davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1962-05-28
Laos Prospect

In his radio and television address
to the Soviet people, Nikita Khrushchev
has affirmed that the Kremlin is stand
ing by its pledge to cooperate with our
country in striving to establish an Gin
dependent" and neutral" Laos. At the
same time, however, as If speaking more
in sorrow than in anger, he has declared
that President Kennedy'S dispatch of
American troops to Thailand as re-
suit of the Laotian crisis has seriously
hindered" efforts to prevent military
conflagration."
This relatively temperate language
is in keeping with the general modera-
ton the Soviet Premier has displayed
ever since the Presidents decision But
Pravda, the organ of the Communist
Party of the USSR, has supplied the
propagandiStic pepper and vinegar in
articles full of warnings to our country
As for the Chinese Reds, they have
given voice to fire-breathing denunci-
ations in which they have hinted darkly
Evening star., 1962-05-28
The Laws No Joke

California Assemblyman Charles E.
Chapel ought to know from his legisla-
tive experience that a law is no joke.
Yet he sought to justify his violation
of Federal law against bomb threats
on an airliner by telling the Judge it
was "just joke" He had been arrested
after he told a stewardess of a plane
about to take off that he had a gun
and nitroglycerine in his briefcase.
But the new law against bomb
threats makes no distinction between
the real and jocular variety. In fact,
1t was intended to cover the sort of
abortive humor that Mr.. Chapel at
tempted. For all threats must be care
fully investigated by the Federal Bureau
Of Investigation and even Jest can
cause alarm or panic among passengers
and delays in flight schedules. The 5000
fine and suspended two-month Jail SEN
tence imposed on Assemblyman Chapel
were fully justified.
Evening star., 1962-05-28
Politics and Love

1t is good to know that there is at
least one place in America land In the
world at large, for that matter) where
politics makes nice people of everybody.
The place is Alabama, where nine can
didates are competing against each
other in an effort to achieve the Demo-
cratic nomination for eight seats in
the United States House of Represent
ativeS.
The extraordinary thing about this
is that all the contestants, including
Representative Frank Boykin, are cam
paigning on Mr.. Boykin's famous and
altogether laudable idea that every
thing is made for love-" Nobody, in
short, is saying anything nasty about
anybody. On the contrary, the several
competitors involved are sparing no
effort to be kind to each other. There
are no issues to worry about, major or
minor. Clearly, If this sort Of thing
could become operative generally on
both sides of the Iron Curtain-Demo-
cratic and Republican-we might all
profit from 1t.
Evening star., 1962-05-28
Attacking the SurpIuses

In a sense, the administrations
farm bill represents determined effort
to put what 1t considers first things first
In this case, the first things are to halt
the constant increase of already noun
famous SurpluSeS in wheat and feed
grain stocks and to reduce the tremen-
douS yearly charges to the Government
for their storage. The legislation, passed
last week by the Senate and awaiting
House action after approval by the
Agriculture Committee of that chamber,
seeks to attain these detectives by
placing a new and greater emphasis on
control of actual production and mar
keting-along with acreage restrictions.
This shift in emphasis is prompted
basically by the fact that acreage re-
StrictionS alone have not served the pur-
pose Of reducing production as the use
of new machinery, better fertilizers and
other improved techniqueS have enabled
American agriculture to raise larger
crops on fewer acres. Despite our steady
growth in population, supply has ex-
ceeded need by an overwhelming mar
gin-with Government storage costs
now estimated at almost So billion
yearly.
The administration program is sub
ject to farmer referendum in each of
the affected crop categorieS-call for a
two-thirds acceptance If it is to be
applied. AS an administration "persuad-
err" however, there is provision that If
and where the proposed controls are re-
jected, price supports would be lowered
and the Secretary Of Agriculture would
be authorized to release some current
Surpluses on the open market-a move
that undoubtedly would depress prices.
There are complexities and risks in
the administration plan and it has been
bitterly criticized both in and out of
Congress. President Kennedy himself
defended 1t vigorously, however, in a
recent news pointing out
that failure to enact legislation at this
time would mean automatically by
statute" going back to program Of no
effective controls on production and
support price levels which would greatly
increase commodity SurpluseS and the
cost Of storing them. The action thus far
on Capitol Hill indicates that his view
has been accepted by a majority, and
not on purely partisan grounds. No farm
legislation is debated, or accepted, casu-
ally. This being so, this latest effort at
resolving longtime problem appears
worth try.
Evening star., 1962-05-28
Inside South Africa

