FOUR
THE MICHIGAN DAIILY
__ _ __ _ _ _1__ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _.__ ___
The Ouster of Arias
THE VICTORY of public pressure in the
ouster of Arnulfo Arias, ex-president of
Panama is a hopeful sign that Latin Amer-
ican rulers will no longer be able to repress
representative government.
The revealing aspect of Aria's ouster
was the role his cohort and sponsor, Col.
Jose Remon played in the issue.
President Arias had been impeached by
the National Assembly for a bold attempt to
switch the 1941 constitution for that of
1946 and keep himself in power for two
more years.
After Vice-president Alcibiades Arosemena
had been named by the Assembly to suc-
ceed the ousted Arias, Remon protested the
impeachment on the nebulous grounds that
the National Assembly had acted illegally
because it was in recess. The Supreme
Court, however, upheld the impeachment.
In the meantime Arias, who was by no
means eager to relinquish his dictatorial
powers, gave up the attempt to abrogate
Editorials published in The Michigan Daily
are written by members of The Daily staff
and represent the views of the writers only.
the constitution. It appeared that Remon
would still continue to support Arias, de-
spite the Assembly's impeachment and the
Court's approval.
But public protest climaxed by a pitched
battle in theypresidential palace assured the
Assembly of the people's dissatisfaction with
Arias and his methods, and influenced Re-
mon, who also heads the police force, to
jail Arias.
The significance of Remon's action is
that even in a country where the police is
controlled by one man, there is still re-
spect for the people's voice and for con-
stitutional government.
Arias will not be missed. His tactics
have been similar to those of such men as
Peron and Franco. He was a pre-war
Nazi, but has lately found it convenient
to cooperate with the United States. "A
1949 coup by strong arm methods put
Arias into power-a power which he has
used to violate every aspect of democratic
government, including an attempt to
create his own private police force.
It is hoped that this action by the Pan-
ama Assembly will start a chain reaction
in the other Latin : and South American
countries which will clean up the many
remaining blots of fascism.
--Alice Bogdonoff
Union Study
LAST SUNDAY the Union undertook to
prgvide study facilities for students
locked out of their former Sabbath library
retreat, but unfortunately few heard about
the Union move, and the turnout was dis-
appointing.
Since the University libraries closed
their doors to Sunday study a month
ago, there has been a shortage of suit-
able facilities. The attempt by the
Union to at least partially fill the vacuum
is commendable.
At some expense, the largest third floor
rooms are opened from 1 to 6 p.m. for
pedantic; men and escorted women. Pre-
sumably, if the Union finds they have ex-
cess space under these arrangements, the
restrictions against unescorted women will
be dropped.
However, this praise must be tempered
with a little criticism. It is most regrettable
that the Union moved so ponderously in
setting up these Sunday study halls. It was
three weeks before they responded to the
library "blue laws" of the University and
got the ball rolling. The TVnioh missed an
excellent chance to prove to the student
body that they were alert, ready to cut
through cumbersome red tape to provide an
important service to the student body the
minute the opportunity presented itself.
As it is, the immediate student indigna-
tion over the University economy drive
has subsided,-the Union failed to fully
utilize the opportunity to throw cold water
on its many sniping critics.
Still and all, the Union does deserve a
large pat on the back for a worthwhile ser-
vice. It is a laudable attempt to widen
their educational facilities. It is hoped that
more students will take advantage of the
Union facilities today.
--Crawford Young j
"As MacArthur Says, There's No Substitute
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FACT7
By STEWART ALSOP OP
WASHINGTONIf the reader of this re-
port is of a somewhat morbidly curious
turn of mind; and if he would like person-
ally (but safely) to witness the explosion
of, an atomic bomb, he may yet have an
opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.
The Civil Defense Agency has now ser-
iously proposed to the Atomic Energy
Commission that an atomic bomb be
exploded publicly-that is, after arrange-
ments have been made to permit the
maximum number of people to witness
the explosion in safety. The Atomic
Energy Commission is examining this
proposal, before making its recommenda-
tion to President Truman, with whom the
final decision will rest.
The idea sounds fantastic. But it is being
considered seriously for very serious reasons.
One reason is simply that some way must
be found to get the civil defense program
off dead center. The action of Congress,
in reducing appropriatiops to the point
where the whole program is a rather grim
joke, accurately reflects the total public
apathy toward civil defense.
