THE MICHIGAN.- DAILY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL Z7, 1935
i!a OUWTR
I
PAG U'TED LE A9
GOOD OL' DAYS GONE:
Wanted: Spark To Energize
Conformist Campus
"What Do You Hear About Malenkov?"
DREW PEARSON:
Bickel
DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN
LATE-AFTERNOON sun flooded the Diag out-
side Haven Hall. The carillon tolled four
times, and couples munched ice cream languid-
ly on the cement benches donated by long-
past classes.
Bobby Hatcher practiced softball. Somewhere
there was probably a Daily photographer, on
the lookout for weather art. But there wasn't
much excitement around.
Looking outside, the professor stretched back
in his chair and reminisced. "You know," he
decided, "there ought to be a mass meeting out
there right now. Somebody ought to be up on
one of those benches, talking and haranguing
and gathering a crowd. Handbills should clut-
ter that lawn."
It didn't much matter, the professor thought,
what the cause of his hypothetical mass meet-
ing might be-anything to evoke ideas-and
he meant real ideas-in the 20,000 of us.
We are, he interjected quickly, to be com-
mended for our thorough and well-outlined
class notes, and for our generally gratifying
academic records. We've been convinced that
good grades are prerequisite to good jobs.
It follows that good jobs are essential to
security, and security, in the professor's
thoughts, rests on conformity-the unspoken.
cry, if there is one, of the present collegiate
generation.I
To this professor and to many of his col-
leagues we seem five years older and con-
siderably shallower than our counterparts of
ten or fifteen years ago. He recalled, pictures-
quely, that the hero of the bygone "thinking"
era was the guy with the leak in his shoes-
the same guy who's now ignored as he's seen
by the slicker and oxford-clad populace.
TOT EVERYBODY, granted, dresses or thinks
uniformly. There are among us plenty of
people who aren't afraid to express their ideas
vociferously, even to an extreme. Biut these
people seem, on the whole, to fall into specific
political categories.
Their tactics, once regulation behavior at
the University, are eyed suspiciously by the
conforming crowds-reluctant even to accept
a handbill, and far too preoccupied to frequent
many meetings.
We hear of the productive thinking of our
predecessors here only by rumor. It's more than
possible that the rumors are unduly colored by
nostalgia. Few of the mass-meeting advocates
of the thirties are colorfully idealistic today-
what value, then, remains now in their former
enthusiasms?
As ends in themselves, spontaneous mass
meetings and smudged handbills are worth-
less, and a regression to an even more mis-
guided outlook. But as possible manifestations
Y of ideas, which surely are not completely dor-
mant, they'd be a welcome by-product.
-Jane Howard
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Strong Administrative wing
Needed for Good Government
STDENT GOVERNMENT Council is issuing
an important call for support today. Six
months ago students flocked to the polls to
back SGC by a strong 3%/ to 1 ratio. The vote
pushed SGC into existence. Now the new stu-
dent government needs more than votes as it
opens efforts today to organize a strong and
effective SGC administrative wing.
Under direction of new wing coordinator
Sandy Hoffman, an open meeting for prospec-
tive members will be held at 4 p.m. today in the
Union. Necessity of .a good turnout almost goes
without saying. One SGC member, experi-
enced with Student Legislature commented last
week that the administrative wing will make
or break the, new student government.
His remark was close to reality. Under SL
the wing never assumed much importance. Con-
sequently the wing's prestige never soared to
Olympian heights on campus. The members
served on SL's committees but never played
an influential role in forming Legislature pol-
icy. Administrative wing members will be es-
sential to SGC. Their most important function
will be service to the Council's three standing
committees but will play a much more crucial
role than SL wing members. Due to SGC's
small elected membership, administrative wing
people will dominate elected members in quan-
tity on the committees. SGC Vice-President
Donna Netzer estimates each of the three com-
mittees needs 20 members to function effec-
tively. This means a minimum of 15 members
must be from the wing. If, like SL, wing people
have voting privileges their influence in for-
mulating policy cannot be under-estimated.
