Seenty-Third Year
EDITE AND MANAmEDn STUDENTS OwTHEUNrvmSrT OF MICHIGAN
UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
ker Opinions A e M STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BLDG., ANN ARBOR, MICH., PHONE No 2-3241
Truth Will Prevail"
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
VsDAY, AUGUST 6,1964 NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT HIPPLER
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Does COFO Want
Its Workers Killed?
Vietnamese Crisis Distorts
Chances for Settlement
['HIS SEEMS TO BE an untimely mo-
ment to suggest that the U.S. lead the
eaceful denouement of Southeast Asia
t a conference table.
Never have tensions appeared to be so
aut. The United States has bombed
forh Vietnamese bases. The North Viet-
amese have retorted with charges of
fabricatiog." The Red Chinese and So-
lets are screaming "imperialism." To
dake the settlement even less likely, the
ast available instrument of peace-the
rnited Natons-will be ineffectual for
ionths untangling the charges and coun-
er-charges concerning the incidents of
he past few days.
That the U.S. could somehow lead the
ppropriate nations of the world to a
onference setting looks even more pre-
osterous in view of national sentiment.
resident Johnson is well aware that he
.as taken the campaign sting out of Re-
ublican cries for a stronger military pos-
kND YET, NOW, TODAY, when a peace
parley over Southeast Asia appears
east likely-it is most feasible. Tensions
re no greater than they have been at
ny point in the 10 years of aggression
I Asia. And peace parleys, contrary to
ast failures, can be concluded success-
The recent exchange of blows points
p not how unusual hostility is in the
outheast area, but how common the in-
idents of combat are.
Since the signing of the Geneva agree-
tent of 1954, violation, not legality, has
een the rule in Southeast Asia. Neither
lie U.S. nor South Viet Nam signed the
reaty, which prohibited the introduction
Ito Viet Nam of troop or munition rein-
orcements. Both countries, along with
:hina and Russia, were party to its
reakage. By 1961, the U.S. had stationed
ver 15,000 American troops as "advis-
rs" to the South Vietnamese.
Where the U.S. was a signatory to an
iternational agreement, such as the 1962
eneva accords on Laos, violations were
gain prevalent. Illegal troop build-ups
ndermined the coalition government be-
re it had a chance to become settled.
IDEA is not to assess blame for
these treaty violations, but, to put
uesday's "aggression" in perspective. If
ohnson considered these acts aggressive,
ais is only a relative term, meaningless
Council Session:
BRILLIANT and exciting start has
been made by City Council toward al-
viating some of Ann Arbor's racial prob-
Oms. One can only hope, after its meet-
g Tuesday night with experts in these
tatters, that council will take action on
Dme of the proposals that were made.
There are good indications that action
ill indeed be taken-not simply under
ressure from council's Democrats, but
erhaps with encouragement from its
ormally slower Republicns as well.
For the meeting demonstrated an ex-
anded sense of responsibility on the part
f council. It was the only right thing
lat could have been done: to sincerely
sk the people who know what they think
needed to halt the worsening. problems,
f a large sector of the community.
The session thus established the be-
nnings of a meaningful and essential
ialogue between Negroes and their elect-
I representatives. Such dialogue is not
mly unprecedented in Ann Arbor, and
retty much unprecedented in other ci-
es; in a broader sense, it is a viable first
ep toward the direct participation of
)nstituencies in the affairs of their
overnment.
after 10 years of U.S. "aggression" in the
same area.
A peace conference today or tomorrow
is thus no less feasible than it was the
day after Geneva. Nor less needed.
But even if opponents of a peace con-
ference would concede that tensions
aren't really much worse than they have
ever been, there is still strong evidence
against a settlement at the conference
table.
Eliminating the minor issues, such as
what countries would be involved, the
major argument against conferences is
their past failures. In 1954. In 1962. Con-
tinually at the United Nations.
1lISTORY ELIMINATES this fallacy. For
the failure of international treaties
were written long before their actual
formulation. The 1954 and 1962 Geneva
pacts were oriented towards letting each
country hide its dirty intents in a mist
of good declarations. Typical of this atti-
tude was the United States in 1954 which
did not sign the agreement but recog-
nized it as international law and pledged
to view "with grave concern" its viola-
tions.
Scant surprise that the agreement was
broken. U.S. troops were in South Viet
Nam before the ink had dried.
The failure of conferences has also
come because each country abides only
so long as the provisions are in the "best
national interest."
