U
:.::JAMES WECHSLER.......
EIir Siit ga Batk
Seventy-nine years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich.
News Phone: 764-0552
Editorials printed in The Michigan Doily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1970
NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT KRAFTOWITZ
Sumnmer child care center:
An absolute necessity
Nixon's advisors: 1
TWO DAYS before President Nixon re- tuaries on the Cambodian side of the
vealed to the country-and to Con- border along the length of South Vietnam.
gress-that the U.S. invasion of Cambodia
had begun, he told a secret meeting of the RETIRED ADM. SMEDBERG was said
leaders of ten veterans and military-linked to be in Florida yesterday and unavailable
groups that he would soon order "imme- for comment, but the aide confirmed that
diate and positive action" against North the unpublicized meeting had occurred on
Vietnamese sanctuaries "on the Cambodian April 28. After the invasion started, Smed-
side of the border." berg wrote his 123,000 members that "Pres-
He urged the leaders of these units-- ident Nixon told me and a few other of-
ranging from the Reserve Officers Asso- ficers of veterans and patriotic groups two
ciation to the National Rifle Association days before his talk to the nation that the
(NRA) to prepare to mobilize their mem- action he was soon to order was imperative
bers in public support of his impending to avoid a situation which would critically
move. endanger "American boys" and make "de-
A report of this extraordinary Presiden- feat" in Vietnam "almost assured."
tial "briefing" was' contained in a letter In addition to the Retired Officers As-
subsequently sent to members of the Re- sociation and the NRA, these were the
tired Officers Association by Vice Admiral groups represented at the private White
William Smedberg, its president. Existence House session with the President.
of the document is revealed in the latest The Navy League; the American Security
issue of Navy Times, an unofficial publica- Council; the Veterans of Foreign Wars; the
tion, but the key passage previewing the Fleet Reserve Association; the Air Force
asault on Cambodia was omitted from the Asociation; the National 'Guard Associ-
report. The clue, however led to the bigger ation; the Marine Corps League, and the
story. American Ordinance Association.
In response to a telephone inquiry, an In transmitting his report to his mem-
aide to Adm. Smedberg It the Reserve Of- bers, Smedberg said the President warned,
ficers Association headquarters in Wash- that varied breeds of opponents would
ington read me the full text of the Smed- challenge the action and indicated his
berg letter. In it Mr. Nixon was quoted as hope that those assembled would rally
saying that "information from captured their forces against the "doves." Smedberg
enemy documents" had persuaded him that also said the Presidential "briefing" had
our position in South Vietnam would be included extensive information designed to
untenable unless he ordered "immediate bolster support for the antiballistic missile
and positive action to destroy the forces program.
and massive supplies of arms, food, am-
munition and equipment stored in under- WHATEVER OBFUSCATION in a y
ground shelters in North Vietnamese sane- emerge from the White House propaganda
Light wing America
TUESDAY WILBER COHEN, head of a
University child care study committee,
turned down a proposal that would have
created a summer child care center at the
University School.
He claims the Child Care Action Group
proposal w a s rejected because renova-
tions going on, in the University School
would make the site unusable. Or more
specifically, "With all the work going on,
it would be dangerous to have little chil-
dren running around."
The idea of a child care center is not
a new one to the University administra-
tion. Vice President Barbara Newell re-
quested space for such a center in March.
It seems that they h a d planned their
stopgap in advance.
"All along the administration implied
to us we could plan on having room in
the University School and we built our
program around that implication," said
Marty Lowry, a member of the Child Care
Action Group.
THE ADMINISTRATION should find the
child care center another home if the
University School really isn't available.
They mislead the group and it is the re-
sponsibility of the University to find a
site and get a center established.
The proposal submitted by the Child
Care Action Group does not really ask
that much. They, called for a summer
child care center. Not indefinitely - just
eight weeks during the summer - an ex-
periment if nothing else:
It would even be inexpensive. The cen-
ter would be staffed almost completely by
volunteers a n d participating parents
with only two paid co-ordinators. Their
total salaries plus the initial overhead
costs of the center comes to only $2000.
This is a very large University. If the
proposed site is really unavailable, there
must be another one somewhere in the
Spiro revisited?
SPIRO'S REPLACEMENT, Gov. Marvin
Mandel of Maryland, was once consid-
ered an improvement: But the supposedly
"liberal" Mandel has shown in the last
two days that he is really no improve-
ment at all.
On Monday Mandel vetoed a complete
liberalization of Maryland's abortion law
on grounds that the language of the
measure was "fuzzy." Presumably his le-
gal staff Will sometime in the future of-
fer slightly altered language, a n d the
legislature will duly be forced to go
through the difficult and emotional busi-
ness of passing so controversial a meas-
ure for a second time. Meanwhile, wo-
men will go on bearing unwanted chil-
dren and dying in illegal operations.
