Sunday, March 17; 1968
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Five
Sunday, March 171 1968THE MICHIGAN DAILY
N -to- FIv
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ENTERS RACE FOR PRESIDENCY:
Kennedy Loosens The Ties That Bind'
Europe's Solution to Gold Flow:
De-escalate the War in Vietnam
WASHINGTON (IP)-The once- Democratic presidential nomina-
avowed support Sen. Robert Ken-
nedy (D-NY) gave to President
Johnson has finally been com-
pletely eroded. The senator's an-
nouncement yesterday that he will
attempt to win the Democratic
presidential nomination this year
ends a five year "friendship" with
Johnson.
For five years Kennedy insisted
that he supported Johnson for re-
election, and he said repeatedly
that he himself would not be a
candidate in 1968.
Then, last Wednesday, Kennedy
said the strong showing by Sen.
Eugene J. McCarthy (D-Minn)
against Johnson in the New Hamp-
shire primary led him to reassess
the situation-a reassessment cli-
maxed by his decision to challenge
Johnson and McCarthy for the
tion.
The challenge comes eight years
after Robert Kennedy managed
the campaign of his late brother
for the same nomination against
a field of other Democrats that in-
cluded Johnson and his vice pres-
ident, Hubert H. Humphrey.
United Party
The nomination, of Johnson for
vice president in 1960 and the
Democratic victory in the Novem-
ber election united the party. But
some bitterness remained between
the Johnson camp and the Ken-
nedys over Robert Kennedy's re-
ported advice -to his brother
against asking the Texas senator
to be his running mate.
Johnson moved quickly follow-
ing the assassination of, John F.
Kennedy Nov. 22, 1963 to assure
Robert Kennedy he wanted him
to remain as attorney general. But
rumors of coolness between the
two began to circulate again with-
in months.
A Kennedy associate tries to
put the matter into perspective:
"The attorney general and Presi-
dent Johnson have never been very
close. But they are no farther
apart today than they were three
months ago. This talk of a feud
is just silly."
Kennedy said of Johnson, "I
have the highest regard for him.
He's been kind to me and my fam-
ily and to Mrs. John F. Kennedy.
He is continuing where my brother
started."
Johnson expressed support of
Kenedy's .1964 attempt to become
New York's senator, but by the
time Kennedy returned to Wash-
ington as a senator Johnson had
begun his escalation of the war.
On May 6, 1965, Kennedy spoke
in the Senate on Johnson's request
for an additional $700 million to
meet new military commitments,
a request Johnson made clear was
to be regarded as a vote of con-
fidence in his policies.
Kennedy said that while he sup-
ported the request, "I do so with
the understanding . . . it is not a
blank check." He said he assumed
Johnson would seek approval from
Congress for any expansion of the
war.
The escalation continued.
In December, 1965 Kennedy still
took the public position that he
basically supported the adminis-
tration's position in Vietnam.
But by March, 1966 his criticism
of administration policy led Sen.
Wayne Morse (D-Ore), to say he
would back Kennedy for president
in 1968 if he "continues to sup-
port a change in American Viet-
nam policy."
Criticism Spread
Slowly, his criticism of Vietnam
bean to spread into other areas.
In August, 1966, he said that
despite three years of racial riots
in its cities, the United States "as
a government" has not "made the
kind of commitment necessary to
deal with the problems of the
ghetto."
But when a New York psychia-
trist, Dr. Martin Shepard, formed
"Citizens for Kennedy-Fulbright"
to promote a 1968 ticket of Ken-
nedy and Sen. J. W. Fulbright (D-
Ark), the New York senator told
him to stop.
By the fall of 1967, the circum-
stances began to change. Sen.
Eugene J. McCarthy (D-Minn),
like Kennedy a prime possibility
for vice president in 1964 before
Humphrey was chosen, began to
talk of running against Johnson
to protest his Vietnam policies.
McCarthy made clear he would
step aside if Kennedy decided to
run.
Gathering
Last Jan. 30, Kennedy gathered
political reporters for a breakfast
at which he expressed grave con-
cern over the course of the coun-
try, especially in Vietnam. But the
only thing he permitted them to
say was that he did not plan to
oppose Johnson under any fore-
seeable circumstances.
That week, in Vietnam, the
Communists launched their Tet
cities and increasing expressions
ofensive, bringing the war into the
of doubt in this country about the
course of the war.
On Feb. 8, in a speech in Chi-
cago, Kennedy charged Johnson's
policy was based on illusions, such
as the thought that "the events of
the past two weeks represent some
sort of victory."
Still, Kennedy kept his ground
about not running while McCarthy
trudged the snows of New Hamp-
shire, en route to last Tuesday's
primary. McCarthy won a start-
ling 42 per cent of the presidential
preference vote and 20 of 24 con-
vention delegates.