Part of the fault lies with the Civil De-
fense Agency itself, most of whose past
efforts have been devoted to grinding out
pamphlets and mimeographed copies of its.
officials' speeches. Yet the apathy also
derives from the atmosphere of dark mys-
tery in which the atomic bomb has been
wrapped. Because very few people under-
stand what the atom bomb dogs, and above
all what it cannot do, there has been a
general tendency to succumb to a sort of
shoulder-shrugging fatalism.
OFFICIALS of both the Civil Defense
Agency and the Atomic Energy Com-
mission were especially dismayed by the
reaction to the recent tests in the Nevada
desert. The breaking of windows seventy
miles away in Las Vegas (which was totally
unexpected-concussion is an unpredictable
phenomenon); the flash of light seen hun-
dreds of miles away; above all the secrecy
which surrounded the desert tests; all con-
tributed to the general notion that "there
is no defense against the atomic bomb."
The primary purpose of a public ex-
plosion of the bomb would be to dispel
this notion by dispelling the atmosphere
of mystery. If the Atomic Energy Com-
mission and the President approve the
Civil Defense Agency's proposal (which
was first' put forward by the physicist Dr.
Ralph Lapp in "The Reporter" maga-
zine) the following plan, or something
like it, will be put into effect.
A site will be selected, not in the Arizona
desert, but sufficiently close to centers of
population to drive home the point that the
damage inflicted by the bomb is not unlim-
ited. Buildings of various sorts, ranging
from reinforced concrete to frame houses,
will be erected at varying distances from
ground zero, the point above which the
bomb is exploded. Any one wishing to do
so could then apply to witness the explo-
sion, with first priority given to local civil
defense officials.
A bomb of medium power-perhaps the
equivalent of 30,000 tons of high explosive
-would probably be used, since the explo-
sion of a more powerful bomb might con-
ceivably be of interest to Soviet agents. The
general public would be allowed to witness
the explosion from a distance of seven miles
or more, since this distance provides abso-
lute safety without protection. To demon-
strate that there is such a thing as protec-
tion from the bomb, volunteer observers
could witness the explosion as close as a
mile from ground zero, at which point one
foot of concrete would offer ample pro-
tection.
* * * *9
THE ACTUAL EXPLOSION would be tele-
vised at close range, and reported in all
other ways. To scotch the damaging and
wildly exaggerated fears of lingering radia-
tion, there might well be public tours of
the bombed site immediately after the ex-
plosion. The site could then become a per-
manent testing ground and experimental
area for civil defense.
In broad outline, this is the project
which is now being earnestly discussed by
civil defense and atomic energy- officials.
It is true that the project, if it is efr
approved, might be transformed into a
sort of Roman circus.
Yet it is also true that a public atomic
explosion could contribute to a serious civil
defense by graphically demonstrating the
limitations as well as the capabilities of the
atomic bomb, and above all by substituting
for the terrible unknown the always less
terrible known. A really effective civil de-
fense could reduce casualties, even from the
immensely powerful modern bombs, by as
much as 80 per cent. An effective civil de-
fense could, indeed, make the precise dif-
ference between victory and defeat, if war
comes. This has been said so often that it
is beginning to lose all meaning. But it is
nevertheless true. And if a public explosion
of an atomic bomb helped to show that it is
true, it would serve an immensely useful
purpose.
(Copyright, 1951, New York Herald Tribune, Inc.)
DORIS FLEESON:
The .emperor
WASHINGTON - America's democratic
processes will either make this great
country live forever or kill us off in a very
short time.
Although it seems to have attracted very
little public attention, we are now oper-
ating with two pentagons. One is the
big Pentagon in Washington where the
Joint Chiefs of Staff watch over global
policy and transmit their findings through
channels to their civilian superiors, the
Secretary of Defense, and the Comman-
der-in-Chief, named by the U.S. Consti-
tution. They use a globe.
The Little Pentagon has been established
in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York,
where it reproduces as nearly as possible
the Da Ichi Building setup in Tokyo, head-
quarters of a single theatre command, the
Far East. Here a flat map is derigueur.
In the Little Pentagon, a two-star General,
retired, Courtney Whitney, almostudaily
issues communiques which point out the
errors of the Joint Chiefs, the Secretary of
Defense and the Commander-in-Chief. In-
deed, at moments he comes perilously close
to suggesting that these officials are not
telling the truth, the whole truth and noth-
ing but the truth. These pronouncements
are solemnly front-paged and flashed
throughout the nation.