This is tantamount to saying that trea-
ties are only valid as long as they coin-
cide with a country's immediate perspec-
tive. If this is the case, then let the U.S.
and the other powers rescind their mem-
bership in the United Nations. Johnson
should also forfeit all claims to legitimacy
under an international law which was
allegedly broken by the North Vietnamese
gunboats.
VENTS OF THE PAST few days have
left this nation and other large pow-
ers with a distorted view. A "crisis" has
been established in the minds of leaders
-and now everybne watches while they
adopt crisis postures, dictate crisis meas-
ures and spread crisis attitudes interna-
tionally.
The past 10 years of crisis in South-
east Asia show that nothing could be
further from the truth. To round of the
distortion, reconciliation by parley - a
feasible solution-has been abandoned.
-LAURENCE KIRSHBAUM
Good Beginning,
AN ELECTRIC ATMOSPHERE pervaded
the whole meeting as eleven communi-
ty leaders addressed themselves to spe-
cific programs for youth, employment,
housing and police-community relations.
There was just enough emotionalism, just
enough poetic language, to convey a justi-
fied sense of urgency. There was not
enough emotionalism to make the meet-
ing a rehash of grievances and frustra-
tions.
There was even a quite heartening
response from Councilman Paul Johnson
to one of the most radical recommenda-
tions of the evening, by social worker
Alex Hawkins. Hawkins explained how
the city might offer free housing to any-
one who would deed his home to the city
for renovation and rental or sale to low-
income families.
But Johnson was not the only one ex-
pressing the enthusiasm bred by the
session. That enthusiasm was evident in
the audience, and it was evident among
the other council members. Most people
left the meeting feeling that great things
would soon be done.
THAT FEELING was, however, more a
function of the evenings' atmosphere
than of optimism backed by precedent.
Indeed, there has been little precedent
to positive, adequate, timely council ac-
tion. Indeed, the Republicans on council
have previously offered excuse after ex-
cuse for inaction and weaker action. If
council is now faced with potential viol-
ence from some of the city's Negroes, the
fault is largely its own.
One can still be hopeful now that a
beginning has been made-but only if
To the Editor:
MIRIAM DANN wants people
committed to civil rights to
contribute money to the COFO
effort in Mississippi, and is dis-
tressed that her appeal has
brought forth so little response. I
suggest that there might be a
reason for that lack of response,
and I would ask Miss Dann to an-
swer a few questions concerning
COFO, its leadership, and the
premises of the Mississippi project.
I am personally acquainted with
a fair number of people who have
been working for years in civil
rights direct action, and who have
been in much closer contact than
I with the leadership of various
efforts in both North and South.
These people, who have consis-
tently proved themselves deeply
committed to the struggle for
freedom and equality in this coun-
try, are themselves strenuously
opposed to COFO. Surprised by
their opposition, I have asked
them why, and have received in
answer the following rumor:
That the COFO leadership
wants its workers to die, in order
to focus publicity on Mississippi,
and that it is an official policy of
COFO to hope that they will b
killed, and to recruit people for
this purpose without telling them
that that is the purpose.
I, MYSELF, have no way of
knowing whether this is true, ex-
cept that my sources claim to have
heard it directly from COFO
people. I am struck by the fact
t h a t persons themselves so
thoroughly committed to civil
rights yet oppose COFO with such
passionate disgust as I have seen
expressed. Because I know these
people to be experienced civil
rights workers, I am inclined to
believe them, and hence to oppose
COFO myself, on the following
grounds:
If people want to die, that is
their business and it is all right
with me. But the idea that an
organization, supposedly premised
on the assumption of human dig
nity, should set as policy that
people ought to die, is repugnant
to me in the highest degree. In
addition, the idea that recruited
workers are not informed of this
policy is hideous.
* * *
NOW I AM perfectly aware that
this is only a rumor, and may be
untrue and unjust. But I suggest
that it may be this rumor which
has caused the dearth of support
for COFO which Miss Dann de-
plores. I ask Miss Dann, then, to
answer the following questions:
1) Do you know whether COFO
leadership has considered this
question?
2) Is it true that COFO offi-
cially wants its workers to die as
a publicity stunt?
3) Is it true, if the above is a
COFO policy, that COFO workers
are not informed of that policy
before committing themselves?
4) If these rumors are untrue,
have you any idea how they could
have been started among exper-
ienced civil rights workers?
Needless to say, I believe that
this issue ought to be public so
long as COFO is asking for public
support. Miss Dann, please
straighten this out.
-Martha MacNeal,'64
. . . Credits
To the Editor:
THE UNIVERSITY, especially
the College of Literature,
Science, and the Arts, seems to
have a mania for giving two
credit courses in summer school
for some reason or other. Most of
these same courses are three or
four credit ones in the regular
school year, and some may even
be five.
