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2 Friday, September 26, 1975
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
Encouraging Developments for Improved Black-Jewish
Relations vis-a-vis Israel . . . Corrective Encyclopedia
Britanica Action Sets Pace to Erase Abuses of Jews
Charm, Ethnicity and Merit
the years when Jews found it near impossi-
Aspirations of a political charmer revive ble to secure admission in medical schools.
Some years back, when a midwestern
an old dispute over recognition of merit in
university was confronted with the charge of
public services and the professions.
Renewal of the controversy revolves ar- discrimination against Jewish applicants for
ound the role of Gloria Schaffer, of Connecti- admission to the medical college, the presi-
cut, who is rated-and headlined by New- dent of the university and the dean regret-
sweek as her "State's Fairest" in the fully admitted that they had to establish a
quota for Jews. They pointed out that for the
following item in Periscope:
100 to be admitted to the medical school
"The
there were 900 applicants and half of them
first votes are
were Jews. "If we are to abandon the quota
in on the Con-
system, we might make the medical student
necticut
body 60 percent or more Jewish, and we can't
Democrats'
do that," they said. That's how they argued
choice of a
against merit as a basis for admission.
candidate to
The subject was debated at the time by
oppose GOP
this Commentator and a leading Detroit psy-
Sen. Lowell
chiatrist who defended a nominal quota sys-
Weicker in
tem. The Commentator insisted that only
next year's
merit should count. Was it realistic? Is this
race. She is
realism today, in view of the Affirmative Ac-
44-year-old
tion programs?
Gloria Schaf-
Now the question arises whether merit
fer, Connecti-
should be applied politically. The mere
cut's secre-
suggestion that two Jews in the U. S. Senate
tary of state
from a single state might be objectionable
and its lead-
appears ludicrous and insulting to the Amer-
ing vote-get-
ican way of life, to this nation's sense of fair
ter.
GLORIA SCHAFFER
play and to a state's opportunity to benefit
She col-
lected 699,000 votes in the 1974 election, top- from two able people. If Gloria Schaffer can
ping both Democratic Sen. Abraham Ribi: advance the high goals of Connecticut, why
coff, who pulled 691,000, and Gov. Ella should Abraham Ribicoff's Jewishness stand
in her way of attaining a senatorship and
Grasso, who had 642,000.
"One political drawback is that the state Connecticut's acquiring an able legislator?
Merit, so this Commentator believes,
already has a woman governor; a second is
that Mrs. Schaffer is Jewish and a victory still must have priority, in politics as well as
would give the state two Jewish senators. the professions.
Nonetheless, Mrs. Schaffer is now the odds-
on favorite for the nomination."
Black-Jewish Relations
Now the question arises whether people
in
the Best American Spirit
are to be judged ethnically, religiously, ra-
cially, or by their merits.
BASIC — Black Americans to Support
A puzzle like Connecticut's has seldom Israel Committee — is a name to be remem-
before arisen politically. But it is a major bered and to be honored as a new high mark
challenge in the issue involving "affirmative in genuine American democratic develop-
action" and it has been under discussion in ments.
Sponsored by leading Black liberals, in-
cluding Bayard Rustin, A. Philip Randolph
and Roy Wilkins, this movement has a great
goal and is a reaffirmation of an experience
that had linked Blacks and Jews in a strong
an insoluble friendship.
The tradition for cooperation by Jews
and Blacks in tasks for the advancement of
civil rights and the elimination of prejudice
has a strong and noble background. '
Sadly for America and its liberal forces,
the struggle in the Middle East was cor-
rupted into a Black-Jewish controversy,
Blacks having been misled into believing that
they were backing fellow-Blacks against
Jews. Injected into the foray was a miscon-
ception of the neighborliness, a charge that
Jewish merchants had mistreated Black cus-
tomers and similar fables.
Unfortunately, the changing neighbor-
hoods, the flight to the suburbs, the emerg-
ing lawlessness, were aspects of an enmity
that should and could have been averted.
The new movement, backed by the liber-
als in the ranks of Blacks, offers a hope for
emendation in a sad situation that disrupted
good will. The success of BASIC can and
should lead to an end to strife in Jewish-
Black ranks.
