THE MICHIGAN DAILY
SUNDAY, AUOUST 1, 1948
...,,
A Checkered Past
tl
if
Irons in the Fire
IF THEY MUST HAVE OUR OPINION-
0J7IE ANNOUNCEMENT by National Com-
mander James F. O'Neil that the Ameri-
can Legion will hold its'annual convention
in Miami this year brings to mind the en-
tire past record of that vigilant organization.
It is not a record to be proud of.
Inasmuch as the Legion will soon occupy a
prominent place in the newspapers and
magazines across the country, it is perhaps
just as well that some of the details of its
record be pointed out at this time.
In the first place it should be noted
that the American Legion, as mentioned
above, is a vigilant body. A little too vigil-
ant, it would seem. For instance, Legion-
naire officials have long been preoccupied
with supposedly subversive activities. They
have compiled lists of suspect individuals,
published literature on Un-American ac-
tivities and incorporated an Americanism
Committee within their body politic.
It is noteworthy, however, that there is
evidence of connections between Legionnaire
officials and such men as George Deather-
Editorials published in The Michigan Daily
are written by members of The Daily staff
and represent the views of the writers only.
NIGHT EDITOR: CRAIG WILSON
Farben Trials
UPON THE CONCLUSION of World War
II, the leaders of the victor nations
made an astounding, precedent-shaking de-
cision. They decided for the first time in his-
tory to try as criminals those persons who
played key roles in the aggressive acts of
the defeated nations.
A giant international war crimes trial was
set up at Nurnberg. Death was meted out to
high political and army personnel. The sad-
ists that ran the notorious concentration
camps likewise were sentenced to death.
These men, camp commandants, guards and
SS men-despite the fact that many were
volunteers-acted under orders, fearful and
dreadful as they were.
And then the victor nations did a dar-
ing thing. They said it was not enough to
assign guilt to those who carried out the
deeds of terror, nor was it sufficient to
call to account the political leaders only.
They went one step further. They put up
brains, without whose financial support
*or trial, the business and industrial
and backing, war would never have come
about.
Among those brought before the bar were
the board of directors of the vast I. G. Far-
ben chemical industry. Just three days ago
several of them were convicted and sent-
enced, not of plotting aggressive war, but of
spoiliation and plundering or of exploitat-
ing and mistreating slave labor.
Sentences ranged from eighteen months
to eight years.
Many of those sentenced have already
i spent a considerable amount of time in con-
finement, so much so that they are now free
because this time was considered as part of
the sentence.
These sentences were the mildest yet im-
posed in a war crimes trial. Why?
Why was the commandant of the Au-
schwitz murder factory put to death and
the men whose planning and executive de-
cisions caused that murder factory to be,
let off free or sentenced at a maximum to
eight years
For that matter, why was Col. Kilian,
commander of the infamous American Army
l itchfield stockade, only fined, while his
subordinate enlisted men were imprisoned?
There has been a miscarriage of justice.
The tune sounds familiar-power, money,
influence, business take precedence in the
court room.
There is no question that war, aggressive
or defensive, cannot be waged without the
aid of the might of the industrialists. Equal
guilt for war should be shared by these
white-collared demons with the politicos
and the military.
-Lida Dailes
age, leader of the Knights of the White Ca-
melia, and James True, who has been in-
dicted by the federal government for sedi-
tion. Presumably these names do not appear
cn the organization's list of subversives.
As for the Legion's prose, the official text
of the group contained three pages on
Fascism, 15 on Nazism and 255 on Com-
munism. This appears to fit neatly with a
statement made by Alvin Owsiey, former
national commander, who once said: "Do
not forget that the Fascists are to Italy what
the American Legion is to the United
States."
In regard to the Americanism Com-
mittee, it should suffice to say that that
body is composed of investigators who are
without training and who are little
enough responsible for the accuracy of
their statements.
Along these same lines one might also
mention that the American Legion has been
extremely active in urging the passage of
the absurd Mundt Bill and that on the
other hand, it has not been pleased with
such progressive measures as the Montclair,
New Jersey Audit, a program which seeks to
investigate racial discrimination on com-
munity levels.
Other counts against the Legion will not
be mentioned here. It should be enough to
say that, by aiid large, there will be slight
cause for rejoicing in the spirit behind the
spectacle scheduled for presentation in Mi-
ami this fall.
-Kenneth Lowe
- -o
J-x
VERY INTERESTING
NOTE on the
stockmarket has come our way which
emphasizes the importance of President
Truman's message to Congress asking for
:nflation controls. Curiously enough in these
days of prosperity, stocks dropped more than
one billion dollars on Friday.
The reason for the drop is attributed to
the nervous condition of the men on Wall
Street over the President's warning of a de-
pression unless something is done inimed-
lately to curb inflation.