WING MEMBERS will also take an important
role in research projects and general of-
fice work necessary to keep Student Govern-
ment Council operating successfully.
SGC is working on a two-year trial basis.
Eleven elected members and seven ex-officios
can't possibly do the work of an active student
government. Activity with the administrative
wing will provide excellent experience in stu- "
dent government and can serve as a training
period for students interested in running for
elected SGC office. There is no reason why
the administrative wing shouldn't have the
same lure for students as Interfraternity Coun-
cil, the Union and other campus organizations.
Under SGC it should bring prestige to its mem-
bers and at the same time bring the satisfac-
tion of working for the benefit of the whole
campus community.
--Dave Baad
Campus Cynicism ...
To the Editor:
SEVERAL discussion groups par-
ticipating in Academic Free-
dom Week agreed that the fear
of students to express "leftist"
ideas, even if their research sup-
ports such views, is the major re-
striction upon present student in-
tellectual development.
Personal experience indicates to
me that the foremost intellectual
restriction today is not political
inhibition, but cynicism.
"What's the use," "Nobody's any
good," and "It's all meaningless,"'
have now become stock phrases of
the campus intelligentsia. The ap-
plication of cynicism to the ac-
quisition of knowledge for. either
its intrinsic value or its power to
alleviate world suffering has led
these students to reject the quest
for knowledge, except as a game
by which to amuse themselves.
The right to pursue the truth,
regardless as to where it directs
the student, has little value unless
the student is convinced that
knowledge itself has an ethical im-
portance. There are now a sur-
prisingly large number of students,
especially among the better ones,
who deny the value of everything,
-Bernie Backhaut
* * *
Robin's Work * *
To the Editor:
It just takes one or two days for
a. robin to build its nest and
"hatch her brood."
Well, it's all not that easy -
actually, it took a week for her
to build the nest and four days
to lay her eggs, of which there
are four now.
We would like to congratulate
Mr. Ching on his fine picture of
the robin. It's too bad it wasn't
taken in color.
-The Proud Uncles:
Fred Poposki,
Dick Summerwill
and 3rd Floor Adams
* * *
Need Limits.-.
To the Editor:
UPON HEARING the recent pro-
posal to convert the majority
of rooms in Alice Lloyd Hall to
triples, we, the undersigned, are
protesting. It seems selfish and
unfair that we should be asked to
pay more money for room and
board and at the same time be
forced to submit to overcrowded
and uncomfortable living condi-
tions.
It appears as though the Uni-
versity should, in all fairness to
incoming freshmen and upper-
classmen, limit the number of new
students until proper accommo-
dations could be provided instead
of adding to the discomfort of all
concerned.
and many others who will be
-Debbie Kopelov,
Renee Tobias,
Nancy Rappaport,
Irene Lipshey
and many others who will be
living in Lloyd next year.
Sees News
Influencing
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third
of Drew Pearson's columns on influ-
encing of the news in Washington.)
WASHINGTON - Karl Bickel,
former president of the United
Press Association, who did more
to sell unbiased American news
around the world than any one
man, has some pungent things to
say about the way the Eisenhow-
er Administration is trying to in-
fluence the press.
"The state department," he
says, referring specifically to Dul-
les' gift of the Yalta documents to
the New York Times, "is resorting
to the old vicious method the
chanceries of Europe practiced
after the Napoleonic wars and
World War I when steam presses,
roll paper, etc., began to make the
press a great potential power.
"Then every government in Eu-
rope began controlling the press
by controlling the news through
bribery. One of the chief forms of
bribery was the business of slip-
ping im p o r t an t governmental
news out to the favored papers,
thus trying to kill off the opposi-
tion press.
"That was how the kept press
of Europe finally workedintothe
great European Press Association
consortium dominated by Reuters,
Havas, Wolfe's, Stefani, which
largely brought about World War
I and was finally smashed in 1933.