Yesterday Mary signed into law legis-
lation tequiring teachers and students to
hold daily patriotic' exercises in Mary-
land schools. Strangely enough, Mandel's
comment upon signing the bill was, "You
cannot legislate or dictate patriotism. It
has to come from within the person him-
self."
Could Spiro T. do any better?
great complex of buildings that is the
University of Michigan.
THE SUMMER CENTER would be an in-
valuable aid to the establishment of
a permanent full-time center. Evalua-
tion of every facet of the operation can
be done empirically rather than theoret-
ically. If the University is seriously con-
sidering opening a child care center in
the future, the summer center is an op-
portunity to avoid mistakes costly to both
the University and the children them-
selves.
The center would be controlled by a
Board of Directors composed of parents
selected by the parents. The people in-
volved would be the ones in control of
what happens to their children.
But, unfortunately, the summer center
would be only useful to students and oc-
casionally others because it has been de-
signed as a drop-in center to only ac-
comodate the children for three hours at
a time. But it is a start.
A CHILD CARE CENTER is an absolute
necessity. Parents wlo work or go to
school need a place for their children.
And most often, it is the mothers who are
forced to stay with the children while
the father is out. In addition to the equity
problem, the financial arguments are ov-
erwhelming. Many University staff mem-
bers must pay exorbitant fees for their
children to be taken care of. Many Uni-
versity students have to d r o p out of
school or leave their children alone be-
cause they cannot afford child care.
The University had an obligation to the
community to provide for the c a r e of
these children. University responsibility
to the community extends beyond subsi-
dizing the police department.
Vice President Newell has repeatedly
voiced support for a child care center,
but she should be doing more than talk-
ing.
IF THE UNIVERSITY rejected the pro-
posal because t h e University School
was unavailable as they say, IF they are
not just using the renovations as an ex-
cuse to refuse, then they must find an-
other site and get that center going.
During the regular academic year,
there are more than 30,000 students at
the University; now there are approxi-
mately 10,000 - less than a third. This
leaves lots and lots of spaces in classroom
buildings as well as empty dormitories.
The University has room to rent out
entire buildings for conferences and con-
ventions. The University has the facili-
ties to accomodate all of the incoming
freshmen who come up for orientation.
And there are still many buildings which
remain vacant.
THE SUMMER child care center is not
a long-term or expensive proposition.
There is no reason for the University not
to implement the proposal. All it asks for
is two rooms and $2000.
If there isn't a child care center this
summer, it will be because the University
administration does not want one.
ministry, the meaning and impact of this
disclosure can hardly be minimized. Sure-
ly no one is likely to impugn the patriotism
or veracity of Smedberg; whatever may be
privately grumbled about his indiscretion,
he was trying in his fashion to organize
enthusiasm for what he described as Mr.
Nixon's "courageous decision" and to com-
bat those "working right now to tie the
hands of the President."
Now other Americans and especially
members of the Senate must have other
questions about the clandestine conclave
unveiled in the Smedberg communication.
For at the moment when Mr. Nixon was
outlining his Cambodian battle plan to this
select group of military alumni and booster
groups, the Administration was sharing no
such confidence with Congress-or even. it
has been suggested, with its own Secretary
of State.
The super secrecy has been retroactively
defended as dictated by the urgencies of
"military security." Yet apparently that
consideration did not inhibit the President
when he confided the essence of his game
plan to these non-governmental dignitaries
who would be thereby inspired to whoop
things up for him after the rest of the
country got the news.
IN LARGER TERMS the darkest side
of the story is the fact of Mr. Nixon's secret
mobilization of military alumni, marching
societies and right-wing patrioteers-along
with the NRA as his base for counter-at-
tack against Senate critics and other dis-
senters. In too many other countries in our
century such alliances have turned into
open anti-democratic movements. Does Mr.
Nixon discern some special brand of polit-
ical salvation in an unholy combination of
these groups and the Lindsay-lynchers in
hardhats?
For the moment the important issue con-
fronting the country, and most immediately
the Senate, is an exploration of the origins
and further details of a meeting that has
escaped general public notice until now. All
credibility wanes in the face of this dis-
closure; the phrase "constitutional crisis"
assumes a peculiarly ominous symbolic
meaning when the NRA is enlisted in Mr.
Nixon's underground cable.
(c) New York Post
*1
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Al
Come
To the Editor:
A "PICNIC FOR PEACE" is
being held at Selfridge Air Rorce
Base this Saturday, May 30. The
American Servicemen's Union, the
sponsoring group, has invited
everyone who wants the United
States pulled out of the imperialist
war in Indochina: The picnic is an
important opportunity for the en-
tire anti-war movement to sup-
port and show solidarity with the
GIs.
