Seventy-Sixth Year
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
SOUND andCFUsY
by Clarence Fanto China Policy: It's Not Even T heir War
4,
m Are Free 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH.
Prevail
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Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the inidividual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1966
NIGHT EDITOR: SUSAN SCHNEPP
The Dubious Conscience
Of a Car Manufacturer
SEN. ABRAHAM RIBICOFF (D-Conn)
has greeted the auto industry's of-
fer to accept federal safety controls vol-
untarily with healthy suspicion, as well
he might. For "voluntary" acceptance of
controls is a well used industry device
to escape the worst, a little like a crim-
inal turning informer in order to escape
with a light sentence.
The voluntary trick was used with great
success by the tobacco companies last
year when it appeared the government
was finally going to do something about
cigarettes. The cigarette manufacturers
volunteered to accept without struggle a
Food and Drug Administration order
forcing them to place the "Cigarette
Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your
Health" warning on their packages in the
correct anticipation that acquiescence to
that incredibly mild FDA order would
forestall much stronger action, possibly
including advertising controls, by the
Congress.
fI HE RECENT STATEMENT of the auto-
mobile industry, which, incredibly,
seems to have surprised most observers,
is doubtless a similar ploy. Sen. Ribi-
coff's skepticism, however, appears to in-
dicate that the car manufacturers will
not be allowed to get off so easily. The
industry is running scared and not, it
seems, without reason.
Ralph Nader's long testimony before the
Senate Commerce Committee has been a
damning indictment of the industry's fail-
ure to provide even minimal safety stand-
ards for its products. Big Business apol-
ogists such as A. A. Berle must watch
with some sadness as the true nature of
the "conscience" of America's largest cor-
porations is bared to the public.
MANY PEOPLE must be wondering why
a company with profits of nearly $2
billion cannot design a steering column
which will not turn into a spear aimed at
the driver's abdomen in any front-end
impact. One is forced to wonder why a
rash of call-backs of late model cars for
adjustments began only after the Sen-
ate hearings were in progress. Was it be-
cause the companies suddently discover-
ed these flaws in one and two-year old
cars or because they finally decided to do
something about it?
Despite General Motor's disclaimers, a
sticking throttle is a distinct hazard. How
The Daily is a member or the Associated Press andi
collegiate Press service.
The Associated Press is erilusively entitled to the
use of all news dispatches credited to it or otherwise
credited to the newspaper. All rights of re-publication
of all other matters here are also reserved.
Subscription rate: $4.50 semester by carrier ($5 by
mail); $8 yearly by carrier ($9 by mail)
Seon d class pOstage paid at Ann Arbor. Mib
Published daily Tuesday through Saturday morning.
did GM get away with foisting a car as
eminently unroadworthy as the 1960 and
1961 Corvairs on an unsuspecting public?
These and other equally pressing ques-
tions remain to be answered.
The standard defense of friends of the
industry is that drivers are solely re-
sponsible for the 40,000 annual traffic
deaths. To be sure, American drivers are
hardly all that they should be, but this is
a situation that is not likely to be im-
proved in the near future. It is much
easier to improve the car than the driver.
Most of the safety devices, such as col-
lapsible steering columns, are designed
not to prevent accidents but to lessen the
chances of serious injury to the car's
occupants once an accident has occurred.
In this light, the bad driver charge be-
comes meaningless.
rE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY can no
longer escape vigorous regulation by
the federal government. Cars ate cur-
rently the only form of transportation
remaining unregulated. All public trans-
portation modes operate under the eye
of the government, and in the private
transportation field, the Federal Aviation
Agency and its predecessor, the Civil
Aeronautics Administration have long set
minimum requirements for private air-
craft. It is patently absurd that an in-
dustry which can help design a vehicle
to explore the moon cannot build one
that is safe to drive on earthly highways.
The time has come for a full-scale in-
vestigation of the car industry in all its
facets. The Commerce Committee hear-
ings are a beginning. A beginning on an-
other front was last week's Supreme Court
decision ruling as illegal GM's attempts
to block sale of its products at reduced
prices by California discount houses.
The administered price hearings held
by the Senate Antitrust and Monopoly
Subcommittee in 1957 should be revived
to look into the pricing and marketing
practices of the irresponsible giants. Un-
fortunately, Estes Kefauver is dead and
his successor as subcommittee chairman,
Sen. Philip A. Hart (D-Mich), does notj
appear to be the man to take on theE
largest employer in his constituency.
