I Seventy-Fif th Year EDrrED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD m CONTROL OF STVDENT PUBLICATIONS EXTENSIVE WELFARE: Sweden-Land of Luxurious Living 4 Where Opinons A ree, 420 .MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH. TrthWllPevi NEWS PHONE: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily ex press the individual opinions of staf fwriters or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 1965 NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT MOORE } i i I A Teach-In Needed On African Situation KENYA'S MINISTER for Commerce and Industry, Julius Kiano, and four mem- °bers of Kenya's Parliament issued a state- ment Monday calling on Kenya's vice- president, Odinga Odinga, to either stop attacking the government or to resign. The attack bears solemn testimony to the success of Communist efforts to de- stroy Kenya's stable government under Jomo Kenyatta and to establish one more favorable to themselves. It is also a mile- stone on Kenya's path to ward off civil war. Communist forces appeared to have suffered a serious setback a month ago when Kenyatta uncovered an arms ship- ment ostensibly bound for Kenya's army, but in fact headed for Odinga-backed rebels. But the resolute Russians, spurred on by Chinese successes in Africa, have made a fast comeback in their drive to split the country into warring liberal- moderate camps. The agent of this drive is Odinga. He has evidently been so encouraged by his Russian backing that he feels able to criticize his government with imunity, itself testimony to the promises the Rus- sians must have made him. Four weeks ago several members of parliament called on him to resign for "confusing the people and embarrassing the governent." MONDAY'S ATTACK on Odinga was the result of a speech he made in Kisumu in which he accused the United States and Britain of creating trouble in Kenya. IHe also attacked ,Thomas Mboya, minis- ter for' economic planning and develop- ment, and Ronald Ngala, former. opposi- tion leader, for acting as dupes of the \English. Mboya and Ngala have recently spoken out actively against Communism. Odinga's Russian-created strength is a product of Soviet desires to split Afri- ,.Lantern' Argument x Unworthy JT IS, OF COURSE, always encouraging to hear someone defending freedoms on the campus, as the (Ohio State) Lantern did recently. Perhaps it is enough these days that such freedoms as the right of one man to speak and of others to listen are being defended, but one always hopes in addition that the arguments marshall- ed will be worthy of what is being de- fended. In balance, the Lantern's defense was almost as disappointing as it was expect- able. The OSU campus had seen long and bitter protests by faculty and students demanding the OSU administration al- low Communist theoretician Herbert Ap- theker to speak there. The cause was certainly just and clear, yet in order to prove that the protestors were not "fraudulent," "dissident," "few" and Communist - duped, the Lantern found it necessary to resort to a chronicle of their credentials: noted scholars, hon- ors students, large numbers, etc. It's as if one must be noteworthy, in- telligert, popular or followed by thou- sands in order legitimately to exercise his rights or to insist that others are obliged to honor those rights. The holy cry of "expertise" goes up, while in fact all that is relevant is that the thousand or so were responsible American citi- zens and were deeply concerned with an issue they felt affected their lives. That is all one should ever have to say about why he finds it necessary to voice his convictions. SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT, in any given case, argue with those convictions. But it takes deplorably poor style at best, and a well-imbedded intolerance of dem- ocratic processes of expression and choice at worst, to say the man who differs is somehow not a respectable human being. And it takes the same poor style or the same intolerance to say the man who differs is respectable only because he has already been judged respectable. If the legitimacy of one's speech must ).a- n.ra i.n - + f n + tx n A can nations-inserting her own influence into the vacuum thus created. They are evidently succeeding. in Odinga they have found a powerful spokesman capable of hitting Kenyatta's moderate government where it hurts. Odinga pulls one way, Kiano pulls the other, and the Russians step in between. Kiano's statement further illustrates the dissent Odinga is capable of creating in the face of supposedly evident facts. Odinga has often spoken about the ad- vantages of Russian aid. YET TRY EXPLAINING the importance of "recurrent expenditures" to a dis- satisfied African. And then watch him