In your column, "A Book
for Today" Donald Mintz
discussed Albert Luthuli's
autobiography.
Mr.. Luthuli says "our home
is the white mans garbage
can"
What are the facts? Dur
ing the last 10 years $500
million have been spent on
Bantu urban renewal in
South Africa. During the
next five, years another $425
million Is to be spent on
urban development in the So
called "Bantustans" or Bantu
homelands.
Mr.. Mintz refers to a black
people whose children die at
an incredible rate" If chill
dren die at such an incredi-
BILE rate one would expect the
Bantu race to have disap-
peared within a few genera
tions, but what has hap
pened? Since tribal wars
have been checked and free
maternity services provided
for the Bantu, they have more
than trebled over q period Of
half q century. In 1904 there
were 3,409 POI; in 1860 there
were 10,807.8 .809.
The Bantu self govern
ment act which is referred
to as "the dismal, diSingenu-
ously named represSive legis-
lation" in point of fact makes
provision for the first of half
a dozen Bantu homelands to
acquire self-government next
year. Dismal indeed for Mr..
Luthuli. but on the other
hand Chief Kaizer Matan-
zima, also a black man -
chairman of the TranSkeian
Territorial Authority, has
this to say: ITO us this is a
day Of jubilation, and self
determination is assured
within the next decade"
Four out Of five Bantu chill
dren IN South Africa are at
Evening star., 1962-05-28
Shoots From Hip

Your editorial, "A Law
That Built the West" prop
erly acclaims the plans Of the
statesmen and the courage
and sacrifices Of the citizens
who settled the West, but
history should indict as
scoundrels those officials of
the Roosevelt administration
and the Interior Department
who, contrary to the purpose
Of the homestead law, so
ruthlessly and callouSly
worked to rid the West of
homesteaders in the depres-
sion of the '30s.
An accurate history of ad-
ministration of the home
stead law should not accord
those officials present at the
beginning Gas Of the depres-
sion days. other than con-
tempt and condemnation for
their rascality.
Robert E. Ennis.
Evening star., 1962-05-28
This Is PIonninq?'

On May 18, The Star pub
lished a very true and in
formative editorial entitled
This Is Planning?".
AS The Star stated the
National Capital Planning
Commission approved the
concept of the Three Sisters
Bridge in adopting the Mass
Transportation Survey in
1859. In 1860 it approved re-
quests for funds for engi-
neering design of the bridge.
In July, 1861, it approved the
specific location of the
bridge. In october, 1861, it
approved requests for con-
struction money. In March,
1862, it approved alignment
of the bridge with the pro-
posed Potomac River Ex-
pressway. How could it, on
May 10, 1862, then defer ap-
proval of the bridge inter-
change?
If the NCPC is not going
to be a continuing body, and
is not going to be governed
by its own carefully arrived
at decisions, how can any
future decisions of the NCPC
be assumed to be binding?
The NCPC shows q marked
degree Of misunderstanding
of Its own actions If it must
now reconsider an action it
unanimously agreed to five
times in the past.
Either the NCPC Is being
ill-advised by its permanent
staff or the changing per-
Sonnel Of the commission it
self tends to make it a nom
continuing body and merely
a mirror Of political motives.
This is no way to plan for
a greater Metropolitan
Washington as outlined by
NCPC in the Year 1000
Plan. 1t would seem correct
that present members Of the
commission are bound by &C
tionS Of past members just
as Congress is bound by tax
es caused by past spending
Of previous bodies.
This may not be ideal but
1t is the only practical way
to have progress. Plans, en-
cheering studies. and deci-
sions take time to make and
we hope they are made with
mature professional think
ing. Let's not throw this ef-
fort to the winds.
The NCPC should. upon
careful reconsideration Of its
actions Of May 10. 1862,
forcefully reaffirm its pre-
vious stands and show it is
an action" body not a vacil-
lating political and emotion
al group which cannot be de-
pended upon for firm. deci-
SionS.
Frank W0lfsheimer, PIE. C.E.
Evening star., 1962-05-28
Disputed Apartments