"Pressure by favoritism has
been a threat to American demo-
cratic institutions for the past
150 years and now this sanctimo-
nious gentleman in the state de-
partment tries to seduce the New
York Times by giving the Times
the Yalta papers and about a
million dollars worth of publicity."
HAGERTY PRESSURES
Mr. Bickel, who helped break
me into the columning business,
would be interested in another
type of "favoritism"-in reverse
-as practiced today by White
House Press Secretary James Hag-
erty when he summoned Ethel
Payne, reporter for the widely
circulating Negro newspaper, the
Chicago Defender, and threatened
her with loss of her White House
credentials.
Miss Payne had been asking
questions on segregation at White
House press conferences which
seemed to irritate the President.
Certainly, Hagerty made it clear,
they irritated him. For he had
done a thorough investigation of
Miss Payne, which apparently in-
cluded her income-tax returns.
"I see here that you were paid
by the CIO at the same time you
were serving as an accredited
news correspondent at the White
House," Hagerty said, looking at
a statement of Miss Payne's in-
come. "We can't have that. It's
against regulations. The CIO-
PAC is a political organization and
I'll have to report this to the
Standing Committee of Corre-
spondents."
Miss Payne explained that she
had done some temporary work
editing material for the CIO-PAC
during the 1952 campaign.
"Absolutely not," replied the
Negro correspondent. "It is cor-
rect that I received a payment
from the CIO on September 10,
but that was the last payment I
received. Furthermore I only
edited campaign material. I had
nothing to do with making poli-
cy.
Hagerty said he would look into
the matter further and advise Miss
Payne of his decision.
(Copyright 1955, by the Bell Syndicate)
(Continued from Page 2)
all available summer jobs listed with
the Bureau Will be presented.
INTERVIEWING REQUESTS
FOR SUMMER PLACEMENT
The Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich.
will interview candidates on April 27
for summer employment whom they
have previously contacted and under-
graduates in Electrical Eng. They are
also Interested in interviewing graduate
students for a position as Chemist in
their Quality Control Laboratories. Call
the Bureau of App'ts., NO 3-1511, Ext.
2614 to make an appointment to be in-
terviewed.
PERSONNEL REQUESTS
FOR SUMMER PLACEMENT
..Four Way Lodge, Bellaire, Mich. re-
quests applications from post-graduate
women who are competent teachers of.
tennis, Compensation for the season is
$350. Contact Mrs. M. F. Eder, 5699 Bel-
mont Ave., Cincinnati 24 Ohio if in-
terested.
B4 Range, N.E. Gate of Yellowstone
National Park is interested in obtain-
ing a camp nurse. This is a boys camp
that operates a six week program start-
ing June 30 to Aug. 10. Contact Mr. Vic
Heyliger at the Athletics Bldg. (NO
2-5541) mornings from 9:00 a.m. to
12:00 m.
Roaring Brook Inn, Harbor Springs,
Mich. requests applications from candi-
dates for Bell Hop positions. The salary
is $75 per month, plus room and board
and tips: season from June 23 to Spt.
10. It is necessary to send a picture
of self if applying. Contact Mr. Fred
Renker, Roaring Brook Inn, Harbor
Springs, Mich.
Department of Conservation, Ster-
ling State Park, Monroe, Mich. requests
applications from male candidates for
Lifeguard Positions. This is a 90
day employment at $1.41 per hour. A
senior lifesaving certificate is required
to apply. Contact Mr. George Lawrentz,
Mgr., Sterling State Park, Monroe, Mich.
Chippewa Camp, Elk Lake at Rapid
City, Mich. has an opening for a sec-
retary. This would be for 10 weeks,
starting June 20. Salary (with exper-
ience in straight typing and dictation)
is $300 with room and board for the
season. Contact Marion Simpler at NO
3-8025.
RESONNEL REQUESTS:
City of Detroit, Mich~, Dept. of Police,
15 conducting an examniation for Po-
licewomen of Saturday, May 8, 1955. Re-
quirements: 2 to 30 yr., completion of
at least three years of college with
majors in the field of social science
and some work done in a field in
which public contacts are made.
