
and high schools.
Then let Congress and the ad-
ministration cooperate in con-
sidering such plans as loans to
private and parochial schools and
income tax credits for parents of
children attending such institu-
tionS.
If the Kennedy formula is sim
pie to state, it may be agonizingly
difficult to carry out.
This is because the Catholic
hierarchy and certain lay groups
have asserted their intention to
press for consideration of aid to
both public and private schools in
a single hill
Evening star., 1961-03-19
SpoceFight::
Half Truths?

House investigators last week
looked into the controversial
PentagOn decision to increase
the Air Forces already dOmin-
ant role in military space.
In the wake of a Chicago Sum-
Times. story asserting that Gen.
Lyman L. Lemnitzer, Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff had COM
planned in writing that the Ma
tons military chiefs were being
by-passed on critical decisions by
the new civilian leaders of the
Pentagon, a Defense spokesman
said:
THE report that Gen. Lemnitzer
has protested to Secretary Nc
Namara that the Chiefs are being
'by-paSsed or edged out of crucial
military decisions by the Kennedy
administration is simply without
foundation.
In addition, the spokesman
branded as distorted" the as
Sertion in the same Sum- Times
story that Gen. Lemnitzer had OBJ
jected to the decision which ap-
pears to limit severely the future
role of the Army and Navy in
military space matters.
On Friday, after what Chairman
Brooks called "footdragging" on
the part of Secretary Mcnamara
and other high Pentagon officials
in response to invitations to
testify, Deputy Defense Secretary
Gilpatric appeared before the
House Space Committee.
And what did Mr.. Gilpatric, a
former Air Force Undersecretary,
tell the committee? No, the Joint
Chiefs. as a body, had not been
consulted on the controversial
space decision; yes, Gen. Lemnit-
ger did complain.
This raises a serious question
for the Kennedy administration:
Was the Defense Department, in
40 obdGCllCLIO w O1lC ~ Coog 1b14J
and frankly informing the Ameri-
can public?
Representative Ford Of Michi-
gan has accused the Pentagon Of
engaging in half truths" at best,
Pentagon newsmen feel more
strongly about it.
The Gilpatric testimony has
raised another important question:
On a matter of such far-reach-
ing Importance for the future as
the. development Of our military
space capabilities, is speed so es-
sential that the Joint Chiefs, as
body, are not given the oppor-
tunity to consider it?
The answers to these questions
may be provided before the House
committees inquiry is ended.
Evening star., 1961-03-19
THE WEEK IN PERSPECTIVE
Kennedy's Newest Showdown

President Kennedy last week
voiced the view that the people
support his legislative program,
now under fire in Congress, and
declared his hope that his basic
proposals would come to q vote
so that each Congressman could
be recorded.
In the days Of Franklin D.
Roosevelt and the New Deal it was
the vested interests" With Harry
Truman and the Fair Deal, 1t be-
came special interests"
Today, confirming that there is
hardly anything new under the
sun, John F. Kennedy and his New
Frontiersmen stick their pins in
a doll called "well-organized in
terest groups"
These branded enemies" Of
Democratic Presidents never were
precisely identified by Mr.. Ken
nedy's predecessors, although the
scare-words Wall Street" and
big Business" were banded about.
BY being purposefully vague imag-
ination could be unreined and the
base Of support and sympathy
broadened.
Mr.. Kennedy, likewise, has eS-
chewed the pinpointing Of his tar
get. When he was asked at his
Wednesday news conference how
he could translate popular support,
as indicated by public-opinion
polls, into congressional support.
which is touch-and-go, the Presi-
dent replied, in part:
'NOw, l recognize that there
are important and powerful and
welI-Organized interest groups
in this country which oppose all
of these [welfarel programs,
and that they are extremely
active, and that they have been
successful in developing mail
campaigns of one kind or an
other which tend to give an
impression that there is wide
spread opposition to increasing,
for example, the minimum
wage"
Evening star., 1961-03-19
Political Realism