Meanwhile, exactly as in Tokyo, Major
General Whitney's friend, for whom he
speaks, holds himelf aloof from the com-
mon herd of reporters, radio commentators
and plain people passing to and fro. Gen-
eral of the Army Douglas MacArthur re-
ceives a selected list of people important to
him, which was his custom during his oc-
cupation of Japan. Occasionally he shows
himself to the multitudes in an attractive
aspect as at a parade for himself or at a
ball game.
But the inquiring voices which to the
number of nearly a thousand bombard the
Big Pentagon and all Washington official-
dom in behalf of the American people,
have yet to attain a similar status at the
hands of General MacArthur. Every
Thursday the President himself stands at
the bar of public opinion to answer for
his plans, his appointees, the confusions
and contradictions of the record being
built by his administration.
At the Little Pentagon, reporters can wait
upon Major General Whitney, record the
pearls that drop from his lips and like it.
Major General Whitney uses phrases cer-
tainly reminiscent of a famous oratorical
style so presumably he is passing on rather
than originating his great thoughts. It is
perhaps as well since his own military sta-
ture is not likely to have raised him to
Mac's level. Actually, after an undisting-
uished military career, he became a lawyer
-the Manila lawyer, to be exact, who got
General MacArthur his divorce from his
first wife, the former Louise Cromwell.
Anyone who believes that General Mac-
Arthur would have meekly tolerated such
goings-on directed against himself when
he was in power, should run, not walk, to
the nearest psychiatrist and bind himself
to the analysis couch with hoops of steel
until he is pronounced well enough to ap-
pear in public again.
The truth i that the White House and
The Week's News
... IN RETROSPECT .,.
TAPPING TIME-Campus BMOC's slept with their shoes on
this week, shivering in delightful anticipation of being mercilessly
torn from the warm recesses of the bed, deposited in quivering nude
triumph upon the front lawn and showered with a multitude of li-
quids to the accompaniment of sundry hoots, howls and chants.
Some enjoyed the festivities, some were indignant, wrote letters to
the editor, most looked on tapping time with resigned tolerance.
CRIME REPORT-The mystery of the beating of George Cox
remained unsolved at week's end. The police charged that the Uni-
versity Hospital had handicapped them in their investigation by not
reporting the beating immediately ... 'U' officials replied that they
had only waited long enough for Cox to t.ell a coherent story. Ann
Arbor youths were still leading suspects, but the tale had its incredu-
lous aspects.
Denis Pitris pled guilty twice this week for the same misdemeanor
of student-beating-first to an assault charge, then the next day to
a disorderly conduct label. A rose by any other name .. .
Felix Mielzynski, '51, went on trial Friday for allegedly breaking
ito a N. University drug store three months ago. Paul Klath, Grad,
who had already pled guilty, opened the testimony by identifying
Mielzynski as his partner in the holdup.
. * * * *
NEW JUDIC POWERS-Students were given broad new self-
governing powers this week, as the University Officially granted the
student Joint Judiciary Council primary jurisdiction in discipline
cases, subject to review by the University Sub-Committee on Disci-
pline, which had formerly handled the cases. Joint Judic had been
handling student discipline in this fashion on an experimental basis
all semester. Thus far, the University has accepted all their decisions.
WHEAT FOR INDIA-The spector of starving Indians haunted
the SRA, UNESCO, SL, IFC and Pan Hel groups this week, as peti-
tions asking speedy Congressional approval of the $190,000,000 wheat
loan or gift to India were crculated. Backers of the petitioning re-
ported that preliminary results were "gratifying." Meanwhile, in
Washington, the bill won Senate approval. Stubborn opposition in
the House was in prospect, however.
Around the World .. .
PHASE TWO - Was it the long awaited number two punch?
On Thursday UN commanders finally decided it was. Half a million
screaming Chinese Communists rammed head-on into UN gun-
1tuzzles all along the Korean front. Kept off balance by 24-hour-a-
day aerial smashes and the deadly hail of Allied artillery, the Red
attacks seemed to lack some of the steam of the April onslaught-
reports told of sleepwalking Chinese plodding into machine-gun
range, doped-up before attacking. New UN field commander Lt. Gen.