turn and listen to Odinga talk of war. Thus far, American policies have taken little if any notice of these "divide and conquer" tactics. They require rather sophisticated foreign policy maneuvers and after the Dominican landings, one rather dispairs of Washington's under- standing anything more complicated than simple shoot-from-the-hip retaliation. But there are forces today which have recently induced the administration to undertake rather more sophisticated poli- cies in Viet Nam. President Lyndon, B. Johnson's Baltimore speech followed by the six-day halt in the bombing of North Viet Nam were obviously reactions to cri- ticisms of his policies emanating from the nation's universities. His "vote of confidence" request to Congress for an additional $700 million to help pay government bills in Viet Nam and the Dominican Republic was an at- tempt to both answer and to quiet this criticism. THE ORIGINATOR of the criticism, the University-based Inter-University Com - mittee for a Public Forum on Viet Nam met last Friday "to evaluate the Wash- ington teach-in and discuss future ac- tions." Apparently the meeting centered on reports from the teach-in rather than on planning of future actions. Hopefully, the committee will meet again soon to decide where to turn its attention next. There are few better areas such a group could bring to its attention than the dan- ger of racial uprisings-Communist-in- spired or not-in Africa. That these dan- gers are both imminent and ubiquitous has been noted; that the University com- munity has at its disposal the perfect in- strument for calling our negligent gov- ernment's attention to a vital problem has been sadly neglected by all. Certainly, an African teach-in would be less popularly interesting that a Viet Nam teach-in, but is not the very pur- pose of such a program to arouse pop- ular interest in the subject? Before the# protests began, Viet Nam was certainly a dormant issue in many of the eventual participants' minds. To argue otherwise is to argue that the committee was a creature of the mo- ment, and this the committee is certain- ly not about to admit. It might always be argued that an Afri- can teach-in would lobby for, rather than against, American involvement in a for- eign nation's affairs. But this misses the point, for any nation with America's power is, almost by definition, involved in the affairs of many foreign nations. What is of issue is the character of that involvement. THE INVOLVEMENT in Viet Nam could be protested because the U.S., had in- tervened in what was apparently a civil war; it seemed that we were doing more harm than good. But in Africa, this certainly does not need to be the case. U.S. involvement there could be as an unofficial mediator or as an economic aide; conceivably the teach-in might argue for an expansion of the Peace Corps in Africa. The possi- bilities for useful U.S. action are endless. At such a stage, details should be rela- tively unimportant. What is crucial is that the gifted creators of the Viet Nam teach-in have the chance to present themselves with another, and if possi- ble more important, task. Hopefully mere assurances of Africa's By ROGER RAPOPORT Special To The Daily STOCKHOLM - Ake Hedtjarn, chief of the planning commis- sion for downtown Stockholm, is about to leave on a two month tour of the United States. He will visit a dozen American cities to study their superhighway systems and parking ramps. While the Swedes might learn how to take care of cars from the Americans, it is the Ameri- cans who can learn how to take care of people from the Swedes. Through a unique political sys- tem the Swedes have systematical. ly abolished slums, poverty and unemployment. None of the stan- dard political labels are applicable to the government of this nation where the rich get richer and the poor don't exist. THE SWEDISH government is not based on any foreordained prescription that will solve the problems of society. Their for- mula is a pragmatic one. They have mixed Keynes with Adam Smith, Marx (the graduated in- come tax) with Gunnar Myrdal all under the leadership of a par- liamentary monarchy. Each Swedish community seems more modern than the next. Neat, rows of high rise apartments, modern shopping plazes and clean streets are everywhere. Usually the most attractive building in town is, the school-most have several pieces of original art rang- MATTER OF FACT ing from $40.000 pieces of sculp- ture to striking murals. Gothenburg (pronounced Yetta- boyg) Sweden's manufacturing center and Scandinavia's largest port is a good case in point. Even the wharves are clean, and the downtown is only stores and of- fices. All major industry is locat- ed on the outskirts of town leav- ing the city itself for