Errors on Russia - Revised:
What About Abuses of Jews?
A most unusual occurence marks fair-
ness in the publishing field. Encyclopedia
Brittanica has announced that articles rela-
ing to the Soviet Union which contain errors
in facts, mistakes created by copy supplied
by a Soviet news agency, will be corrected.
The changes will correct the pro-Soviet
stance admittedly included in the articles.
This raises the serious question why the
many abuses of Jews and Judaism in diction-
aries and encyclopedias still remain sullied
and uncorrected?
Brittanica sets an example for justice
and truth. Will it be followed by itself and
By Philip
Slomovitz
others relating to Jews, Hebrew, Judaism,
etc.?
Abraham F. Citron's Proposal:
Reminiscent of Theodore Roosevelt
In an age of virulence of discord, it's re-
freshing to read an eminent scholar's pro-
posals for educational progressiveness.
Writing "A Dissent" recently, in the De-
troit News, on the question of outmoded
. spelling, the Wayne State University
scholar, Prof. Abraham F. Citron, described
the many awkwardnesses in the accepted
spellings. He made this convincing poi- ' in
his "dissent":
"Why haven't we
long ago shifted to a
consistent phonetic
spelling which was and
is the basic intent of
our alphabetic system?
Despite the high-sound-
ing "lexical" and etymo-
logical rationalizations,
the real reason we force
irrational forms on
PROF. CITRON
helpless children is that
we are used to the forms and do not want to
undergo the inconvenience of change.
"Buk tremendous educational and mone-
tary benefits could be reaped through such a
change. Before we opt for costly pie-in-the-
sky gimmicks we should reform our child-
defeating spelling. Simplified spelling could
be the most fundamental and far-reaching,
educational innovation since the introduc-
tion of the common school."
Prof. Citron's suggestions are reminis-
cent of the views of the battling Theodore
Roosevelt. The late President had-made
many suggestions for alterations in spell-
ings. Most of his ideas were accepted and put
into practice. Prof. Citron needs an audience
that will recognize the merit of his ideas. He
warns against sticking in the mud of out-
worn and awkward etymology. His views de-
serve an audience.
Interpol: A Police Agency or A Police Threat?
(Editor's note: This is
the fourth in a series of ar-
ticles written by London
scholar and researchei. S.
A. Barram on the past and
present Nazi links to In-
terpol, the international
police agency in Paris.
The final article will ap-
pear next week.)
By S. A. BARRAM
Following World War II,
luring the presidency of
Paul Dickopf, substantial
31.1MS arrived in the coffers
)f Interpol. The money
.ame from South America
ind Switzerland, where the
\Tazis had deposited exten-
sive amounts at the end of
he war.
Interpol neither revealed
he source of the donations
ior allowed the organiza-
ion ever to have its ac-
ounts checked by an out-
ide independent body.
Dickopf also engineered
he agreement between the
rench government and In-
erpol, which legalized the
tatus of the organization in
'ranee in 1972.
Regarding its finances,
nterpol can keep its funds
ri any currency and in any
ountry and is not obliged
o present ahy accounts.
In exchange, its premises
nd archives are accessible
o agents or officials of the
'rench government and In-
erpol must take notice of
ny, disagreement of the
'rench government as re-
ards its finances.
It must constantly co-op-
erate with the French au-
thorities with a view to fa-
cilitating the proper
administration of justice.
The French Foreign Af-
fairs Committee's report to
the National Assembly rec-
ommending the signing of
the agreement, stated that
except for Yugoslavia, no
communist country had
joined Interpol. At the time
of the agreement, Cuba ap-
peared on the membership
list, and Romania joined
last year.
The agreement with
France opens the door to
abuse of power. It enables.
France to receive prefer-
ential treatment. No other
member country has any
say in the way Interpol ad-
ministers its finances.
Interpol binds itself far
closer to French authorities
than to any other member
state. A U.S. congressional
representative was recently
told: "No information about
the General Secretariat's
files can be supplied."
Interpol has access to poi-
ice files and computer banks
of all the member states,
but is compelled to co-oper-
ate only with French offi-
cials. It can freely obtain
any data through the Na-
tional Central Bureaux (the
arms of Interpol in the 120
member states), but can
withhold or feed informa-
tion at its discretion.