James Van' Fleet seemed to be following the formula discovered by
predecessor Matt Ridgeway, trading dribs of real estate for tens-of-
thousands of dead Reds.
UNITED NATIONS-While the Soviet Union's Jacob Malik bland-
ly thumbed through his newspaper the UN Assembly slapped a his-
tory-making global war-materials embargo on Communist China.
Crying "shame," and branding the Assembly's 450 approval of the
move illegal, Russia stormed that an embargo could be imposed only
by the Security Council, where a Soviet veto could quash it.
Meanwhile, Security Council prestige rose a notch with the ac-
ceptance by Israel and Syria of a cease-fire order, ending weeks of
border fighting in a UN-demilitarized zone.
* * * *
OIL AND A FANATIC-It looked like real trouble in Iran this
week. Religious assassins were hunting zealot Premier Mohammed
Mossadegh, who was busily nationalizing Iran oil right out from
under the ownership of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. While Britain
flexed her muscles ominously, readying paratroopers and strengthen-
ing the Mediterranean fleet, Mossadegh ranted, raved and finally
swooned on the rostrum of the Majlis (Parliament). Dubious of such
histrionic shenanigans the Mailis nonetheless voted him the power
he demanded. At last report, Mossadegh had refused to receive the
British ambassador, rejected all proposals of negotiation.
National ..
BRADLEY'S TURN-The Senate inquiry into the MacArthur
ouster ground steadily on, ,the administration piling up still more
evidence justifying the war hero's removal and at the same time dis-
crediting the foreign policy proposals of Republicans Taft, Wherry,
Hoover et al. This week General of the Army Omar Bradley fol-
lowed Secretary of Defense George Marshall to the stand, told the
Senators that the MacArthur program would involve the U.S. in'
"the wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with
the wrong enemy." The soft-spoken general from Missouri threw the
inquiry into a two-day deadlock when he refused to divulge personal
conversations between himself and President Truman. Non-plussed
by the stalemate, the senators finally agreed the five-star general
could not be forced to answer.
-Zander Hollander and Crawford Young
WASHINGTON-Three years ago a series of trains ran through
Western Europe as a symbol of friendship from the United States.
They were not sensational trains in their appearancE-merely long
lines of grimy boxcars with an American flag draped around the
engine and placards featuring more flags and messages from the
American people tacked to the car doors.
But because these trains carried the friendship and carefully
collected food of the American people, the "Friendship Trains" were
welcomed with enthusiasm in France, Italy, Germany, Austria-
wherever they went.
Today another train is touring Europe which also carries sym-
bolic meaning and which is attracting great interest.
It is made of old passenger cars which were bombed during the
war, and which have now been put together piece by piece, painted
blue and silver, and which contain exhibits giving the story of
European unity-unity which Europe has long sought to achieve and
without which it has suffered war and tragedy.
"The Train of Europe," as the European unity train is called,
was built under direction of Marshall planners in the N.A.M. plant,
a Merman firm in Nuremberg. In six of its cars are large electrically
lighted charts showing the combined strength of Europe when pool-
ing its water power, its steel, its fuel and its industry generally.
Though the train was built in Germany, it was designed In
Paris, in itself one small step toward unity. The train is now draw-
ing tremendous crowds in Germany, will next go to Austria, Italy,
Belgium, Holland, the Scandinavian countries and France. It is one
of the most important symbols of peace and unity since V-E day.
McCARTHYSHINES
SENATOR McCARTHY is pressuring Republican leaders to give him
another important committee assignment, now that he has been
bumped off the Senate Appropriations Committee.
However, McCarthy has been told that the only vacancy is on
the unimportant District of Columbia committee, and he is now
squawking to high heaven. He has even called his old friend, Sen. Bob
Taft, a few names that can't be repeated here. He accused Taft of
being ungrateful and letting him down, and is now threatening to
use his seniority to bump able young Senator Nixon of California off
the Senate Labor Committee.
* * * *
OTHER SIDE IN KOREA
SO MUCH has been said about the tragedies of Korea-by this
writer and others-that the other side of the picture has been
largely obscured.'
Tough-minded military men, however, whose job it is. to be realis-
tic about the preparation of our defense, point to the following facts
about Korea:
1. The war has enabled us to train. an efficient, battle-seasoned
army. Our troops at first were soft; undisciplined and in some cases
even refused, to obey orders under fire. But now they are' just the'
opposite.