Their feeling is that Congress
probably will vote aid to public
schools and then cool toward the
idea Of helping parochial and pri-
vate schools.
Few observers would deny the
political realism of such an atti-
tude, although many regard it
as realism with a vengeance be-
cause it might jeopardize the
chances Of any Federal aid to
education this year.
AS indicated here previously,
there are really two questions in
volved in the dispute: Cd The
constitutional one-may the Fed
eral Government aid church
schools and co the policy one
should such aid be extended.
Mr.. Kennedy has concentrated
his opposition to the Catholic
Church's position on constitution.
al grounds. He has repeatedly
stated that he does not believe
"across-the-board" loans to paro-
chial elementary and high schools
would be constitutional.
He has ducked the question Of
policy-whether he believes it is
wise. given the problem Of the
separation Of church and state,
for the Federal Government to
provide assistance to parochial
schools even though various forms
of assistance have been given.
This makes his job OF explain
ing his present position difficult.
Catholics, particularly, find it
puzzling. Since some forms of
Federal aid to church-operated
schools have been voted in the
past. they reason, why should
new form of aid-in this instance,
loans-be held up because of the
Evening star., 1961-03-19
THE FOREIGN SCENE
Stronger Laos Policy
ToAvoid New Korea

The BOun Gum government
in Laos is receiving greatly in
creased quantities Of American
military equipment, ammuni-
tiOn and supplies, Vientiane
sources report.
Under the Eisenhower admin
istration it was long United States
policy to resist the rise of "neu-
traliSt" sentiment and political
power in Laos. The basic rea-
soning behind WaShington's atti-
tude was primarily that any coali-
tion Laotian regime, in which the
pro- Communist Pathet Lao forces
took part, would sooner or later
become not neutraliSt, but Com
muniSt.
Since the 1855 Geneva agree
ment which divided UP the former
French Indo- China into four in
dependent parts Gaos, Cambodia,
North Wet Nam and South Wet
Mann, Laos has been struggling
for political stability. Although
a monarchy with a long history,
Laos had never developed the
institutions or the traditions of
nationaliSm. Its mountainous ter
rain and limited communications
kept its peoples isolated in their
verdant valleys. Its royal court
held forth at Luang Prabang,
while its government functioned
far away at Vientiane.
Last summer, in a swift and
almost bloodlesS coup, a young
Laotian Army paratrooper named
Capt. Kong lie ousted the Wen
tiane government and installed
Prince Souvanna Phouma, a lead
ing advocate of neutraliSm, as
Premier. Prince Souvanna almost
Immediately undertook negotia-
tionS looking toward a three
party coalition government with
an snnounced-in-advance neutral
ist position in international affairs.
Evening star., 1961-03-19

passed by the Senate and in House
committee, may be scaled down
from its present nearly $4Oo mil
lion size.
. There is a fierce fight in pros
pect over the bill aimed at rails
ing the minimum wage to $125
and the White House may finally
be offered $l.15.
. Indications are that medical
-for-the-aged legislation may
be put over until 1862.
. Federal aid to education, per-
hsps the most controversial of all,
is, by every design, slated for a
long, difficult fight, with the out
come in doubt.
Evening star., 1961-03-19
Promise of Solution

Prince Souvanna, who a week
ago held conferences with repre-
sentatives Of the Boun Gum re-
gime that appeared to hold con-
siderable promise Of an amicable
solution, left Cambodia's capital
Of Phnom PENN on Wednesday for
a tour of Western and Communist
capitals. Apparently not optimistic
of further progress in direct talks
with the Vientiane government,
he will seek on his tour to muster
support from East and West
alike for his coalition-neutralism
program.
Repeatedly the Princes decision
to interrupt the talks was occa-
Evening star., 1961-03-19

stoned by the refusal of the Pathet
Lao leaders to enter direct nego-
tiations with Boun Oum. In Vien-
tiane, the government announced
that Prince Souvanna had failed
to face his responsibilities as the
sole political figure capable of
serving as a link between three
opposing Laotian parties. The
government places its hopes now
on an international solution
which will serve as the basis for
re-establiShing peace in Laos :"
Evening star., 1961-03-19

a wise course. While he might
win in California, a State with
three registered Democrats for
every two Republicans, his mar
gin probably would be slim.
On the other side of the coun-
try, his chief rival for the G. o. P.
presidential nomination, Gov.
Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York,
probably would be winning re-
election by a big vote.
A comparison in such eventuH
alitieS would do Mr.. Nixon's pres
idential prospects little good.
Evening star., 1961-03-19
The Fighting Mood