Ordnane Corps., Ballistic Research
Lab., Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., of-
fers employment to graduating stu-
dents with degrees in Physics, Chem-
istry, Math., Engrg. Opportunities exist
for scientists possessing a doctorate as
well as those having master's and bach-
elor's degrees.
For further information contact the
Bureau of Appointments, Ext. 371, 3528
Admin. Bldg.
PERSONNEL INTERVIEWS:
The representatives from the follow-
ing will be at the Engrg. School:
Mon., May 2
Wabash Railroad, Montpelier Div,
Montpelier, Ohio-B.S. in Civil Engrg.
for Railroad Maintenance Engrg.
Mon. and Tues., May 2 and 3
Sunbeam Corp., Chicago, Il.-B.S. in
Aero., Civil, Elect., ind., Mech. and
Chem. E. and Engrg Mech. for Sum-
mer Work for Jrs. and Regular Work In
Production Control, Production Super-
vision.
Tues., May 3
Chicago Screw Co., Bellwood, Il.-
B.S. and M.S. in Mech. E. for Man-
agement Training Program.
For appointments contact the Engrg.
Placement Office, Ext. 2182, 347 W.
Engrg.
Representatives from the following
wil be at the Bureau of Appointments:
Mon., May 2
Shell Oil Co., Detroit Div., Detroit,
Mich.-men with a minimum of 12 hrs.
in Econ. or Acctg. for Accounting, men
with any degree-technical (engrs.,
chem., etc.) or non-technical (bus. ad.
or LS&A), for Sales, Advertising and
Promotion.
Tues., May 3
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance
Co., Detroit, Mich.-men for sales.
Thurs.,. May 5
Jacobson's Stores, Jackson, Mich. Div.
-men and women in any field for a
career in Retailing, Purchasing, Acetg.,
Advertising, and Store Management. (8
stores in Mich.)
For appointments contact the Bureau
of Appointients, 3528 Admin. Bldg.,
Ext. 371.
Lectures
Universtiy Lecture, auspices of the
Department of Botany and the Depart-
ment of Zoology. G. Ledyard Stebbins,
University of California, will speak on
"The Present Status of the Theory of
Organic Evloution" in Auditrolum B,
Angell Hall, Thurs., April 28, at 4:15
p.m.
Exchange Lecture, auspices of the
English Department. Prof. Kathleen Co-
burn, Victoria .College, University of
Toronto. "Wordsworthand Coleridge."
Auditorium A, Angell Hall. 4:10 p.m.,
Wed., April 27.
Lecture, auspices of the Geology De-
partment. "Tertiary Erosional history
of theRocky Mountains." Prof. J. Hoov-
er Mackin, University of Washington.
Thurs., Apr. 28, 8:00 p.m., Natural
Science Auditorium.
Academic Notices
Zoology Seminar. Edward J. Kormon-
dy will speak on "Studies in the Life
History, Morphology, and Ecology of
the Genus Tetragoneuria in Michigan
(Odonata: Libellulidae)" and Philip S.
Humphrey on "Relationships of the Sea
Ducks," Wed., April 27. 4:15 p.m., in
the Natural Science Auditorium.
Doctoral Examination for Theodore
Cullom Denise, Philosophy thesis: "The
Social Writings of the Philosopher Ber-
trand Russell," Wed., April 27, 2444.
Mason Hall, at 3:15 p.m. Chairman, C.
L. Stevenson.
Sociology Coffee Hour Wed., April 27
cussion of Chapter Eleven, Cochran's
Sampling Techniques.
Seminar in Applied Mathematics will
meet Thurs., April 28 at 4:00 p.m. in
Room 247 West Engineering. John Cris-
pin of WRRC will speak on "The Radar
Cross-Section of an Infinite Cone."