Changing Mind
But when the news of McCar-
thy's showing came through last
Tuesday, Kennedy indicated his
mind was changing. "At the mo-
ment," he said, "my plans haven't
changed."
By the middle of Wednesday he
had announced that the vote show-
ed the party was already split so
"I am reassessing my position as
to whether I'll run against Presi-
dent Johnson."
McCarthy made clear his ear-
lier offer to withdraw was no
longer valid and he said a Kennedy
candidacy might divide opponents
of the war and help renominate
Johnson.
BRUSSELS (R)-"If they would
only announce in Washington to-
morrow that they are de-escalat-
ing the war, that might make all
the difference" in allaying the
gold crisis, says one Brussels
broker.
His remark reflects a general
European concern over the Viet-
nam war's cost in money, as well
as men, which is seen here as a
leading cause of the run on gold.
There is the basic fact that for
17 out of the past 18 years, the
United States has been shipping
out more dollars and gold than it
takes in, thus causing a deficit in
balance of payments.
Causes of Deficit
This deficit stems from several
c a u s e s including spending by
Americans on travel and remit-
tances to relatives abroad, foreign
investment by U.S. firms, station-
ing of U.S. troops in Europe and
U.S. imports on foreign goods.
President Johnson has announced
plans for plugging up many of
the drains.
But many Europeans are fear-
ful that the conflict in Vietnam
will be much more difficult to
'plug.
An economist who works here
on Common Market matters says:
"Any way of ending the war would
have a good effect on the mone-
tary situation. It would be fine
if Hanoi made an acceptable offer.
But you won't find many in Eu-
rope who think that is going to
happen. Most people feel it's up
to the United States to move."
One reason for continued French
pressure on the dollar is the be-
lief of many Frenchmen from
President de Gaulle down that the
United States should not be fight-
ing in Vietnam.
Henry Fowler, U.S. secretary
of the treasury, has estimated that
the war is costing the United
States $1.5 billion a year in out-
flow of gold and dollars. This
amounts to nearly half the deficit
in the country's balance of pay-
ments.
Spending by the U.S. govern-
ment and its troops in Vietnam,
though much less than what is
spent within the United States on
the war, is different in that it
puts dollars in the hands of Viet-
namese and other foreigners.
These dollars could eventually
be drawn in the form of gold from
U.S. reserves. Some of them may
have already been drawn. In any
case, they go on the debit side of
the ledger when the U.S. balance
of payments is being reckoned.
At least a few of these dollars
find their way into North Vietnam
through trade and Viet Cong
"taxes" on businessmen. Those are
certainly cashed in.
The war also has important
side effects that have contributed
to the gold rush. War spending
within the United States has add-
ed hugely to the deficit in the U.S.
budget. The result is a swing to-
ward inflation, which makes for-
eigners nervous about the worth
of the dollar.
Another side effect is the volume
of extra imports needed by U.S.
industry to meet war needs. Such
imports must be paid for in dol-
lars or gold - another drain on
American reserves.
There are several possible de-
velopments, more likely than a
sudden end to the war, which
could slow the gold rush.
One would be progress on the
proposed tax increase, seen in
Europe as the test of President
Johnson's firmness against infla-
tion.
International Money
Another would be agreement on
creation of a new form of inter-
national money to supplement
gold: a system of special drawing
rights on the International Mone-
tary Fund. This agreement is ex-
pected at the end of the month.
Still another possibility is a
pledge by the wealthier countries
of Europe that their reserves of'
gold will be put on the market if
necessary to keep its price at $35
an ounce.
Militant Black Editor Warns
Of Impending 'Arms Race's
a
!_
-Associated Press
FATHER GROPPI AND SUPPORTERS
Groppi's Housing Protests End
After 7 Unsuccessful.Months
By GEORGE MILLER
An "arms race" between "white
fascists," police and administra-
tion officials on one side and
Negroes on the other is shaping
up in Detroit, John Watson, ed-
itor of the black militant news-
paper, The Inner City Voice, said
Friday.
Speaking to an audience of
over 100 persons in the UGLI
Multipurpose Room, Watson said
each of the sides expects a riot
this summer and is preparing for
attack. He cited the rise in the
rate of guri purchases in the city
from "500 a month before the
riot to 3,000 a. week today," as
one indication.
According to Watson, the
Negro community is "behind" the
police and administration in its
preparations, but is hurriedly
catching up.
Organize Suburbs
Watson's speech was sponsored
by the Citizens for New Politics.