Mr.. Kennedy believes there is
no mood in America today of
the kind we need if we are to
move forward. In this regard,
it may be recalled that the Presi-
dent is minority President
he was elected by fewer than SO
per cent Of the total votes cast
last November. Furthermore, he
ran behind 303 Democratic can
didates for the House, according
to the Congressional Quarterly.
The latest CLOSE call" for the
Kennedy administration in Con-
greSS came Thursday night when,
after an all-out struggle, the pro-
Kennedy forces defeated an at
tempt by the Southern Demo-
cratic-Republican coalition to put
a restrictive amendment in the
bill to extend unemployment
compensation benefits an addi-
tional 13 weeks. The vote was
A to AZ.
The amendment, offered by
Senator Byrd of Virginia, chair
man Of the Finance Committee,
which approved it II to 2, would
have revised a House passed bill
this way:
BY providing that If a States
employers paid more through the
increased Federal tax than the
jobleSs in that State received in
extra benefits, the surplus should
go into the States unemployment
trust account - and not into a
common Federal pool for use in
extending benefits to workers in
other States.
There is very little opposition in
either House to extending unem-
ployment pay because Of the cur
rent recession. But the Senate
vote indicated that even, when
the general idea is acceptable to
both conservative and liberal, the
Kennedy method and formula are
subject to revision.
The President, however, prob
ably was not so anxious over job
less pay as he was over a series of
other proposals now in various
stages of consideration on Capitol
Hill.
. The depressed areas measure,
The Week in Perspective
Evening star., 1961-03-19

and resourcefulness. He is prac-
tical, too. He won't win them all,
but he'll win his share-in the
opinion of most observers. The
chances are that he would agree.
Evening star., 1961-01-07
Big FIottop
Still Sound
After Fire

NEW YORK, Jan. Z tAP).-
A naval officer who conducted
a detailed survey Of fire dam
age on the aircraft carrier
Constellation says the ship is
still structurally sound.
This finding was reported
yesterday by Capt. Donald
Furlong. planning officer Of the
Brooklyn Navy Yard, to the
naval court Of inquiry investi-
eating the December 10 fire on
the Constellation. The blaze
took so lives and caused about
$48 million damage.
Capt. Furlong was the flnal
witness to appear at the in.
quiry, which took more thar
1000 pages of testimony.
The court will reconvene al
the Navy Yard Monday to neal
summaries Of the proceedings
The panel, headed by Vice Ad
miral Bernard L. Austin. viii
later report whether response
bility for the disaster can bt
fixed and If any disciplinar!
action should be taken.
The 60,000-ton ship, orig
inally scheduled for completion
in May. is now expected to b.
finished in December. It ha
been under construction sine,
1857.
Evening star., 1961-01-07
Dependents
.Cutbuck May
Be Revised
BY the Associated Press

The Eisenhower administra-
tion's order to reduce by 2l5,-
600 the number Of service de-
pendents overseas may be
modified or even repealed by
the next Secretary of Defense.
i The order last November 25
was part of a series Of efforts
to cut the United States def
cit in the balance Of interna-
tional payments. 1t raised a
storm of protest from service
men and their families.
The unofficial but authori-
tative Army-Navy-Air Force
Journal said yesterday Secre-
tary of Defense-Designate Rob-
ert S. Mcnamara is seeking
other ways to ease the balance
of payments problem.
The journal said Mr.. Nc
Namara wrote a letter tc
Chairman VinSon OF the House
Armed Services Committee
which had suggested men might
be encouraged to leave theii
families home by further
shortening tours of duty over.
seas for those unaccompaniec
hx, danopdepfs
The letter to Mr.. Vinsor
noted tours for unaccom'
panied personnel already arr
shorter than the three-yeal
term when families go along
and q further reduction ma!
cause budget problems.
Evening star., 1961-01-07
BY the Associated Press