Doctoral Examination for Thair Lee
Higgins, Chemistry; thesis: "A Ther-
mochiemical Study of the NH3.nHF-HF
and NaF-nF-W' Systems," Thurs.,
April 28, 3003 Chemistry Bldg., at 3:00
p.m. Chairman, E. F. Westrum, Jr.
402 Interdisciplinary Seminar on'the
Application of Mathematics to Social
Science will meet Thurs., April 28,
Room 3401 Mason Hal from 4:00-5:30
p.m. R. Hefner will speak on "A Multi-
dimensional Model for Matching Be-
havior."
Department Colloquium in Chemistry,
Thurs., April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Room
1300 Chemistry. Orville L. McCurdy will
speak on "Synthesis of Astoniine Hy-
drochloride and Related Compounds."
Sheldon Shore will speak on "Some
Chemical Aspects of the Diammoniate
of Diborane."
Geometry Seminar will meet Thurs.,
April 28, at 7:00 p.m. in 3001 A.H. Note
change of day. Prof. G. Y. Rainich will
speak on "Logic and Geometry."
Special Botany-Zoology Seminar. Dr. G.
Ledyard Stebbins, University of Cali-
fornia, will speak on "New Methods in
the Study of Evolution" in Room 1139
Natural Science, Thurs., April 28, 7:30
p.m. Refreshments.
Concerts
Student Recital. Joanna Ball, pianist,
8:30 p.m., Wed., April 27, Rackham As-
sembly Hall, in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the Master of Mu-
sic degree. Program: Scarlatti, Beetho-
ven, Brahms, and Arthur Shepherd,
open to the public. Miss Ball is a pupil
of Joseph Brinkman.
Student Recital. Frances Horne, pan-
Ust, works by Bach, Debussy, and
Brahms, at 8:30 p.m. Thurs., April 28,
in Rackham Assembly Hall, in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for
the Master of Music degree. Miss Horne
is a pupil of Joseph Brinkman. Open
to the public.
Carillon Recital 7:15 p.m. Thurs., April
28, by Percival Price, University CariQ
lonneur. Compositions by Scarlatti,
Price, Mozart; German folk songs, and
Old German pilgrims' song.
Events TodnA
English Journal Club will meet at
8:00 p.m., Wed., April 27, in West Con-
ference Room, Rackham. Prof. Kathleen
Coburn of the University of Toronto
will speak on, "Coleridge's Notebook
and Some Problems in Editing Them."
Discussion and refreshments.
Linguistics Club will meet at 7:30
p.m. Wed., April 27 in East Conference
Room, Rackham. Louis C. Rus will speak
on "A Linguistic Analysis Applied to
Poetry," and Prof. Sherman M. Kuhn on
"Old English Short Diphthongs Sine
1952: Everybody Gets into the Act."
Officers for next year will be elected. All
persons interested in the scientific study
of language invited.
Le Cercle Francais will meet Wed.,
Apr. 27 at 8:00 p.m. In the Women'
League. Panel discussion on Moliere led
by Profs. Denkinger and Niess. Slides
and refreshments,
Episcopal Student Foundation. Stu-
dent Breakfast at Canterbury House,
Wed., April 27, after 7:00 a.m. Holy Com-
munion.
Christian Faclty Luncheon with Dr.
Harold Titus representing the National
Council of Churches, Wed., Apr. 27,
12:10 p.m. at the Union. For reservation
call Lane Hall.
Undergraduate Zoology Club presents
"Pathologic Changes in Radiation In-
jury;" an illustrated lecture by Dr. A.
J. French; professor of pathology and
chief of clinical laboratories at Univer-
sity Hospital. Material for the lecture
is taken from the U.S. Army and Navy
corps in radiation experiments and in
Japan. wed., April 27. 3:00 p.m., 1139
Blue Team Parade Meeting Wed., Apr.
27 in the League at 5:00 p.m. sharp. All
team members who would like to par-
ticipate must attend the meeting.
Blue Team Finance Committee, Wed.,
Apr. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Judiciary
Room of the League.