However, if Hart won't someone else must;
the situation cannot long remain in its
present intolerable state.
A FIRM GOVERNMENT crackdown on
the auto industry will rouse anguished
cries of "creeping socialism" from con-
servative sectors of the public. The pub-
lic interest, however, cannot be sacri-
ficed to an ideology sponsored by Big
Business in its own interest. As far as the
car makers are concerned, unregulated
free enterprise has had its day. The cor-
porate conscience of Detroit has been
tried and found badly wanting.
-STEVE WILDSTROM
HERE IT IS, a bright spring day,
the kind of day which makes a
person glad to be alive and ever
more appreciative of all the world
has to offer. Yet, a gnawing fear
plagues many Americans, partic-
ularly those of draft age.
After 14 months of bombing
North Viet Nam, a step which was
supposed to serve to induce that
nation to enter into negotiations
on the war in the South, we seem
no closer to a political solution of
the conflict. On the contrary, the
statements of top administration
officials in recent weeks have
downplayed or omitted the possi-
bility of negotiations to end the
war,
GLIMMERS OF HOPE that U.S.
policy toward Communist China
might be undergoing a careful
examination with an eye toward
a more flexible approach have
also faded. Secretary of State
Dean Rusk has reiterated several
times in the past week the need
to contain China since, according
to his sensitive antenna, there has
been no Indication of any Chinese
readiness to respond to U.S. over-
tures.
The American people seem con-
fused and divided over this war-
probably the most unpopular
fought by this country in the past
100 years. Debate in Congress and
other high political c i r c l e s
throughout the country continues.
In South Viet Nam, Premier Ky
has apparently reneged on his
promise to hold national elections
by Aug. 15, thus setting the stage
for renewed political strife.
The continued inflexibility of
U.S. policy toward China-policy
which is closely related to the ap-
proach taken by this country in
fighting the Viet Nam war-seems
even more incomprehensible in the
light of recent reports emanating
from China.
FAR EASTERN sources have re-
ported that the status of Chinese
Communist party leader Mao Tse-
tung is uncertain. His failure to
appear at the May Day celebra-
tions last week may indicate ill-
ness or some other incapacita-
tion.
Yesterday, a dispatch from To-
kyo said that the Communist Chi-
nese army newspaper has report-
ed the existence of a rebellious
group in the Chinese party which
is challenging Mao's ideological
stand. The article hinted that in-
fluential party elements are at-
tempting to seek a reconciliation
with the more flexible, less ideol-
ogically fanatic Soviet Commu-
nists.
If these reports are correct, an
opportunity exists for the U.S.
which should not be squandered
The appearance of dissension in
Communist China-apparently for
the first time since 1949-indicates
a possible move to end the xeno-
phobic isolation and hatred of the
U.S. which has characterized Chi-
nese Communism.
BUT THE U.S. approach toward
China has been just as unyield-
ing. Unlike our more enlightened
Western European allies such as
Britain and France which have
seen fit to officially recognize the
existence of Communist China and
establish diplomatic and trade. re-
lations with her, the U.S. seems in-
tent on continuing to isolate the
nation of 750 million people and
preventing its entry into the Unit-
ed Nations.
U.S. actions and policies have
helped reinforce China's isolation
and its status as an outsider in the
family of nations. Perhaps it is
now time to re-examine some of
our basic policies and see whether
there are some steps we could take
to encourage a further decrease
in political and ideological rigidity
on the part of Peking.
Recent improvements in Chinese
economic conditions combined witl^
a series of grave diplomatic set-
backs around the world have ap-
parently convinced some Chinese
that now is the time to tone down
some of the more flagrant at-
tempts at inciting revolutions and
creating political disorder in the
developing nations of Asia and
Africa.
IT SHOULD BE remembered
that China, has not entered the
Viet Nam war in any significant
manner. Its only contribution has
been to provide workers to help
North Viet Nam repair damage to
highways and bridges. As a close
ally, China has also provided some
weapons to Hanoi in recent years
just as the U.S. has done for many
of our allies. There has been nc
indication that Peking has sud-
denly increased its supplies of
weapons to Hanoi. The defensive
anti-aircraft batteries and jet
planes which North Viet Nam has
received were contributed by the
Soviet Union.