I do not advocate apart
ments in the McLean-or any
other-area. With the advent
Of CIA and the airport high
way what else could be ex-
pected?
The anti-Merrywood apart
ments campaign has taken in
many intelligent persons too
busy to study the matter.
They have signed petitions to
move the apartments from
Merrywood to their neigh
borhoods. 1t has been q
Madison Avenue type cam
paign. Use has been freely
made of a radio station and
practically every other means
of communication. ! am
convinced that the state
ment that there is unani-
nous opposition to the
Merrywood apartments is as
phony as q three-dollar bill
Walter B. Hill.
Evening star., 1962-05-28

school and we hope to stamp
out illiteracy in the near
future.
I would like to remind your
reviewer that most of this
development is financed by
the South African nation
whose origins we're in Europe
and who came to South
Africa before any black man
set foot there. This means
that on the average every
white family willingly pro-
vides $3.50 per year for the
advancement of the South
African Bantu to full self
determination.
w. /. GrObler,
Information Counsellor, En-
bassy of South Africa.
Evening star., 1962-05-28

not face this cold war fact
as squarely as he ought. He
seems far too interested in
simplification of the moral
issues involved.
He does, however, show
that the pilot who shot down
the RB-47 was almost Ger
tainly trigger-happy and that
he personally presented the
Soviet government with a
delicate issue that it prob
ably did not desire.
Finally, there is a good
deal of nonsense about the
long period Of interrogation
and confinement of the fly
erS during the course of which
they were not allowed con-
tact with the American en-
bassy or with an attorney Of
any kind. t-s-
MIR. WHITE compares this
with the treatment accorded
Col. Abel, the Soviet spy Of
recent infamous memory.
First he sneers at the intn-
cate procedures of Anglo
Saxon law that protected Col.
Abel as they do any mis-
creant. Then he praises them.
Then he accuses the Soviet
Union Of not following the
principles of Anglo-Saxon
Jurisprudence. No one will
maintain that the Soviet
legal process is designed to
insure fair treatment of the
accused by any standard used
in the West. This is no secret
the socialist camp" pro-
claims it daily.
But in fairness. should not
the standard Of comparison
be not our law but the Ma
poleonic Code and its out
growths under which the
democracies of West Europe
permit long detention during
investigation and do not per-
NIT defense counsel to enter
the picture until the pro-
ceedings are somewhat ad-
vanced?
1t is this system, not ours,
that the Soviet Union mis-
uses. Any discussion of Soviet
law that fails to make this
clear contributes to ignorance
rather than knowledge.
The men of the RB-47 de-
serve to be honored. A de
tailed exposition Of their ex-
periences should contribute
to our knowledge Of our cold
war opponent. But Mr.. White
has written hastily and ap-
parently thoughtlessly. A fine
opportunity has been lost.
Evening star., 1962-05-28
Man at Space Mike

Many times while Scott
Carpenter was in orbit. a
clear, well modulated, non
professional voice announced
over the airways: This is
Mercury Control"
1t was the voice of 1t. Col.
John Shorty Powers, Air
Force, giving US a technical
reading as to what was 60
ing On. He used converse
tional tones with q pleasing
Tilt at the end of his SEN
tences, a sharp contrast to
the strident, excited voices
OF professional newcasters,
fluctuating monotonously in
a narrow, upper register Of
tone.
Typically, broadcasters
adopt q readers voice." not
a natural. conversational
one, since they are required
to read most of their COPY
anyway.
But in Col. Shorty Powers
the Air Force has q fresh,
original personality in COM
munications. and If it doesn't
capitalize on 1t, 1t will be
overlooking a good public re-
lations bet on the radio.
Cheerful as an Etonian
school master applying the
birch to a recalcitrant earl's
son, and impartial as the
Dow Jones Industrials, the
colonel has real charm, and
inspires a listeners interest
in what he says.
Shorty Powers should be
heard more often.
Charles r. Beazley.
Evening star., 1962-05-28

@. How long was the New
Deal" agency called the Re-
settlement Administration in
existence? What did it do?
A. This agency was estab-
lished April 80, 1885 by ex-
ecutive order Of President
Roosevelt, to administer prof.
ects involving destitute or
low-income families. It took
over the land and rural re-
habilitation programs Of FE-
RA (Federal Emergency Re-
lief Administration the land
policy section of AAA, and the
subsistence homestead pro-
gram Of. the Interior Depart
ment. On September /, 1887,
the RIA was succeeded by the
FSA (Farm Security Admin
istration).
Evening star., 1962-05-28
THE PASSING SCENE
Congressional Adjournment
BY WILLIAM S. WHITE