beautifully planned housing developments. One is never more than two min- utes from one of Gothenburg's wooded parks. Sharing in all this good for- tune is the student - Sweden's most exaulted citizen. The hous- ing facilities at Uppsala Univer- sity put the 500 year old univer- sity ahead of its time-at least by American standards. TYPICAL accommodations are a three room suite for two stu- dents. Each student has his own room, furnished naturally with ultra modern Scandinavian fur- niture, plush chairs and a full size office desk. The students share the use of a kitchen and full bathroom. Cost? $40 a month, which isn't bad when one con- siders that Swedish students pay no university tuition. Naturally this helps avert pov- erty among students. As for averting poverty among the rest of the citizens the Swedes have an extensive welfare program that includes such benefits as child allowances, pensions for the aged (the old folks homes often look the state ultimately picking up 75 per cent of the bill. But since the frugal Swedish patients are still paying part, they take their business to doctors who charge reasonable fees. This "Free Enterprise Welfare State" as one businessman jok- ingly calls it, is not cheap. Sales tax is going up to 8 per cent, and personal income tax ranges around 30 per cent. But the Swedes be- lieve they are getting their money back in social services and assure everyone a minimum standard of living. The Swedes may also take pride in knowing their beatnicks appear far better dressed than those in Palo Alto, Ann Arbor, East Lan- sing, Evanston, London, Paris or Copenhagen. Here the uniform is a simple one. It consists of a green surplus U.S. Army shirt. From the sound of things, the presence of the U.S. Army in South Viet Nam is not nearly as popular as the shirts. The Swedes themselves seem remarkedly indifferent to their achievement. Most explain it by reminding the observer that their homogenous country of only 7 million, has not been in a war in 150 years, and they have a lot of trees and iron ore to make money from. As one man put it, "If you took just half of that $60 billion a year you spend, on play- ing 'policeman' for the world, and used it on the things we have, you could solve these problems too." STOCKHOLM IS A CITY of contrasts. Amid luxurious high-rise apartments, clean streets and beautiful people stands the historic government headquarters, seen above. 4 like a branch of Hilton Hotels), widowed, or orphaned, maternity benefits, free care in hospital wards, payment of half of all medicine and three-fourths of all doctor's costs and rent rebates for large families. By this time some Americans are probably seeing "red." Relax. Ninety four per cent of all busi- ness in Sweden is privately owned. Moreover in some areas the Swedes are more capitalistic than the Americans. Businessmen are' allowed to write off the cost of all capital equipment over a five year period. The corporate tax rate was re- cently reduced to 40 per cent, lower than the American rate. Moreover there is no such thing as an anti-trust or minimum wage law in Sweden. CAPITALISM is even firmly en- trenched in the state run medical system. In Sweden a doctor may charge any fee he wishes, with By JOSEPH ALSOP HONG KONG-Any attempt to sum up the present dangerous situation in Viet Nam must begin with the fact that the initiative has been completely abandoned to the enemy during the entire period since the middle of March. The President's decision tolbomb North Vietnamese targets initially produced very big dividends. The North Vietnamese government was visibly consternated and thrown off balance. The Viet Cong were not merely thrown off balance; according to all indications on the spot, their morale plummeted downward to the low point reported by the French newspaperman Georges Chaffard. In the South Vietnamese gov- ernment and army, and among the civil population, morale improved proportionally. Relative govern- mental stability was consequently %et Nam Polic-.y-One Note Piano? achieved. The final defeat that had been uncomfortably close (for South Viet Nam was literally cut in half in late January) was de- cisively prevented. THAT LEFT the problem of re- taining the initiative that had thus been regained. In South Viet Nam, not a great deal could be done immediately. To be sure, cer- tain important actions were taken, like the courageous ground offen- sive, supported by tremendous air- power, that drove the enemy from his positions along Route 19. But the South Vietnamese army lacked the reserves to launch of- fensives against the enemy "main force" units in their mountain and jungle redoubts; and the Ameri- cans, who were coming in to re- constitute the reserves, were not yet ready