Thus, the U.S. has become mili-
tarily involved in the Viet Nam
war to a far greater extent than
China has. Although Chinese
propaganda has often been hars,
and threatening, it has never been
backed up by deeds. What would
the U.S. response be if a Commu-
nist nation were to continually
bomb a neighboring ally such as
Mexico, even if Mexico has been
providing assistance to Cuban reb-
els trying to overthrow the Castrc
regime? Undoubtedly, the U.S
would do more than bluster and
threaten. Thus, in action if not in
words, the Chinese have been re-
markably restrained during the
Viet Nam war.
U.S. HOSTILITY toward China
has had such a strong impact on
Peking that dramatic gestures are
required in order to create even a
modicum of good will. For a start
the U.S. should:
-Drop its opposition to the ad-
mission of Peking to the United
Nations-provided the Communist,
agree to permit continued repre-
sentation for Nationalist China
(Formosa).
-Offer to enter into multilat-
eral talks on the Viet Nam war
with North Viet Nam, South Viet
Nam, the Viet Cong and Commu-
nist China among the participants
Such an offer should be accom-
panied by a pledge to halt the
bombing of North Viet Nam, which
has been generally ineffective any-
way, for an indefinite period un-
til and unless North Viet Nam un-
dertakes aggressive action.
--Make it clear to South Viet-
namese Premier Ky that contin-
ued U.S. participation in the war
is contingent upon the holding of
free elections wherever possible in
South Viet Nam by August 15, the
date Ky promised to Buddhist and
student leaders last month. Ky's
attempt to, move back the date of
elections to October may create
new political chaos in South Viet
Nam. Some correspondents in Sai-
gon have written that U.S. lack of
enthusiasm for the elections may
have encouraged Ky to move the
date back.
-State clearly that all political
elements-including the Viet Cong
-should have a role in determin-
ing South Viet Nam's future. The
Viet Cong should be offered legi-
timate channels through which to
advance its program, giving it the
chance to abandon its tactics of
terrorism, sabotage and subver-
sion. If the Viet Cong refuse to
abandon violence as a tactic, it
will be clear to the South Vietna-
mese people as well as the outside
world where the blame for Viet
Nam's troubles lies.
THESE STEPS will only be a
start in the interrelated jobs of
helping bring the Viet Nam war to
an end and improving our rela-
tions with Communist China. But
they are an important start, and
the sooner U.S. policymakers be-
gin considering such measures, the
better chance there is to bring this
war, which has stained America's
image throughout the world and
has led to new tensions and con-
fusion at home, to an end.
x
Eggheads and the Republican Decline
AS THE POLITICAL campaign
gets under way, both parties
are in serious trouble, and they
know it. For the Democrats the
trouble developed when, about a
month after his inauguration, the
President adopted the war policy
which he had denounced in the
campaign.
For the Republicans the trouble
goes back further. It goes back
to the 1950's when the Eisenhow-
er administration turned its back
on the great national majority
which elected it and missed the
chance to overcome the predom-
inance which the Democrats have
enjoyed since the great depression
PRESIDENT JOHNSON'S trou-
ble today and President Eisenhow-
er's in the '50's have, I believe
a common and exceedingly im-
portant element. Both Presidents
allowed themselves to become sep-
arated from the main body of
the American intellectual commu-
nity in the universities and in the
scientific ,artistic and legal pro-
fessions-in other words, the egg-
heads. The influence of this in-
tellectual community cannot be
measured by a Gallup Poll. But
the historic evidence shows, I
think, that the successful Presi-
dents, the two- Roosevelts, Wil-
son, Truman and Kennedy, have
had the active support of the in-
tellectual community, whereas
the Presidents who have done
poorly have not had that sup-
port.
The reason for this is not mys-
terious. The highly educated and
professionally trained men and
women are the producers of the
new discoveries, the new inventions
and the new ideas without which
a great, complex society like ours
will stagnate and decay.
There is no use pretending that
almost anybody can run a modern
government and that it does not
require knowledge and intellectual
training along with practical poli-
tical experience. Because this is
the fact, a political party which
fails to recruit a sufficient num-
ber of innovators, experts and first
class professional men will lose its
energy and will fall apart while
a party that does those things can
succeed.
THIS IS SHOWN by what has
happened to the Republican Party
in the past 30 years or so. It sep-
arated itself from and alienated
the eggheads who had gathered
around Theodore Roosevelt. A;
against this, when John F. Ken-
1D1
I~Today
anti
Tomorrow
By WALTER LIPPMANN
nedy was elected after eight years
of Gen. Eisenhower, he proceeded
to recruit into the federal service
a new generation from the pro-
fessions and the universities.