Still, the probable choice Of
priorities seems a great pity.
1t is as though we were de-
Gliding to yawn our way
through those questions
which could mean life or
death in favor of spirited ma
tional discussion on such
things as these:
How many hospital bills
the Government should pay
and for whom; how right or
wrong business is in its view
of John F. Kennedy; and the
exact character and associa-
tions of Billie Sol Estes.
This is not to imply that
these three things are only
trifling. Obviously, all three
are meaningful; and they
matter if business confidence
in the present American
government is meaningful.
indeed. Still, the Republic
will survive even If ''medi-
care" is not enacted in any
form. 1t will go on even if
the ideal partnership be-
tween business, labor and
government eludes us all.
Foreign Affairs
And aSsuredly the temple
will not fall no matter how
many curious transactions
Billie Sol Estes may be found
to have made and no matter
how many politicians, of
whatever party. may be dis
covered to have been in
volved.
All these are not urgent
subjects in point of time,
whereas foreign affairs surely
are. The country has q need
to hear much about foreign
policy, and the administra-
ton and its critics have e
right to say much.
The President is entitled
to an attentive national au-
dience for what seems to
this basically bipartisan cor
respondent to have been his
signal strength in maintain
ing a firm but prudent line
about Berlin and against
Communist aggression in
Southeast Asia, and in re-
suming our nuclear testing.
The Presidents critics have
a right to an equally atten-
tive national audience fully
to ventilate their objections
and anxieties at what seems
to this same correspondent
to be the weakness of the
administrations undue de-
ference to the neutral ma
tions both outside and in
side the United Nations.
Evening star., 1962-05-28
A BOOK FOR TODAY
Tale of u. S. Plane Downed by Soviets
By DONALD MINTZ

THE LITTLE TOY DOG,
The Story Of the Two RIB
Al Flyers, Captain John r.
McKone and Captain Free
man B. Olmstead. By VIII
liam L. White. Endpaper
map by Rafael Palacios.
304 pp., illus. (E. P. Dutton
& Co., $5,75) ~-
On July /, 1860 an Amer
ican RB-47 was shot down
over the Barents Sea near the
coast of the Soviet Union.
The two survivors, Captains
John r. McKone and Free
man B. Olmstead were not
released by the Russians un-
til near the end Of January
of the following year.
The flight and its after
math are the subject Of "The
Little Toy Dog" a book that
takes its name from a good
luck piece carried by Major
Willard Palm, commander Of
the craft, who lost his life
in the crash.
william L. White, the au-
thor. is the editor Of the re-
spected Emporia Gazette and
wrote a World War II best
seller, "They Were Expend-
able"
Throughout their captivity,
the two flyers were subjected
to intensive interrogation the
main purpose Of which seems
to have been to bring them to
admit that they were over
Soviet territorial waters when
they were shot down. They
were not, and they refused to
make the desired confession.
Furthermore, they Skillfully
avoided approving alleged
transcripts Of their interroga-
tions in which their words
had been none too subtly
doctored in order to produce
the desired impression.
THE BEHAVIOR of these
men was both brave and
wise. 1t is worthy of a full
length book.
It is too bad, then. that
MIR. Whites work falls short
from so many different points
of view.
First, the matter Of the
personal experiences Of the
men and their families.
There is q point at which the
curtain Of privacy ought to
be drawn. And that point
comes well before the per-
sonal letters written during
the mems captivity.
These are the letters Of
ordinary people, full of trivia
and inarticulate expressions
of affection. Their humanity
does not survive being set
in type. Page after page Of
quotations from these docu-
ments does not make the en-
tire episode more human, it
cheapens it.
Then there Is the matter of
the planes mission. Early in
the book, Mr.. White re-
marks that "the abdomen
(of the RB-47 was) packed
almost solidly with black
boxes ana antennae. S
These. we assume, are
somewhat like the gear in
Francis Gary Powers U-2
except that the RB-47 car
ries no cameras since it will
not cross Soviet territory"
The RB-47 was not inno-
cent in the sense that it was
not flying an intelligence
mission. It was innocent in
the sense that it did not en-
ter Soviet territory in the
course Of that mission.
Mr.. White generally does
Evening star., 1962-05-28
LETTERS TO THE STAR

Pen names may be used il
letters carry tDriters' correct
names and addresses. All let
terS are subject to condensd-
tion. Those not used tDiH be
returned only Dhen accom- =
panied By self = addressed,
stamped envelopes.
Evening star., 1962-05-28
Answers to Questions
By THE HASKIN SERVICE