for action. That left the bombing of the North, which should be conceived as a boxer's left hand, reinforcing the work of his right hand. What was needed, of course, was noth- ing like the area bombing of Hanoi which people who have never set foot in Asia seem to regard as the only alternative to the nibbling attacks we have been making. But there is all the difference in the world between quietly but sternly increased pressure and try- ing to pressure a man by biting him persistently in the toe. Or another way to put it is to say that there is a wide gap between a carefully modulated crescendo and getting permanently stuck on the least important note in the 'piano keyboard. SINGLE-NOTE PLAYING is really all that has been happen- ing. The pianists in Washington, measuring distances to Hanoi in quarter inches, reportedly believe they have been playing a crescen- do; but they are mistaken. The targets are trivial. The areas under attack are those of least importance to the Hanoi government. What is now the main supply and invasion route has not even been hit once on North Vietnamese soil, for it runs from North Viet Nam into Sam-, neua Province in Laos at a point rather far in, the North. What may be the logic of this one-note piano playing is pretty hard to perceive. Countless mis- sions are run and planes and pilots are lost on road recon- naissance-on "roadwork" as the Navy pilots scornfully say. But no truck can move on those roads without oil fuel; and the limited petroleum stores are prob- ably the most vulnerable single feature of the North Vietnamese economy. Would not taking out the petroleum stores be cheaper in the end? There are other questions. What is beyond question, meanwhile, is the unfortunate political-military effect of this American abandon- ment of the briefly regained ini- tiative. THE APPARENT PROOF of iron American resolution, of final American commitment, was re- sponsible for two-thirds of the good effects of President Johnson's February, decision in South Viet Nam. But the South Vietnamese, who know their own country, are not to be deceived about the compara- tive unimportance of the targets being hit and the relative insig- nificance of the areas being cov- ered. In the South, therefore, what started as proof of American reso- lution has begun to be regarded as still another proof of American irresolution. A recurrence of poli- tical troubles has automatically resulted. One can assume with confidence that the impression conveyed in the North has been the same as in the South, but with reverse ef- fects. A man who expects severe and mounting pressure, and then experiences nothing much worse than persistent annoyance, is not likely to be thrown off his stride for very long, it must be remem- biered. Hence, the situation is doubly dangerous. It is dangerous, first, because a mere local catastrophe can conceivably have generalized effects this summer because of the slumping mood of the South. AND IT IS dangerous, second, because we are all too likely to end in another Korean-style war, under much less favorable con- ditions, unless the principle of the boxer's right and left begins to be remembered. That is the most important point of all. (c) 1965, The washington Post Co. 4 4, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Humphrey 'Sells Out' to the Consensus To the Editor: FLUID AMERICA is a prime can- didate for fads-witness the wholesale adoption of the Beatles, the "Nude Look," the skate- board. One might be tempted to say this applies in the political arena-the "New Conservative," "New Radical,"-but sadly enough, it's not true. President Johnson says he would rather be right than President, but shrewdly reminds us that he must "be President too." Which is just to remind us that if there is anything stable, anything cer- tain in America today (and for the past 200 years) it is the con- tinuous fad of the "middle-road mind, the no-stick-your-head-out thought that passes for pragma- tism, the holy grail consensus." Consensus is nothing more than a fad to be invoked at the slight- est provocation. Tried and true, consensus in American politics may well spell the end of its so-called middle-road political system, its GREAT CLASSICS. inaccurately described liberal de- mocracy. Why? The logic of the advocate of consensus is baby-simple: ex- tremes can't be right and more importantly, they can't win. You want to win (everybody wants to win), so you simply mix the two extremes together and get some- thing a little less virile, less ob- jectionable, and of course, less valid. But Everyman subscribes to it and you're in-you win. President Johnson knows fads. He is well aware of that homily, a kind of gentle Machiavellian- Texan dogma-"everyone should get