Watson said the "white fascist"
segment of the Detroit commun-
ity has made successful efforts
to organize working class whites
in suburbs such as Dearborn and
Birmingham to gather food and
arms for use in the event of an
attack from the Negro segment.
These efforts have been made
largely through the right-wing
organization 'Breakthrough," and
the Patriotic Party of which
former Alabama governor George
Wallace is a presidential candi-
date. Watson said these groups,
have held rallies and distributed
large amounts of literature in or-
der to gain support.
Watson said representatives of
the "capitalist and imperialist
power structure," including the
police and National Guard, have
been increasing their supply of
weapons ever since last summer's
riots.
"Sophisticated Plans"
He said they have been draw-
ing up "sophisticated plans"
which include demployment of
troops, containment of activity
in the Negro ghetto, and cutting
off of all vital services and sup-
plies.
According to Watson, the De-
troit Police Department "plans
to cause an incident" out of
which a riot would evolve. The
Negro militants would then be
blamed for precipitating the up-
rising, he explained.
Watson said Detroit's Negroes
were previously unconvinced of
the seriousness of the prepara-
tions of the right-wing sectors of
the community but are now in the
process of providing for their de-
fense.
Gi*bbs:
gearedf
o ole irls.
Geared for college girls
who want top-paying,
challenging jobs.
Geared for the up and coming.
The pacesetters.
Geared to get you
where you're going. Fast.
Write College Dean for
GIBBS GIRLS AT WORK.
Katharine
GIBBS7secretarial
21 Marlborough St., Boston, Mass. 02116
200 Park Ave., New York, N.Y.10017
33 Plymouth St., Montclair, N.J. 07042
77 S. Angell St., Providence, R.I. 02900
MILWAUKEE 0) - The long
trail that Milwaukee open housing
demonstrators marched from sum-
mer until nearly spring has ended
with its goal unachieved.
The Milwaukee Youth Council
of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored Peo-
ple called off the marches, abrupt-
ly and without explanation, Fri-
day-one day after the 200th con-
secutive nightly demonstration.
Milwaukee still has no strong
open housing ordinance, only a
measure that reflects the Wiscon-
sin state law and leaves some two-
thirds of the inner city's dwelling
units exempt.
Rev. James Groppi
More than a hundred days ago,
the Rev. James E. Groppi, white
Roman Catholic priest and adviser
to the youth council, said the Mil-
waukee marches could be, perhaps,
one of the last tests of peaceful
demonstrations for racial goals.
"If they fail," he said, "the
young militants would then be able
to say, "you marched for that
many days, and that many of your
people went to jail and nothing
happened.
"Violence then would be in-
evitable," he said.
Father Groppi was out of the
city Friday and could not be
reached for comment.
Violence has not recently pla-
gued the route of the marches,
.which began last Aug. 28, less than
a month after Milwaukee's riot.
It was different in the begin-
ning, however. An initial foray
from the inner core, where 95
per cent of Milwaukee's 85,000 Ne-
groes live, into the virtually all-
white South Side, required almost
all the city's available police to
cover the retreat of the 250
marchers.
Streets were lined with 13,000
jeerin, bottle-throwing whites who
braved repeated tear gas barrages
to press their attacks.
Yet on Labor Day, Father Grop-
pi and Negro civil rights leader
Dick Gregory led a straggling col-
umn of some 2,500 demonstrators
across the mile-long viaduct sepa-
rating the South Side from the
central city, with only a few cat-
calls to mark the occasion.
'God Is White'
Later, white South Side youths
formed a group and counter
marched. They were light hearted
and they carried a mock coffin
labeled "God Is White," earning a
rebuff from Archbishop William
E. Cousins. That movement faded
away.
The Common Council, which
four times has rejected a strong
open housing law offered by Mrs.
Dale Philips, its only woman and
only Negro member, put an open
housing referendum on the April
2 ballot as demanded in petitions
by 27,000 opponents.
But in February U.S. District
Judge Robert E. Tehan forbade
voting on the issue, terming the
proposal in violation of the 14th
Amendment's equal treatment
clause.
In the last weeks,.the marches
dwindled to token parades only
occasionally marked by the pres-
ence of leaders like Father Groppi
or Mrs. Phillips.
In the March mayoral primary,
Mayor Henry Maier, who opposed
a strong housing law unless it
covers the entire county, was re-
nominated by a margin of 9 to 1
over the nearest of five opponents.
Henry Fowler
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IS COMING BACK TO
ANN ARBOR
MARCH 18-20
A New York Make-up
Artist will be at
TheoinC.
Q ryTo Give You a
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Pomegranate pink
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TODAY--SUN., MAR. 17, 1--6 P.M.
BALLOTING AND -DEMONSTRATIONS
YOSIT
FIELDHOUSE
- I.
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