A reader can get an answer, BY
mail, to any question Of fact By
writing The Star Information Bu-
reau, 635 r street NV. Washiugton
are or ssifeaddTsssed sf.pG1S
Evening star., 1962-05-28

Increasingly 1t looks that
this years true Congressional
election campaigns will be
fought far more on the floors
Of the Senate and House than
in the States and Congress
sional districts.
Traditionally, Congress
quits about July in such years
so members may go home
and mount the electioneering
stumps. This time, because of
q heavy work load, there is
no real prospect Of any final
adjournment either in July
or August and probably not
in September, either.
The probability is that the
best that can be managed will
be a fairly short recess, so
that, for all practical pur-
poses, the Senate and House
themselves will remain the
electioneering stumps.
Increasingly, too. it looks
that the great questions Of
our time-the cold war. the
state of the Western Alliance,
and our national policy to-
ward neutral nations-will be
far less talked about than
will be two or three homely
and relatively minor domes-
tic issues.
Domestic Politics
We are unlikely to have
anything like a great debate
between the Democratic and
Republican parties on the
state of the world. We are
likely, instead, to have a Sc
ries of small debates on such
matters as the Administra-
tion's relationship to busi-
ness and what sort Of medi-
cal care we should provide
for the aged. No doubt, too,
we shall hear a deal about
the scandals raised by that
big-time operator in the
farm subsidy program, Billie
Sol Estes.
If this forecast turns out
to be correct, then the whole
attention Of the country will
be turned from what is in
finitely urgent and incom-
parably vital-foreign policy
to what is reasonably i'm
portant but by no means
historically urgent-domestic
politics.
All this Is we'll within the
American tradition and no
one should question the
country's right so to pre-
occupy itself, If it chooses.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-11-14
Man, Toting 3 Pistols,
Held in Hit-Run Probe

A 22-year-old man who said
he escaped from a California
prison was arrested last night
by a District policeman who
was investigating a routine hit
and-run auto accident.
The man, Ronald E. Terrin,
had two pistols tucked in his
belt and another in his car
when arrested by Pvt. David A.
Mcpherson, 26. of the first
precinct, in the 900 block of
H street NV. He was charged
with carrying dangerous weap-
ons.
Police said around 1920 pm.
q car was involved in a minor
property damage accident at
Tenth street and New York
avenue NV.
The driver drove off, but q
by ISLANDER noted the car license
tag and a description of the
driver and turned them ovel
to police.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-11-14

1t. Walter r. Bishop of the
first precinct, said the infol-
nation was broadcast to radio
cars and to policemen with
walkie-talkie radios.
One of the walkie-talkie pa
trolmen, Pvt. Mcpherson was
walking in the 900 block of H
street NV. when car passed
him and parked nearby.
The driver got out and went
into a building. Pvt. Mcpherson
said the car and the man fitted
the broadcast descriptions.
He "staked-out" the car. At
.11:25 pm. the man came out
of the building to get into the
car and was arrested by the
policeman. Pvt. Mcpherson said
he found two loaded pistols
tucked in the belt of the mans
trousers. One was a 80 caliber
automatic, the other a rs cali
Der pistol. A search of the
mans car produced a IA calibel
short-nosed revolver.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-11-14
Shot Kills Soldier
During Argument

A Fort Meade soldier was
shot to death this morning
during an argument with his
wife in their home at Jessup,
Maryland State police reported.
James Hicks, 20, was dead
from a gunshot wound in the
chest when police arrived about
$3.50 am. Detective Sergt. Will
ton r. May said. Police had
been called by a neighbor after
the victims 22-year-old wife
Loretta ran to the neighbours
house fater the shooting.
Mr.. Hicks was a native of
Granite City, Ill.,, according to
police. They said Mrs. Hicks
is also from Illinois. The couple
has a 16-month-old son.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-11-14

excitement for farmers whose
COWS and pigs have grazed vir-
tually undistrubed since World
War II on parts of a 10000
acre Federal tract near Avon
Park in Central Florida.
The Air Force Tactical Com
mand sent its bombers over
the tract in low-level practice
runs, dropping practice bombs
and blazing away with machine
guns.
The sheriff's office at Avon
Park said the practice swoops
and a warning to stockmen &C.
Cured almost simultaneously.
One hog drover told sheriff's
officers he was nearly blown
out of his saddle by plane
which buzzed the bombing area.
Those hogs can dig their
own bomb Shelters" the herds
man said. Il got out of there
quick"