something and nobody should get hurt very much." A true-blue pragmatist, a winner .at home, his idea of force-fed consensus to foreigners has produced nothing but massive stomach aches. Even granting that consensus might be OK at home; abroad we cannot deny ritual adherence to it is disaster; the middle road is plain and simple doom for Amer- ica in the 20th century. Why? It seems strange that Cuba has taught us so little. We tried to play both sides of the Cuban street - Batista-Castro, Castro-Batista-and when the real winner was named, got the boot because our sure-fire betting sys- tem was remembered. I contend that our country and our noble President are fast be- coming victims of the great Amer- ican "Middle Road." Their pursuit of consensus-where right lies dia- metrically opposed to wrong- clearly is nothing less than sui- cide. The 20th century has had labels ranging from the Age of the Atom to the Age of America. It is nei- ther. It is nothing less than the Age of Revolution, which may be something of both, but certainly is not the middle of the two. It's a shame that "Revolution" should be such a dirty word these days. Even the DAR is careful to disclaim their heritage to it: the American-British "conflict." Vice-President Humphrey at the MSU Bar-B-Q, seems the sixth man on the administration basket- ball team-the fellow who goes in when one of the first-stringers fouls out. Tuesday night the man who many Americans contend "sold out" to the "consensus es- tablishment," came into the Viet Nam game and tried a couple of foul shots-he missed both. If he proved anything it was that teachers should do their homework and revise old notes. His first lesson-his first missed shot-was the equation: revolu- tion equals Communist take-over. His second, one when the pressure was on: if you're wrong, you don't admit it, just play the game. Mr. Humphrey surprises his old friends tossing "Communist" around- shades of J. Edgar Hoover! I'll bet a ten-gallon hat that on the bench Mr. Humphrey would give a much more sophisticated in the true sense of the word: he went to the root of the 20th century, saw social evils, saw rev- olution as a rooting out of those evils, leading to democracy. A good teacher then, Humphrey didn't flunk semantics: he wanted to be right, didn't label flippantly things "Communist" or "Social- ist." He didn't sit in the middle of the road. It's sad Mr. Humphrey has chosen to sit there now; sad not paradoxical that that the middle may well be the end of the road for America, sad that Humphrey has become addicted to the "con- sensus fad" too. -George Abbott White, '65 Six Shorts Recall Early Humor At the Cinema Guild SIX WONDERFUL shorts, ranging from two classic Laurel and Hardy's to great early melodrama are being featured at Cinema Guild this weekend. Both the Laurel and Hardy films are typically ridiculous and uproariously funny. In the first the two attempt to deliver a piano to a house at the top of a hill-lots of falls, slaps, slips and laughs. The second features scenes from the "Battle of the Century," one of the greatest pie-throwing, goo-wiping, indignant-old-ladies-spoofing movies of all time. too. THERE IS an old time melodrama, complete with burning train scenes, thieves, maidens in distress (for those who like Helen Holmes) and suspense, rather than humor. mT - - -n1A an- fiii".- o- la civ i -Tnmr, Rt+-" mit 'UP FROM THE BEACH': just a Lot' Of Excessive Footage At the State Theatre WITH ALL that excess footage from "The Longest Day" left over it was inevitable that Twentieth Century Fox should find use for it. But what a shame that it was wasted on such a film as "Up From The Beach." "Up from the Beach" concerns the efforts of an army sargeant on the day after D-day to evacuate 23 French civilians and a boy. Caught in a "Catch 22"-like whirl of contradicting orders and red tape, the weary band of people move back and forth between the beach and their homes. It would have made a passible half hour "Combat" television show. As a movie it is just one long bore. Cliff Robertson is mildly ineffective as the sargeant and the supporting cast isn't much better, Red Buttons plays the New York Jew with a heart of gold, Broderick Crawford mumbles and sweats through his lines and James Robertson Justice glares for a few minutes. THE REST of the movie iests on the shoulders of the band of French civilians and the war itself. If it had focused itself from that direction instead of playing around with Robertson and a very silly romance, it might have been an interesting film. The plight of the average French citizen expecting "liberation" from the allies, and the carefully constructed chaos of the invasion effort which of its nature is oblivious to human wants and needs w