2., We are bringing cadres of combat veterans home for train-
ing other troops.
3. Unification has been tried out and has worked beyond any-
one's most optimistic..expectation.
4. We have learned guerrilla warfare, something in which we
were almost totally untrained in the past.
5. The nation has been alerted to the, danger of communistic
aggression, and mobilization is under way at a pace that would not
have been possible without the Communist attack on Korea.
6. Europe has also been alerted, and the. North Atlantic Pact
nations, which had dawdled for over a year, re now really preparing.
7. Russia, which was preparing to attack in other areas if she
got away with the Korean conquest, has been deterred. As one part
of this, the Chinese attack on French Indo-China, scheduled for last
winter, has been abandoned because of the terrific Chinese casualties
in Korea.
There have been many unhappy factors offsetting the above,
chiefly the question of casualties. Military mep point out, however,
that our actual dead have been around 11,000 men-which is one-
third the number killed -in automobile accidents during the same
period of time.'
(Continued from. Page 2)
Study, Timothy and Titus. 6 p.m., Sup-
per and Guild meeting. Dr. Waterman
speaking on the "Atlantic Union's Con-
tribution to World Peace." The Chinese
Students will be guests.
Congregational, Disciples, Evangelical
and Reformed Guild: Picnic at West
Park. Meet at Guild House, 438 May-
nard, at 4 p.m. to go out for baseball
game. Meet at Guild House at 5:40 p.m.
to join the gang for supper.
Michigan Christian Fellowship: 4 p.m.,
Lane Hall (Fireside Room). Dr. North-
cote Deck, F. R. G. S., a former Medi-
cal Missionary to the South Seas,, will
speak on a missionary topic.
IZFA: Picnic and outing at the Is-
land, Sun., May 20. Meet at WAB 2
p.m. Election of officers.
Coming Events
La P'tite Causette meets Mon., May
21, 3:30 p.m., Mich. League
Electrical Engineering Department,
Research Discussion Group: Last meet-
ing of the academic year, 4 p.m., Mon.,
May 21, 2084 E. Engineering Bldg. Mr.
E. B. Therkelsen, Research Engineer,
Willow Run Research Center, will dis-
cuss Principles and Applications of
Ser'vomechanxics. The committee of the
R. D. G. for next year will be presented.
Everyone welcome.
C. E. D.: Meeting, Mon., May 20, 4:15
p.m., Union. Election of officers and
matters of policy.
U. of M. Marching Band Members are
urged to be present for the first re-
hearsal, Mon., May 21, 4:15 p.m. on S.
Ferry Field without instruments. No-
tify other members of this rehearsal.
Cercle Francais. Last meeting of se-
mester. Talk by Dr. Bart, "Par la France
en velo" Charades. Tues., May 22. 8
p.m., League.
c uRRNT mOviE
At The Michigan ...
GOODBYE, MY FANCY with Joan
Crawford, Robert Young, Frank Lovejoy
and Eve Arden.
THIS MOVIE is adapted from a play writ-
ten by a guy who believed all freedom
depended ultimately on academic freedom.
His idea and his play should be of more than
passing interest to people on this campus
right now.
Unfortunately, the movie - which does
make the case for uncontrolled teaching and
campus free speech-is uninteresting, maud-
lin and reminiscent of every other picture
you've ever seen Joan Crawford in, from
At The State...
THE THING, starring a live carrot,. sun-
dry snowflakes and a supporting cast of
human beings.
THERE HASN'T been a real blood-chilling
horror story since Dracula and Franken-
stein. The Thing fills this gap.
Since modern man is too sophisticated
for vampires, a vegetable man who (or
which) thrives on blood is injected into a
science-fiction atmosphere. He came to
earth in a flying disc, and can't leave be-
cause the U.S. Air Corps, which doesn't be-
lieve in them, has destroyed his by accident.
rrh l nt of n4 aS a.a is , in nra'.* r 4 This
Business Staff
Bob Daniels........Business Manager
Waiter Shapero Assoc. Business Manager
Paul Schaible .....Advertising Managers
Sally Fish ..........Finance Manager
Bob Miller ........Circulation Manager
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BARNABY
1 hav, to warn O'Malley I'm a-looking 1
-; !M p". ).
71
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