The Republicans have not re-
covered from the fact that for
more than 30 years they have
never welcomed sincerely, in fact
have for the most part rejected and
repelled, the American intellectua
community. At bottom, this has
not been, I believe, because the
Republicans were conservative and
opposed to this or that particular
progressive measure. It has been
because the atmosphere at the tor
was benighted and Philistine.
The professors were looked down
upon because they had never met
a payroll, and it was never regard-
ed as certain that an intellectua:
was not a subversive or beatnik
or both. The Republican Party's
main trouble to this day is that it
is not very bright at the top, and
to govern successfully in America
today a great many first-class
brains are indispensable.
THE DEMOCRATS should be
studying what has happened to the
Republicans. For they are on the
way to making the same mistake
that the Republicans made when
they split their party in 1912 and
when they persecuted the intel-
lectual community in the 1950's.
The Democrats, too, are now on
bad terms with the main body of
the highly educated and profes-
sionally trained men and women
Their hatchet men, in the Senate
and in the press, are making tenta-
tive efforts to treat the dissenting
intellectuals as disreputable.
Certainly the Democratic trou-
ble began with the military deci-
sions taken between February and
July of last year. But that is not
the only reason for the gradua'
exodus of the intellectuals from
the Johnson administration. Aftei
all the personal excuses have beer
made for their resignations, the
real reason is the fact that their
presence is not urgently desired
and that there does not exist a
climate in which they can work
happily.
This does not mean that there
is likely to be a serious defection
of Democratic voters in 1966, or
even in 1968. The Democratic Par-
ty can probably count upon the
continuing feebleness of the Re-
publican Party. But it is ominous
for the future of the party, For if
the party leadership is separated
too long from the best brains of
the country, it will lose touch with
the realities of the modern world
-as the Johnson administration
has already done to an alarming
extent. If this continues, the Dem-
ocratic Party will do what the
Republican Party did and enter
upon the period of its decline.
THAT THE PRESIDENT is un-
aware of the trouble he is in is
obvious enough, particularly from
the recent activity of the Vice-
President. But the trouble will not
I believe, be cured by words, espe-
cially by such unbelievable words
as that what we are doing in Viet
Nam is the beginning of an at-
tempt to extend The Great Society
to the whole continent of Asia.
If I may borrow the term from
Clare Luce, this is globaloney. It
will not bring back to the Demo-
cratic Party the support and con-
fidence of anybody who has any
sense of reality and a knowledge
of the facts of life.
(c), 1966, The Washington Post Co.
4
it
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
No, The Teaching Fellows Are Not Rich
VI
t
U
pf) °-ris -
To the Editor:
IS IS IN ANSWER to the
letter written by Mr. Harold
Harrison.
I would like to congratulate him
on the fact that he is well paid
for his services. Alas, there are
many teaching fellows who cannot
make the same joyful claim.
THOSE OF US who teach in L
S. & A. spend an average of 20 to
25 hours a week on our teaching.
Sad to say our teaching period is
not "12 weeks," but closer to 15
weeks. Therefore, we do not make
"slightly over $6 per hour."
We teaching fellows feel we are
performing a definite service tc
the University, and considering the
cost of living in Ann Arbor, we
feel we are not being compensated
enough to enable us to exist at a
reasonable standard of living
without going into debt to do so.
MOST OF US who teach in L
S. & A. do not have grants or
research projects available in the
summer. Thus we are forced tc
live on our salary of $2,475 for l2
months, unless we borrow money
or prolong our program by work-
ing in the summer. Is this the case
in the Physics Department?
We receive $2,475 a year for halt
time teaching. At this rate we
would be paid $4,950 for full time
teaching. I ask Mr. Harrison how
many instructors with MA de-
grees does he know of, who teach
full-time at the University and
earn less than $5000.
We are not asking for a pay
raise; we are asking for a salary
adjustment. There is a difference
and it is not in semantics. The
mere fact that every faculty and
nAministrative official we have
conceptions we might have con-
cerning the equity of our position.
-Robert Rockaway
Teaching Fellow, History
Election Practices
To the Editor:
DURING my campaign for city
councilman from the First
Ward, I was happy to see your
paper showed a keen interest in
city government and politics
Therefore, I am submitting the
below news item for publication in
your newspaper. This has also
been brought to the attention of
the City Council and the Human
Relations Commission.
AN UNDATED NAACP Voting
Bulletin was distributed one day
before our last election, April 3.
