THEMICHIGANDAILY
Laotian
Rebels
Attack;
Sever
Communists
Main
Hhway
Tie
Q
Now Co ntrol
Key Junction
Battle Continuing;
Outcome i Doubt
VIENTIANE tP)-Pro-Commun-
ist Pathet Lao assault troops burst
through goverment defenses in
central Laos yesterday, severing
the main highway link between
this administrative capital and
the royal capital of Luang Pra-
bang.
The attackers fanned out to ex-
ploit the breakthrough at the stra-
tegic road junction of Sala Phou
Koun, a government military
source said, and captured Muong
Kassy, a stronghold 22 miles
south.:
Confused government troops fled
in two directions, he said, giving
the rebels their biggest victory
since January and a stranglehold
on the Queen Astrid highway just
40 miles south. of Luang Prabang
and less than 100 miles north of
Vientiane.
Make Stand
At last report, government de-
fenders backed by heavy artillery
were making a stand, on high
ground surrounding Sala Pou
Keng, eight miles north of the
road Junction and the, third key
point in defense plans for the
highway.
Government sources insisted the
battle will be in doubt for several
days. They said systematic de-
struction of the highway has made
it useless to the advancing rebels.
The government made no public
announcement of the battle or
casualties. The rebel radio claimed
about 300 government troops were
killed or wounded and "one bat-
talion completely wiped out# dur-
ing. month-long skirmishing that
preceded the attack yesterday by
nine Pathet Lao battalions.
Destroy Trucks
The rebels, quoted by Red
China's new China News Agency,
also claimed four government ar-
mored cars and many trucks were
destroyed, and three airplanes
supplied by the United States shot
down or damaged.-
(It was reported in Washington.
Friday that President John F.
Kennedy has strongly urged Soviet
Premier Nikita Khrushchev to halt
shipment of Soviet arms to the
rebels before the United States
decides it is compelled to launch
a counter-buildup of government
forces. Kennedy urged neutralizing
Laos to prevent the civil war from
exploding into a greater East-West
clash.)
Government sources said' rebel
successes were due to a' massive
airlift in recent weeks by Soviet-
built transport planes. They also,
said Soviet trucks were used to
rush fresh rebel troops into the
fighting.
Rumors. of the rebel advance
flew through Vientiane but the
city remained quiet.
SACRAMENTO -- Former Vice-President Richard M. Nixon,
speaks before the California GOP Central Committee. Nixon has
declined to run for state governor. He is holding his hand up
to his ear to hear the applause from the jammed assembly hall.
Nixon Declines To Enter
amaign for Governor
BAC Asked
To Modify
Procedures
WASHINGTON P) -The club-
like organization of corporation
presidents, the Business Advisory
Council (BAC) of the Commerce
department, soon will be losing
some of its secrecy, exclusivity,
and big business flavor.
The administration and, more
particularly, Secretary of Com-
merce Luther H. Hodges, quietly
have requested several changes
in the 28-year-old advisory body,
it was learned yesterday.
Makes Changes
One change was made without
asking. Ralph J. Cordiner, board
chairman of General Electric Co.,
resigned the chairmanship. His
company and 28 others pleaded
guilty last month to federal char-
ges of price-fixing and bid-
rigging.
Other leaders of the BAC now
are reported to be drafting pro-
posed changes in the council's op-
erating and membership rules to
make them more palatable to the
new secretary of commerce.
Hodges had serious reservations
about certain BAC techniques
when he took office, and he voiced
some of them.
Attacked in Congress
Since then, he has been em-
barrassed by attacks in Congress
on the big business coloration of
the council. This has been cited as
one reason for not giving the
Commerce department responsi-
bility for running the pending de-
pressed areas aid program.
Even before the latter incident,
Hodges had consulted with leaders
of the council and made known
his desire for some changes.
The council sent telegrams on
Wednesday to its 125 active and
"graduate" members-a roster of
many of the biggest names in in-
dustry-postponing BAC's first
scheduled closed - door meeting
with Hodges.
The telegram said the delay was
needed to "work out unresolved
matters affecting the BAC."
Committees
Terminated
ByKennedy
WASHINGTON (W -- President
John F. Kennedy, combatting red
tape, yesterday wiped out 17 inter-
departmental committees.