Hillel: Israel Independence Week,
April 23-30. Wed., 8:00 p.m. films of
Israel: "Tomorrow Is a Better Day" and
"Israel Sings." Sponsored by the Stu-
dent Zionist Organization.
Wesleyan Guild Wed., April 27, Mid-
week Tea in the lounge, 4:15-5:15 p.m.
Mid-week Worship in the chapel at 5:15
p.m.
Coming Events
Christian Science Organization Testi-
monial Meeting, 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Up-
per Room, Lane Hall.
International Center Tea. Thurs., 4:30-
6:00 p.m. Rackham Building.
Congregational-Disciples Guild. Thurs.
April 28, 5:00-5:30 p.m., Mid-week Medi-
tation in Douglas Chapel.
Hillel. Reservations for Fri. evening
dinner must be made and paid for at
Hillel before Thurs., any evening, 7:00-
10:00 p.m.
Hillel. Petitions for positions on the
Hillel Executive Committee and Hillel
Administrative Council may be obtain-
ed from the Hillel Secretary, 1429 Hill
Street between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 m.
and 1:00-5:00 p.m. any day Mon. through
Fri. or by contacting Hal Josehart at
NO 3-4129 any evening. Deadline for
Executive Committee positions is May
4. Deadline for Administrative Council
positions is May 10.
Sailing Club. Meeting Thurs., 7:45
p.m., 311 W. Eng. Harry B. Benford, as-
(Continued on Page 6)
R
Hasty Student Integration
In South Could Hurt Progress
REFERRING to your robin pic-
ture on Saturday's front page,
we think you have done a great
injustice in your writing of the
caption. You seem to imply that
EARLY LAST October Baltimore was in the
midst of a demonstration against the city's
desegregation program in the schools. It di-
rectly affected seven of the 170 schools in the
city, and was incited by a group of adults, not
schoblchildren themselves.
The police department and Dr. John H.
Fischer, Superintendent of Baltimore public
schools, took immediate steps and effectively
prevented what Fischer termed "extreme ex-
aggerations" of riot from becoming realities.
That was the last report of such demon-
strations against the integration program. Since
that time Dr. Fischer reports," school has pro-
ceeded in very much the same fashion that it
did in previous years."
THE FACT that there have been no 'inci-
dents' since October is encouraging, but
should not be taken as a go-ahead signal for
ay plans of complete integration, as has been
encouraged, especially by many northerners
and NAACP groups.
Sixty-Fifth Year
Edited and managed by students of the University of
Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control
of Student Publications.
Editorial Staff
Eugene Hartwig.....................Managing Editof
Dorothy Myers.....................City Editor
Jon Sobeloff......................... Editorial Director
Pat Roelofs......................Associate City Editor
Becky Conrad.........................Associate Editor
Nan Swinehart...................Associate Editor
Dave Livingston.................. Sporots Editor
Hanley Gurwin.........Associate Sports Editor
Warren Wertheimer............Associate Sports Editor
Roz Shlimovitz........................Women's Editor
Janet Smith.............Associate Women's Editor
John Hirtzel..................... Chief Photographer
Business Staff
Lois Polak..........................Business Manager
Phil Brunskill.............Associate Business Manager
Bill Wise..... ...............Advertising Manager
Mary Jean Monkoski...............Finance Manager
Telephone NO 23241
First, Dr. Fischer estimated that only 2,500
of the city's 57,000 Negro students are attend-
ing mixed schools. The number of students in
these schools reaches from one or two up to
50 percent in one school. But, Dr. Fischer adds,
"the large majority of our schools are still
predominately Negro or white in their en-
rollment."
A rush to enforce complete integration in
the schools or as proposed .in other public fa-
cilities could prove harmful.
The program should be given chance to pro-
gress, and to work toward integration outside
the protective screen of the academic world.
While in school, children are forced to mix.
Once outside of that'environment they again:
come under the control of the structure of a
segregated society.