1966. It was distributed on the
Sabbath at four Negro churches
to worshippers as they left their
churches. It is reported that the
bulletin was not distributed to the
St. Thomas Catholic Church which
is in the First Ward. Emma Wheel-
er, president of the local NAACP
and her husband are of the Cath-
olic faith. Apparently they think
it is all right to deliver political
smear literature to Negro Protes-
tant churches, but they do not
think it would be appropriate to
deliver this literature to a church
of their faith. It would appear
that there is religious and racial
discrimination as indicated by the
above.
This bulletin is and was a smear
sheet in order to help my oppon-
ent, Mrs. Burns, win the elec-
tion. Parts of the bulletin are
false. Other parts are purposely
distorted and words taken out of
context from statements I have
made in the campaign.
and I do not believe that voters
and citizens of the First Ward and
all Ann Arbor want people who
publish this type of literature, in
this manner attempting to influ-
ence their voting by such unfair
un-Christian and immoral tactics
It has been alleged that Mrs
Burns was aware of the publica-
tion of this bulletin. It is alleged
that she was verbally against its
distribution. However, as a can-
didate and incumbent she was re-
sponsible for conducting her cam-
paign to include the publication
and distribution of all literature
on her behalf. I feel, if she had
taken a stronger position on this
matter, this bulletin would not
have been published and distribut-
ed.
BECAUSE Dr. Wheeler was a
part of this, I do not believe he
is qualified to be a member of the
faculty of our University, because
by being a part of the above pub-
lication he has shown a weakness
of character, lack of decent prin-
ciples, racial and religious dis-
crimination and unethical conduct
--A. Mallory Thomas
China Policy
To the Editor:
THIS LETTER is addressed to
those who attended the China
conference on April 3 as well as
Whispering
LISTEN TO THE winds, 0 God
theReader that wail across
the whip-cords stretched taut on
broken human hearts; listen to
the Bones, the bare bleached bones
of slaves, that line the lanes of
to those who are interested in the
current U.S.-Chinese relationship.
Since Red China refuses to get
down to business with the United
States until the status of National-
ist China is determined, any dis-
cussion of China becomes mean-
ingless unless it concurrently
probes the way of solving the
question of Formosa.
And since the Formosan people
abhor Mao Tse-tung's dictatorship
as intensely as they detest Chiang
Kai-shek's tyranny, the most ra-
tional solution to the problem
seems to be to kick Chaing Kai-
shek's dictatorial regime out of
Formosa, while keeping the Chi-
nese communists from getting into
the island.
Hon. Weston Vivian's call for a
United Nations-sponsored -plebis-
cite in Formosa to let the Formo-
san people choose their own gov-
ernment is thus the most con-
structive and most insightful pro-
posal to come from a U.S. Con-
gressman.
AS PROFESSOR Robert Scala-
pino says in his preface of George
Kerr's book, "Formosa Betrayed,"
self determination for the For-
mosan people is one of those
causes which happily unites Amer-
ican values and American nation-
al interests.
The independence of Formosa
from both the Communist and
Nationalist regimes, that is, adop-
tion of one-China and one-
Formosa policy instead of the so-
called two-Chinas policy, should
be given more careful considera-
tion by those who are really con-
cerned about the future of democ-
racy.
Flying Saucers?
To the Editor:
YESTERDAY, as I was languidly
strolling in the Arboretum, I
unexpectedly came upon what I
assumed to be a flying saucer. Be-
ing by nature intrepid, I was not
intimidated by this extraordinary
event, and, in a determined gait,
approached the machine.
To my chagrin and disappoint-
ment, I was greeted by the most
ugly creature imaginable-a typi-
cal human being (it, convenient-
ly, even spoke English). I immedi-
ately asked him, in a polite tone,
what the Hell he was doing here.
He quite casually replied that he
was part of a great conspiracy to
destroy the planet earth.
BEING AN AMERICAN, this
didn't shock me in the least, and
I asked him how he intended to go
about it. He told me, with serious
intent, that men of his group were
in high places in the governments
of the world, and that they were
planning to precipitate a cataclys-
mic atomic war.
He added, quite parenthetically,
that his society is called the Great
Society, and that his leader is of
the genre which we call Texan,
Needless to say, I, with the bril-
liant insight which is to typical
of me, immediately comprehended
the situation. I am now consider-
ing actions which some might not
call exactly patriotic,
P.S. TO THE Secret Service,
F R T p1t It1 n not nanic. Reneat,
*
X4
i