The White House said this will
save $301,375 a year, but that the
primary aim was not to cut ex-
penses, but to "clarify and pin-
point executive responsibility and
consolidate governmental duties in
a number of important areas."
White House Press Secretary
Pierre Salinger told reporters:
"There are going to be other
committees eliminated. This is
just the first action."
Chop One-Third
This first action got rid of more
than one-third of the inter-
agency groups, most of them set
up during the previous adminis-
tration. One of them, the Govern-
ment Patents Board, was estab-
lished in 1950 in the administra-
tion of Harry S. Truman. Its
duties will be handled by the
commissioner of patents,
The committees have such titles
as "Special Committee on Post-
Attack Indemnification Policy,"
the "Cabinet Committee on Fac-
simile Mail," and the "Cabinet
committee on Price Stability and
Economic Growth."
The latter committee was head-
ed by Richard M. Nixon when he
was vice-president. Along with it,
Kennedy abolished the committee
on governmental activities affect-
ing prices and costs.
Shift Responsibility
But the abolition of these two
anti-inflation committees will re-
present a net loss of only one
agency, because their responsibili-
ties will be shifted to a National
Advisory Board on Economic
Policy. The latter board will oper-
ate under the chairman of the
Council of Economic Advisers.
Salinger said 32 people with an-
nual salaries totaling $64,375 for
part-time work will be affected by
the lopping off of assorted com-
mittees. He said they won't be
fired, as they have regular agency
jobs and will retain them.
Some of the committees oper-
ated with the help of people as-
signed from various government
departments and bureaus. Others
had staffs of their own.
One of the biggest was the
council on foreign economic poli-
cy, on which officials from the
White House and the State, Com-
merce, Agriculture and Treasury
Departments served.
Job Ref used
By Hoover
NEW YORK V)-Former Presi-
dent Herbert Hoover won't be able
to accept an invitation to head
an advisory committee for the
country's new peace corps. But he
still wants to be "of any feasible
public service."
The White House announced
that the 86-year-old ex-President
had declined a bid by President
John F. Kennedy to serve as hon-
orary chairman of the committee
because of his age and other com-
mittments.
The post has since been filled, it
was learned, and chairman will be
announced shortly.
Report Squad
To Investigate
Hoff a Affairs
WASHINGTON (/P)-A battery
of onetime sleuths into affairs of
the Teamsters Union and its pres-
ident James R. Hoffa is now Work-
ing in the Justice Department.
There are indications they still
are on the same.,trail.
A well-placed source outside the
department said yesterday a spe-
cial unit has been established in-
formally to concentrate on hunt-
ing down new leads and reinvesti-
gate old ones dealing with Hoffa
and the Teamsters.
Department officials denied any
such squad has been set up, but
said that a section in existence a
long time--and charged with in-
vestigating organized crime and
racketeering in general-is being
strengthened considerably under
Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy.
UN DELEGATES CONVINCED:
To Consider China Admission
UNITED NATIONS (M- - Nine
out of 10 heads of United Nations question on the agenda of its reg- 3) An almost universal de
delegations were reported yester- ular 1961 session starting Sept. 19. among delegates to get the Chi
day to be convinced that the Gen- The interviewer, a college pro- Reds into big-power disarmarn
eral Assembly will take up the fessor who has made the subject a negotiations-and -a general f
question of seating Communist research project, said the follow- ing that they would boycott
China next fall despite any op- ing factors were involved in the such negotiations until they
position the United States may general belief that any such pro- given China's UN seat.
offer- posal would fail if put forward 4) A current campaign of
An expert an international re- next fall: rican and Asian countries to
lations said that in recent inter- 1) Brazilian President Janio UN councils enlarged so there
views, with those in charge atf 84 Quadros' recent announcement be more places for them on cc
of the 99 delegations, he found that Brazil would vote to debate cils. The Soviet Union has se
that more than 90 per cent be- the China-seat issue next time, notice it will veto council enla
lieve the assembly will put the and British Foreign Secretaiy ment until the Chinese Comn
T 'rr ^~^'-~^~^^ ^^r ha++Wa^ en^ i c ~^~^^^+A% i^^ h ~T
SACRAMENTO (P) - Richard
M. Nixon, California's No. 1 re-
publican removed himself from
the state's 1962 rac.e for governor.