The importance of this action
cannot be overemphasized. Our
brothers in the service are in a
'Picnic
dangerous position. Only the
Black Panthers face harsher re-
pression and intimidation from
the military government. The GIs
are forced to fight in a war they
oppose, to break labor strikes and.
defend huge exploitive corpora-
tions, and to put down their'
brothers and sisters on the cam-
puses and in the streets. It is the
servicemen who are coerced into
suppressing movements of libera-
tion both foreign and domestic;
for this reason, the government
must first completely squash re-
bellious elements within the ser-
for
Peace'
at Selridge
vicemen's ranks. Yet, despite the
repression, many GIs are saying
NO-no to orders they disagree
with. For example 15 out of 60
marines refused to take on the
responsibility for riot control-
like at Kent.
However, GIs alone cannot com-
bat the intimidation of the mili-
tary. They desire our support and
we want to join with them. On
Saturday, there is a rally in De-
troit which only will join the
people at the base later. Instead of
being primarily s concerned with
mass demonstrations, we strongly
urge that the most important
thing to do is actively support our
GIs. We plan to spend most of the
day at Selfridge-join us.
The ASU fears the gates may
intentionally be closed early-like
at noon. So come early. Bring your
lunches, blankets, guitars, black
armbands and buttons. Take the
eastbound Ford (I-94) to the
Utica exit and follow the signs
to Selfridge. If you have extra car
space or need a ride, call 761-4334
or 769-2570.
-Ann Arbor SDS
May 27
Ballot box
To the Editor:
MORE AND MORE Americans
are asking, why are our young
men killing and being killed in
Southeast Asia? Some say it-is to
defend freedom. but freedom does
not exist in that land. Others say
it like it is: "We are in Vietnam
because it is in our national in-
terests to be there."
But just what are our national
interests? In the language of the
Socialist Labor Party, national in-
terests are capitalist class inter-
ests, ruling class interests. Inter-
ests that must continue to expand
until they collide with the ruling
class interests of other nations
and end up in wars in which the
working class on both sides must
suffer and die.
Vietnam is a case where the
national interests of American,
Russian and Chinese ruling class
collide for the domination of the
rich natural resources, markets,
and exploitation of cheap labor.
Vietnam rulers are but puppets of
one or the other major power rul-
ing class interests.
The working class has no stake
in it. The interests of the working
class throughout the world cry
out for peace, but there can be
no peace without Socialism, Anti-
war protests and demonstrations
will not do. In fact nothing short
of abolition of capitalism will do.
For this job the working class of
America is in a most favorable
position to take the first step, by
adopting the program of the So-
cialist Labor Party.
First by proclaiming at the bal-
lot box that this country with its
marvelous instruments of produc-
tion, belong to all the people; and
second by organizing into Social-
ist Industrial Unions the frame-
work of the Socialist Industrial
Republic of Labor. Not until then
will there be a permanent peace
on this earth.
-Frank Troha
From the right
To the Editor:
WHAT ON EARTH is the ten-
sile strength of the elastic used in
the Regulations Concerning Stu-
dent Organizations?
The Black Students Union, the
Black Students Psychology Assoc-
iation, the Black Law Students,
and the Black Action Movement
obviously are not "based on race,
... or color." Their very titles in-
dicate their multi-color nature
and' desire for white, yellow, and
dark brown members.
SDS obviously has "objectives
consistent with the broad educa-
tional goals of the University"-
we alumni just didn't realize that
the "broad educational aims of the
University are to blow the place
up and laugh at the wreckage and
dead faculty and students killed
in the destruction of the campus.
And now-an SGC recognized
group of homosexuals aiming -to
lessen their guilt feelings and of-
fer instruction and/or demonstra-
tions of their ideas to "the aca-
demic community concerned with
studies of sociological and psy-
chological behavior." That in-
cludes everybody on campus
doesn't it?
I am aware that any communi-
cation from me to you is a "right"
to the "left" but what's wrong
with a change of pace? Why not
an article which is not commu-
nistic, anarchistic, nor politically
reddish pink?
-F. C. Brown
Ann Arbor
What's that?
To the Editor:
THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOS-
AL that polluters be made to pay
for the "privilege" is an amazing
one. It means that a company can
put its computer to work to de-
cide whether it is cheaper to
pollute or to pay and if it is cheap-
er to pollute, why, go ahead and
pollute. It demonstrates the na-
ivette of the Governor and the
cynicism of capitalism.
Only under the Socialist In-
dustrial government, advocated
by the Socialist Labor Party, can
we clean up our earth. Let us get
about it before we all die in the
by-products of our "progress."
-W. Clifford Bentley,
Michigan State Secretary,
Socialist Labor Party
-A
*i
"Thank heavens! ... It's only construction
workers beating up students! I thought it
was investors beating up brokers!"