The new Congress faces likely
showdowns next week on two
liberal moveS-efforts to trim
the power Of the House Rules
Committee and to make it
easier to halt Senate fllibusters.
Opening routine, speeches
and preliminary maneuvering
stalled action in both houses
this week during the initial
days of the new session.
But the Democratic Commit
tee on Committees plans a
meeting next week which may
result in an attempt to purge
Representative Colmer. Demo-
crat of Mississippi, from the
Rules Committee unless some
compromise Is agreed to before
then.
House Speaker Rayburn re-
portedly is willing to throw Mr.
Colmer of the committee il
necessary to break the hold a
coalition Of Republicans and
Southern Democrats on the
rules group has on legislation.
Two anti-filibuster proposals
face the Senate. The strongest
favored by liberals - would
permit limitation Of debate by
q majority, or 81, of the l0C
Evening star., 1961-01-07
Nigerion EnvoyChorges
Rebuff in Virginia Cafe

outside" he said. so I sat down
In the restaurant and ate my
breakfast. But when I asked
for a second cup Of coffee, ]
was refused"
Mr.. Uchuno then left the
unidentified restaurant.
"Our duties" he commented
during an interview, require
us to travel around the States
After such an experience we
can't be very happy.
Frankly. we resent this kind
Of discrimination which doesn't
exist against whites in Nigeria
Nigeria is a former British
colony which won independence
on October /, 1860.
Mr.. Uchuno was in Charles.
ton to address a forum at West
Virginia State College. a former
all-Negro school which is now
Iintegrated.
Evening star., 1961-01-07
Soviet Squeeze Play on Kennedy

when it takes office. There
after Soviet Premier Khru-
shchev may wish to ex-
tend the olive branch and
hope to negotiate with Mr..
Kennedy on terms favorable
for international communism.
This explains. according to
responsible officials, the haste
in stepping up the military
intervention in Laos. It has
been proven that eight con-
ventional Russian planes
and four turbo jets have
been making round-the- clock
sorties to airlift troops and
ammunition to Laotian rebels.
AS an antidote, we called
meetings of SEATO. But be-
cause America is on the
verge Of a change Of admins
tration and the incoming
Democrats have given no
indication of their intention,
the SEATO council has de-
cided on prudence. 1t is
doing nothing except to sug-
gest a political solution of
the Laotian crisis while the
Communist bloc is indulging
in a massive intervention. It
Is conceded by experts in
Washington that the fall of
the little Asian kingdom into
Communist hands will seri-
ously affect the future of all
Southeast Asia.
In Africa the Communist
bloc, supported by the new
republics Of Ghana. Mali and
Guinea, is keeping the
Congolese pot boiling and
FULLY expects to place pro-
Communist former Premier
Patrice Lumumba in control.
On our own threshold in
Latin America the Com
munist bloc Is working re-
lentlessly and successfully.
Despite the belated muscle
f1exing toward Castro, the
Cubans continue their provo
cations at the instigation Of
Moscow and Peiping in the
expectation of creating new
troubles in other South
American republics.
Evening star., 1961-01-07
Congress Due to Act
Next Week on Rules

Senators after a filibuster ran
is days. A compromise pro-
posal, generally given a better
chance Of adoption, provides
that filibusters could be halted
by a three-flfths margin Of the
Senators voting.
It now requires approval Of
two-thirdS Of the Senators
voting to limit debate.
Southern Senators fighting
the anti-filibuster proposals
said yesterday that giving "un-
bridled power to a temporary
majority" would undermine
basic constitutional principles.
sentative Howard
Smith, Democrat Of Virginia.
chairman of the House Rules
Committee, said yesterday he
was willing to discuss "any
honorable compromise" with
Mr.. Rayburn about his group.
But Mr.. Smith said he could
not consider any proposal to
pack the committee with left
wingers" or purge Mr.. Colmer.
| Mr.. Smith said he is willing
to agree not to try to kill any
of the major legislative pro-
posals backed by President
elect Kennedy and would con-
slider waving the committees
jurisdiction over bills that
have passed both Senate and
House and are awaiting a
House-Senate conference COM
mittee. ~
But he added no such COM
promise had been offered him.