The number of times per week a
course meets seems to have little
or no effect on the situation. Some
of the courses meet four times
weekly and give two credits; others
meet five times and also give two
credits.
The journalism department is
indeed no exception to this rule,
since two of the courses I had
there this summer met four times
weekly for two credits each. Both
of them had at least enough work
to be three credit courses, and
this is what they should have
been. Just why they did not meet
five days per week and, give the
additional credit is something I
could not figure out nor could
anybody tell me.
The main reason apparently
was a matter of campus tradition.
That is the way it had been done
for the last half century or more
and could not easily be changed
now. The University is a great
lover of tradition in more ways
than one.
THE SUMMER SESSION is lim-
ited in length to eight weeks now
and in some courses six weeks,
ways. There would be a chance
for a discussion of what was stu-
died or mentioned the other days
in class or for a weekly quiz.
Whether or not this traditional
two credit system in summer
school will be altered in any way
next season when the University
is on the trimester plan, remains
to be seen. It would be fairer for
courses, faculty, and students if
it were, and people would feel
much happier around here.
The summer session is short
enough as it is without making it
shorter by depriving faculty and
students of that much needed fifth
day of the week for most courses.
A summer student would also feel
more as if he were getting his
money's worth by receiving the
extra credit. This plan seems right
in keeping with the new one for
having University facilities in use
full time.
-Elbert A. Ross
. ..Harrah
To the Editor:
ALTHOUGH it is admirable of
The Daily to give'"equal time"
to its conservative opposition, it
also seems in order to dispute
those things that smack of mere
ignorance in Michael Harrah's
latest article. Since the function
of columnists and editorial writers
is precisely to offer their opinions
-to interpret the news, rather
than to give raw facts-it will
scarcely come as a revelation that
"Lippmann, and, worse, Kemp-
ton" write with a noticable bias.
That is, after all, the chief reason
for their existence as columnists.
One is at liberty to choose one's
own interpreter, in this game;
and it is naive for conservatives to
complain that liberal columnists
treat consevative candidates
poorly.
Still more curious, however, is
Mr. Harrah's view of Goldwater's
statement regarding "defoliation."
Although the statement in ques-
tion was intended to indicate
"what might be done," and not
as an announcement of settled
policy, it must surely be con-
strued as a ,clue to what "might
be" the Republican foreign policy
-an indication that Goldwater, as
President, would consider doing
just that kind of thing.
Surely the press was right to
emphasize this statement as a
clue to Goldwater's thinking. It is
precisely because of the equivo-
cation and, lack of precision in
the senator's utterances (mani-
fested, for example, in the "full
context" of his Viet Nam state-
ment) that we are forced to hunt
for "clues" such as this one, and
to turn to self-proclaimed inter-
preters, such as Mrs. Luce and
Mr. Buckley, in order to discover
just what it is that the senator
intends to convey.
-Willard Wolfe, Grad
I feel it must be noted that Mr.
Wofe can't read. First, I spe-
cifically pointed out that I do
not object to columnists offering
their own opinions; but opinions
must at least bear some relation
to facts, and I do object to col-
umnists who toss off opinions as
though they were facts. Second,
Goldwater clearly stated in his
ABC interview: "There have been
several suggestions made. I DON'T
THINK WE WOULD USE ANY OF
THEM." The AP was guilty of miss-
ing this qualifier in their report
at the time, and Wolfe, even after
I carefully explained the AP's er-
ror, made it himself.
-M. H.
UNIVERSITY PLAYERS
English Hurts T ra Diavolo'
THE GHOST of Daniel Francois a role obviously beyond his powers somewhat greater than the
Esprit Auber paid a call last to project. its parts. It's genuinely hap
night to Lydia Mendelssohn The- asks that you whistle on ti
ater, but the fact that Ann Arbor BUT THE RESULT is strangely home. What more?
required him to sing through an a delightful, tuneful, amazingly
interpreter sent him away a well-orchestrated whole that is -John J. Mannin
somewhat disgruntled Phantom of
his own opera. Opening-night pat-
rons had to face the uncomfort-
able fact that Fra Diavolo in Eng-
lish is not at all the Fra Diavolo 4
that helped initiate a new and
charming era in French opera over
a century ago.
The presentation of this 1830
comic piece in a new English ver-
sion forced upon the Music
School's Opera Department, stage
director Ralph Herbert, and con-
ductor - director - librettist Josef
Blatt an enormous measure of
difficulties. Primarily, it was a
question of talent. The cast was
manifestly, as a whole, unable to
bring to the production the polish .
and competence the piece de-
manded. wry
With a few exceptions, the " t, 4
voices simply weren't good enough.