California water: Expensive and political
-M. A.
-DEBRA THAL
A severe case of myopia, or
Americans aren't foreigners
POLITICIANS many times seem to be
afflicted with severe myopia, unable
to see an issue when it is smack in front
of their eyes.
And now it seems some of them are
hard of hearing as well, most notably
White House Press Secretary Ronald
Ziegler who revealed his affliction early
yesterday in a response to Indonesia
President Suharto's remarks at a White
House banquet Tuesday night.
Suharto said that the threat of a wid-
er war in Indochina has prompted non-
Communist Asian nations to b a n d to-
gether for mutual security. And then he
added, "All efforts should be taken to
directed "to the presence of N. Vietna-
mese forces in Canibodia and the prob-
lems they pose for the Cambodian gov-
ernment.
"We don't consider his remarks related
to U.S. operations in (Communist) sanc-
tuary areas in Cambodia," Ziegler con-
cluded.
ONE WONDERS WHY U.S. troops are
not considered "foreign" when the
North Vietnamese, who are, in t r u t h,
much closer geographically and cultur-
ally to the Cambodians, are the only ones
deserving of that name.
The most obvious answer. of course, is
By GENE MARINE
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is reprinted
with the permission of Ramparts Magazine).
WATER IS neither as clean nor as free
as it seems. And when combined with
financial power, it becomes a highly
volatile substance which does odd things-
lke flow through the hands of the people
into the pockets of a few. In California,
water is power. Water is wealth. These are
just the most obvious lessons to be learned
from the celebrated California Water
Plan, which is also a carefully drawn blue-
print for ecological disaster.
The Central ValleytProject's principal
features were built by the early 1950's and
no one was in danger of dying of thirst
or' going out of business. A rational state
power structure might have decided that a
point of balance had been reached; that
they were getting moderately rich in an
effortless sort of way and it was time to
sit back and consolidate gains. But ration-
ality has never been the strong suit of
power structures. And what was good for
he gives tenants a month's free rent for
moving in; and as soon as it's built and
full, he sells it to a little old lady from
Iowa. Until this particular con was stopped
recently, some couples boasted that they
hadn't paid a month's rent in Los Angeles
for three years. What you don't do is tell
prospective immigrants that Los Angeles
sits partly on a thinly covered desert basis.
in the shadow of achingly eroded hills that
could-and often do-slide down at any
minute, bringing their precarious burden of
houses with them. You advertise the new
suburbs and don't talk about the fact that
if there were any reason to live in those
locations there probably wouldn't be new
suburbs there at this late date. Above all,
you don't tell them that Los Angeles outran
its meager natural water supply more than
a half century ago; that the water since
stolen from Northern California's Owens
Valley and conned from the Conned from
the Colorado, after all these years, Arizona,
finally won the lawsuit that said that Cali-
fornia was taking more than its share, is
Pnnrl-. 4-n n I,,, ,4' i lf ho f nnniP ,n
square miles of watershed, an annual aver-
age runoff of 4.5 million acre-feet (enough.
for instance, to irrigate all the cotton in
the state.) But they would never give it to
the hustlers down south. Northern Cali-
fornians were wise to the con.
So the Southern California hustlers
chafed, while the Big Guys--most of them
northerners-waited with their arid, un-
productive land while reaping millions
from the land they had in production. But
time was on their side.
By 1948 it was clear to the Big Guys
that their plan to get the state to take
over the Central Valley Project and then
drop the 160-acre irrigation limitation had
been blocked. And so, in hotel bars and
the spacious rooms of private clubs, the
lords of the Valley talkedrwith their coun-
terparts in Southern California. They de-
cided that together they could pull it off-
with taxpayers' money, of course. You take
some of the water, we'll take some. You
have a majority of the voters down there
and they can be conned into supporting
some circles anyway, and Edmonston and
the people behind him wanted to be sure
that their projects were in it.
The Feather River part was- a fast
shuffle. The important part of the plan.
as far as its sponsors were concerned, was
in the sneaky end of the title: Sacramento-
San Joaquin Delta Diversion Projects.
Water would be taken out of the Delta and
sent south to irrigate the Big Guy's valu-
able lands, thus cutting the costs on the
ones already being irrigated and bringing
new lands into production.
The current "official" estimate for the
"final" cost of the California Water Plan
is $2.75 billion. Whoever makes current "of-
ficial" cost estimates knows perfectly well
that this is hogwash-$4 billion is still
closer to the truth. But if that admission
were made, too many Californians might
get mad.
So the costs of the California Water Pro-
ject continue to escalate. Thanks to an
ingenious free enterprise system, the peo-
rnip of Carnia have the rare opportunity
41
I