THE GROUP now attending mixed schools
will continue to integrate smoothly unless
more pressure and more integration is begun
on a larger scale. They integrate now because
the parents feel content that the number of
schools is small.
If students are allowed to integrate under
the present system, even allowing a slight in-
crease in number, it will allow for normal
change from one type of society to another
within one or two generations. If not, the ef-
fects of haste may remain as long as have the
effects of harsh reconstruction.
In addition, before a large scale integration
program is undertaken, a new problem should
be expected. It cannot be forgotten that the
children now in mixed schools will integrate
under the academic world, and it will soon
spread to the ball field and possibly to movie
theaters. However, when these same children
reach an age where dating and social life be-
comes important, a new conflict has arisen.
For parents may in a few years accept inte-
gration but mixed dating is a problem that
will take decades to overcome.
THES) CHILDREN, integrated in schools,
supposedly accustomed to a mixed environ-
ment, will in a few years be informed that
they cannot attend social functions together.
Then how. is one to avoid reverting to earlier
Openings for Cartoonists,
Reviewers
The Michigan Daily has positions available on its staff for
reviewers and cartoonists.
Openings are being filled for:
Editorial Cartoonists
Movie reviewers
Book reviewers
Drama reviewers
Art reviewem
Music reviewers
Meetings for all interested persons will be held at 4 and 7:30
p.m. today and 4 p.m. tomorrow in the Conference room of the
Student Publications building.
HANSCOM REPORT:
Narcosis for Interrogation Discussed
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Royal was
formerly a faculty assistant at the
University of Minnesota. He is now
a research assistant in the University
of Michigan psychology department.)
By DONALD C. ROYAL
SOME EVENTS which may have
a profound effect have been
taking place on the University of
Minnesota campus.
C. B. Hanscom, director of that
university's repartment of pro-
tection and investigation, announ-
ced on Feb. 17 to the American
Academy of Forensic Sciences the
development and use of a new
technique to be used in police in-
terrogation.
The use of narcosis, or the ad-
ministration of sodium pentothal,
has until now been confined to
the exploration and treatment of
mental illness. Narcosis is a state
of heightened suggestibility, simi-
lar -to hypnosis.
According to Hanscom, .."the
various segments of the brain may
be depressed in a known order cor-
responding to their evolutionary
age."
"Psychiatrists generally believe
ques, we can modify the person-
ality functions and lead the sus-
pect into known confession mech-
anisms."
"Narcosis has been used to cre-
ate, facilitate or hasten each of
the above confession mechanisms
by distorting the integrative func-
tions along several pathways."
Questioning is varied, amounts
of anesthesia are varied, according
to attempts to arouse an emotional
outburst, or to confuse orderly
thinking of the subject."
Few people are completely de-
void of emotional and occasional
homicidal impulses. The discovery
and interpretation of these im-
pulses is left to the judgment of
the interrogator.--
Hanscom continues ". ,. some
evidence of guilt usually escapes
even the most hardened, repeti-
tious offenders who feel no re-
morse. (Note: The areas under Mr.
Hanscom's jurisdiction consists of
the University of Minnesota cam-
pus, students, and staff.
These men have little knowledge
of the successful record of the
cate complicity. This suggests that
the burden of proof rests upon the
subject's unconscious to prove his
own innocence. The subject is con-
sidered guilty until proven inno-
cent.
"The techniques . . . still must
be manipulated by trial and error,"
Hanscom says. To maximize chan-
ces of recovery from anesthesia, a
trained anesthesiologist adminis-
ters the injections. Specialists are
now being trained to continue this
work in other cities.
Objections have been raised that
the technique is an infringement
of civil liberties, but Hanscom de-
clares "Ethically, it is far superior
to third degree methods, which
employ physical or mental coer-
cion." Employed together, nar-
cosis plus physical coercion would
make a very effective totalitarian
method of extracting "confessions"
from erstwhile innocent people.
Even though an individual may not
implicate himself by his own state-
ments, he could implicate others,
especially if he were in a position
of trust-a minister, counselor,
doctor, ets.
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