This factor was compounded un-
fortunately and considerably, how-
ever, by the syllable-for-syllable
translation in which the opera
took English form. Fundamentally t
their deficiencies of talent, the
cast struggled mightily to be con-
vincing and articulate in a quick-
paced rendering of English that
most of us would have trouble
speaking.
The result was frequently a ver-
bal fuzziness, which tended to
obscure talent even more.
AGAIN, MESSRS. Blatt and -Daily Kamalakar
Herbert ran afoul of a not un- THE INNKEEPER'S DAUGHTER, Zerlina (Nancy Hal), has
usual problem in the attempt to covered the Marquis (Larry Jarvis), who is really the bandit
o theatricamusicanmate H wth Diavolo in disguise, in her closet, which puts her in a very (
difficulties ranged from such cen- promising position in this scene from Daniel Auber's light o
tral areas as stage placement, "Fra Diavolo," the current offering of University Players.
whose unfortunate patterns some-
times relegated the weakest voices
to the most unfortunate positions, TODAY AND TOMORROW
to the improbable detail of find- __________________
ing a ready supply of plastic cof-
fee-cups bearing the weak-lok
arp~~t cn y ntPrimitive Libherals
ing wine of a 19th-century Pied-
The cast was surprising in itsy /
range of capabilities. Perry Dan- Miss Point of Freedor
iels was undoubtedly the most ac-
complished singer as the be-
knighted Marquis, and a fine ac- By WALTER LIPPMANN The malady is caused, I 1
tor in the bargain. Lois Alt, though by the impact of science
often suffering from lack of bet- THE WALL Street Journal noted religious certainty and of
ter direction, was cast with fine recently that both President nological progress upon the
discretion as his wife. Lyndon Johnson and Sen. Barry order of family, class aid
Michael Robbins, sporting a de- Goldwater have said that there is munity. The "virtual d4
lightful make-up job as the ban- discontent even among those who comes from being uprooted,
dit Giacomo, equalled a truly fine do not have substantial material less, naked, alone and un
comic characterization with a sur- grievances. comes from being lost In
prisingly rich display of vocal The President spoke of the feel- verse where the meaning
talent, and saved a handful of ing that "we haven't been keeping and of the social order is no
otherwise weak moments on the faith with tomorrow or with our- given from on high and tra
force of his presence alone. selves." And before him in what ted from the ancestors, bu
was a most interesting and ar- to be invented and discover'
THE PRINCIPAL roles must be resting passage in his acceptance experimented with, each
the lovely Zerlina, was the most speech, Senator Goldwater said individual for himself.
charming, theatrically a w a r e that there exists "a virtual despair The modern sickness :
young person of the entire pro- among the many who look beyond despair which James T1
duction, except, often and unhap material success to the inner called "the insufferable
pily, for her voice. Prettily and meaning of their lives." It is to be found among tl
professionally a perfect heroine, Commenting on the two re- and the poor, among the gr
her range krnd experience couldn't marks, the Wall Street Journal and the groundlings, and
always match Auber and English says that "it is not easily ex- nothing to do with an unba
together, but the audience will love plained" why "such manifesta- budget, a swollen bureai
her nonetheless. tions of vague uneasiness should with communism or anti-co
Gary Glaze, the hero-corporal, appear in the midst of general Ism, with the New Deal
was easily the finest tenor and affluence." New Frontier.
easily the most phlegmatic ro- * * *
mantic we have seen in years. I VENTURE to say a word SOME 40 YEARS AGO,
As for the central figure, the about this because the question is days of President Coolidi
masquerading bandit-chief Dia- one of which I have long been young men were quite poi
volo, the terror of the Italian hills, very much aware. The first thing aware of it, and I was writii
the suave, carefree, handsome vil- to be said about it is that the "the promises of lberalisn
lain of the piece, Larry Jarvis was spiritual unease has been felt, not been fulfilled. We are
the most ill-cast figure in the examined and discussed all over in the midst of that. vast
opera. Of do btful vocal quali- the Western world for at least two tion of ancient habits whi
fications, Jagois spent the eve- centuries. It is the unease of the emancipators believed wo
ning fighting both unintelligible old Adam who is not ready forstore our birthright of hap
English lyrics and the demands of the modern age. We knw nw tht thv r
,yf"
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A Choice,
Not an Echo?
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YNDON B. JOHNSON sends American
planes to attack North Viet Nam.
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'in4I M2It A iNMENOM