He told a group of Reupublican
legislators Friday night and again
passed on the word to friends
yesterday that he Won't be a can-
didate for Democratic Gov. Ed-
mund G. Brown's job.
The former vice-president of-
fered his home state party a
three-point program, and his
leadership in a campaign for a
GOP political comeback'next year.
Avoids Mention
Nixon avoided any mention of
his possible future candidacy for
President and didn't touch. on
the governorship matter in a
speech before a statewide Repub-
lican meeting.
But he authorized the legisla-
tors to quote him on the question
of running for governor:
"I am not a candidate. I have
no intention to be a candidate or
institute a draft."
In San Francisco, Roger Kent,
chairman of the Democratic state
central committee, said "It seems
clear that if he believed he could
win he would have run for gov-
ernor."
Sees Struggle
Kent said "We will now see a
death struggle between the Gold-
water (Sen. Barry Goldwater [R-
Ariz]) fringe and the pseudo-
liberals of the Republican hier-
archy for the 1962 gubernatorial,
nomination." Kent predicted.
Brown will run again and win.
And in Miami Beach, Fla., Gold-
water said if Nixon wants to be
a power in the Republican party
he should run for something.
"Until he gets elected to some
position he's just going to be a
Republican lawyer," said Gold-
water, and added:
Names Rockefeller
"If Gov. Nelson Rockefeller of
New York is re-elected next year
he will be in a much better posi-
tionto win the Presidential nomi-
nation in 1964."
Nixon's statement didn't really
surprise party leaders who hesi-
tated to see him gamble his future
Presidential chances on a state
campaign.
But it did disappoint the hopes
of many Republicans. They figured
he showed his strength in carrying
California against a 3-2 Demo-
cratic registration last November
and could win the governorship
easily.
INTELLIGENCE STUDY:
Most Talent in Physics, Mathematics'
A nation-wide study of aca-
demic background and personal
abilities of all of the Ph.D's pro-
duced in one year shows that
physics and mathematics have
captured most of the talent.
By the same criteria, education
has attracted the lowest share of
top-level intelligence.
The study also vindicates an
earlier warning by Dr. James B.
Conant that small high schools
are unable to provide an adequate.
academic challenge,.
Every high school with fewer
than 100 graduates in 1958 was
found below the national norm of
doctorate production. All the high
schools in the largest class-size
category of 800 or more students
in their graduating classes were
found to produce three times as
many doctorates as would be ex-
pected of them, according to the
national norm.
U.S. Supports
The study was carried out by
Lindsey R. Harmon, director of
research, Office of Scientific Per-
sonnel, in the National Academy
of Sciences. It was supported by
the National Science Foundation
and the United States Office of
Education. The report- was pub-
lished yesterday in the - weekly
magazine Science.
It is apparent, the report said,
that the physical sciences and
social sciences are "the outstand-
ing fields at the higher ability
levels, followed closely by arts and
humanities, with the biological sci-
ences and education lagging far
behind."
The study found "that the fields
of biology and education have not
been able to attract their propor-
tionate share of individuals of
highest intelligence."
Early Failure
Since these fields "are certainly
inherently as challenging as those
in the physical sciences," the re-
port concluded that "there is a
failure somewhere, probably at the
high school level or even earlier,
to present adequately these chal-
lenges to the right young people
who eventually attain doctorate
degrees."
The study started with a list of
all of the 8,930 doctorates award-
ed in 1958. After eliminating about
13 per cent who had been gradu-
ated from foreign high schools and
those for whom no high school
information was avaliable, the
survey followed up the remaining
6,259 recipients.
Among other important findings
of the survey were these:
The Northeastern states as a
whole outproduce the rest of the
country in Ph.D.'s by almost 50
per cent.
The mountain states are 50 per
cent above the national norm in
the production of biological science
Ph.D.'s.
. The yardsticks used for the
study included intelligence tests;
an adjusted ranking in the high
school class; grade-point averages
in mathematics and science and
the Army General Classification
Test.
It was found that one person in
3,100 of any one year's approxi-
mate Ph.D. age group in the na-
tion actually attained a doctor-
ate.
Even at the highest ability level
tabulated, above the "genius"
classification, only one person in
five actually attained the doctor
ate. The report concluded that
there remained "a substantial res-
ervoir of under-developed abil-
ity."
(Copyright 1961, The New York Times)
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