The Interpol constitution
states, "In the exercise of
their duties, all members of
the Executive Committee
shall conduct themselves as
representatives of the Or-
ganization and not as repre-
sentatives of the -respective
countries."
What appears to be de-
sirable is, a future where
the authority and control
over the national police is
taken away from the re,
spective Home Offices or
Ministries of Interior and
placed into the hands of
Interpol. This would pave
the road toward a univer-
sal police state.
The statutory foundation
for the penetration of the
jurisdiction of the member
states has been laid by the
Constitution, which defines
the objectives of the Na-
tional Central Bureau
(NCB) in each member
state:
"The body appointed NCB
should be empowered to or-
der, or at least to initiate
important police operations;
goodwill and courtesy will
not suffice for effective pol-
ice co-operation."
There has been apprehen-
sion 'in the U.S. Congress,
that certain documents of
the FBI could reach East
European Countries via rn-
terpol. Consequently, two
independent congressional
investigations have been
appointed, one headed by
Rep. Edward Beard and the
other by Sen. Joseph Mon-
toya, to probe the activities
of the organization.
The two committees are
dealing, among other
things, with why Interpol
had withheld its Nazi past
from Congress and to what
extent there has been an
abuse of privacy through
Interpol's link to the FBI's
National Crime Informa-
tion Center.
It is perhaps no coincid
ence that all general secre-
taries of Interpol after the
war have been French. For
France has the longest pol-
ice tradition in Europe and
many countries have copied
the French police system.
The word dossier is
French and the dossier sys-
tem is a French invention.
The accumulation of data on
citizens, irrespective of. in-
nocence or guilt, of their
social status, profession,
rank of political opinion,
has been French police prac-
tice for centuries.
The knowledge thus
gained and kept in dossiers,
gave the police an edge over
other government depart-
ments. For they knew every-
thing about everybody, in-
cluding ministers, senior
government officials and
the lower strata of society.
When the Nazis came to
power, the existing dos-
siers were of immeasura-
ble help to them and
largely contributed to the
total subjugation of the
population. The Nazis,
applying the principle of
concentration, centralized
control and militarization
of the police, improved on
the dossier system.
Americans is stored in 7,000
The recent technical ad- government computers.
vancements in the field of Elsewhere similar situa-
computers has given totali- tions exist. -
tarian police a tool which
Some efforts have been
can make old unfulfilled made in the U.S. to protect
dreams come true.
the constitutional right of
Every policeman is now privacy of individuals by the
connected to a computer government Data Bank
bank. They contain not just Right to Privacy Act.
criminal records, but also
Meanwhile, Interpol,
local gossip, jottings from which has access to the
patrolmens' note books, un- computerized data
verified rumors and false re- through the law enforce-
ports, details on anyone the , ment agencies of the mem-
police comes to "suspect".
ber countries, plans to
This sort of uncontrolled have its own computer
set-up begs to be fed with bank. It encourages the
vast quantities of unverified dossier system, which viol-
circumstantial information. ates the basic common law
Sen. Sam Ervin said in
1970 that "The computer
age has placed in the
hands of the executive
branch official new meth-
ods of taking note of a per-
son's dissent, or for regis-
tering his political,
economical or social views
and political activities.
That picture is recorded
forever, no matter how the
person may change as time
goes on. Every person's
past thus becomes an ines-
capable part of his present
and future. This has
placed a political power in
the hands of officials
which is unprecedented."
The horrors of the dossier
system of the Nazis will be a
minor problem compared to
the devastating potential of
data banks. In the U.S.
alone, data on 150,000,000
right that the accused
must be faced with the
accuser and the accusa-
tions must be known to
him.
In the course of t
congressional invesk,- ,,ga-
tions, sufficient evidence
has been found to justify
the inclusion of Interpol to
the list of intelligence agen-
cies which are being investi-
gated for their involvement
in "dirty tricks" by the Sen-
ate Committee on intellig-
ence agencies.
The installation of such
equipment would create a
world wide web of police
surveillance against which
neither the public nor Inter-
pol member states would be
able to exercise control. It
would present a perfect de-
velopment toward a univer-
sal totalitarian regime.