Evening star., 1962-01-03

$4,000 Katanga propagan-
da fund really stirred up a
hornets nest, or was it a
rats nest? Even Khrushchev
and his vast propaganda ma
chine have yet been unable
to get a rise out of State.
1t was most disconcerting to
learn that some of The Stars
commendable editorials were
not the voice of a free, re-
Sponsible press but were, in
stead, the mouthings of a
dangerous and subversive"
propaganda agency. No Of
fenSe intended. I read and
will continue to read all of
the fine Star editorials. 1t
is respectfully requested that
The Star offer comment for
the enlightenment of read
ers as to how much of a
worldwide COR even Nation
wide) selling job an annual
outlay of $4,000 could buy
in big advertising circles to-
day. Methinks our State De-
partment office of informa-
ton could use a guy like
Struelens who gets reSound-
ing results on such a meager
budget. The indignant self
righteous blasts by Sta tie
against critics of Unite d
States meddling in the Con-
go are beginning to sound
more like the pangs of con-
science and regret. Since
when has it been wrong for
the voice of a free people
to criticize Government ac-
ton? Keep a tight hold on
your press cards, boys.
w. B. Curley.
y X II \
William S. White makes
some badly needed points:
That unless the more emo
tional supporters of the
Presidents African policy
curb the violence of their
absurd propaganda" they will
do both our country and the
President great harm.
Personally, absurd" seems
a vast understatement for
propaganda which suggests
that only wild-eyed "eXtrem-
ists," or some sort of "mer-
cenaries," are critical of our
shameful policy in the
Congo. Since when can our
all-powerful country launch
a shooting war on a COM
paratively helpless handful
of independent-min citi-
zens trying to protect them
selves from being forced to
knuckle under to Commu-
nist-controlled interests with
out criticism from the people?
Most of us want to sup
port whatever policy is right
for our country and for the
free world.
AS Mr.. White reminds us:
The point to be considered
is whether or not it is right
for our country to continue
to push policies which may
eventually completely destroy
our alliance with the West
or even possibly Western life
itself.
Lila d. SOnnemann.
4 X 4 y
Granted that this writer
is one of the Simpletons who,
according to Mennen Will
liams, were duped by Ka-
tangan lobbyists, he would
like nevertheless to point out
that a newspaper, which not
even Governor Williams
would label as rightist, shares
his views, although with op-
posite sympathies, as to the
significance of U. N. activi-
ties in Katanga. Here are
some excerpts from Pravda
December 6, 1850:
&c. Now, when the Sc
curity Council has demand
ed to put an end to the
Tshombe regime, the colonial
lists continue to mock the
demands of world public
opinion and of the Congo
leSe people. Recently
Tshombe was in Geneva,
where he concluded a secret
agreement with the Western
powers. This hard = boiled
traitor openly gives away the
wealth of the country for
ornaments and new merce-
naries. Tshombe feels that
he is above punishment. I'm
pudently he declares: In
Elisabethville and the whole
of Katanga the situation is
absolutely calm We ask
ourselves how long this
mockery of U. N. decisions
will go on. Until when will
the Colonialists preserve in
Katanga this nest vi bandits
and murderers ? World
public opinion demands that
an end be put (to this Sit