At the end of 1946, economists were pre-
dicting a "recession" sometime in 1947. That
the expected recession failed to make its
appearance seems to be purely a matter of
luck. We have blithely gone our spiral-
. idden way despite all warnings. Men whose
profit outlook made them allergic to any
kind of price control insisted that full scale
production was THE answer to inflation.
But it is these same men who had the in-
fallible answer that are shaking in their
respective boots albeit on Wall Street.
On the same side of the fence as the
Wall Street men are our Congressmen who
sulk in their capitol corners and cry
to the President, "Politics!" or "You have
the power, why don't YOU do something
about it?" One thing in their unconscious
favor, they thereby admit that something
has to be done.
The question of different philosophies of
the Congressmen and the President seems
to be purely academic. Neither of their phil-
osophies will be reelected in any fall election
if a depression hits us again.
Price controls, excess profits taxes, wage
controls and installment buying curbs can-
not be a question of philosophy in this year
of spiralling prices-it is a matter of neces-
sity which Senator Taft and his cohorts
c annot dismiss as politics.
SIR OLIVER FRANKS, Britain's Ambassa-
dor, and Henri Bonnet, Ambassador
from France, have been engaged for several
weeks in talks with top U.S. officials on the
basis for a new conference with Russia on
the future of Germany. The idea is that
Western nations should be fully prepared
before going into any new talks with Russia
on peace settlements. Past conferences were
very loosely prepared for.
-U.S. News and World Report.
SINCE EVERY OTHER columnist in the
country has had a stab at assessing the
third party convention (literally a stab in
many cases), here is another reaction:
The convention had considerably more
vitality than those of the two major politi-
cal parties. The only real excitement at the
Republican gathering was in the trackside
atmosphere of the Presidential Handicap;
the only fervor exhibited was the common
burning desire for federal patronage and
power.
There was a great deal of genuine emo-
tional pitch in the Democratic convention.
Pathos filled the auditorium as New Deal-
ers grown paunchy sought to rekindle the
old battle spirit. There was something
macabre about the whole affair, as if a
dead man were pronouncing his own fun-
eral oration. The words were noble, one
felt deeply touched, yet all the sombre
eloquence of the deceased served only to
emphasize the sad fact of his death.
In sharp contrast the Progressive Party
conclave shook with the exuerance of a re-
vival meeting. The delegates sang, cheered
and booed with wild abandon and a strong
sense of mission. Taken purely as spectacle,
the Shibe Park scene was worth considerably
more than the admission the canny Pro-
gresives charged. Yet, through the real en-
thusiasm of a largely honest gathering,
staging of the Communists. American pro-
loomed the unmistakable direction and
gressives (with a small p) had seen it all
before.
Everywhere that Communists and pro-
gressives had joined in organizations, the
former, by superior determination and drive,
succeeded in seizing the wheel. They had
plausible issues, rousing slogans, effective
demonstration techniques and the energy
to be out getting petitions signed while pro-
gressives were home soaking their feet. A
long procession of alphabetical schisms ex-
cmplified the process, ASU, ALP, PCA. The
wide-awake progressive, like Ray m on d
Walsh and Frank Kingdon in PCA, gets out.
The "all ashore" whistle is blowing
shrilly for the non-Communist remnants
in the Progressive Party. The platform
gives several tipoffs. One is the straight
denunciation of the Marshall Plan, with-
out the least saving qualification. Another
is the explosive denunciation of the Demo-
crats, as contrasted with the mild treat-
ment meted out to the Republicans. Com-
munists always save their most savage
attacks for the moderates.
The Democratic Party is indeed in its
death throes. The string-pullers of the Pro-
gressive Party are keenly aware of this, as
the frequent parallels drawn with the found-
ing of the GOP show. Then the new Repub-
lican Party strode onto the national scene
over the prostrate body of the moribund
Whigs, to gain the presidency four years la-
ter. A Third Party is indeed needed now, so
that the two party system may continue to
function when the Democrats are finally
interred. But not a phony party, which can't
even get the backing of the CIO. Not a party
which seeks the support of Zionists, Town-
sendites, etc. with an incohesive bundle of
promises, a party whose sole purpose now is
to advance the fortunes of the U.S. Com-
munist Party.
-David Saletan
Wallace Platform
HENRY WALLACE and his Progressive
Party forgot to pack a few pairs of bi-
focal spectacles in their suitcases when they
went to Philadelphia for their first National
Convention.
Bi-focals, properly adjusted on the eyes of
the third party leaders, would have helped
them in viewing both the national scene
(reading distance) and the international
scene (long distance vision). The final Pro-
gressive Platform, for all its forthright ap-
proach to the crisis in civil rights, need for
New Deal economics and a "New Look" in
politics generally, has neglected to see the
necessity of a realistic international plank.
Blindly, the Progressives promise to
work for international security and har-
mony by:
1. Pulling American troops out of Berlin.
2. Blasting American "imperialism" with-
out even a word on Russian self-aggrand-
i.ement and diplomatic sabotage.
3. Giving Russia substantially what she
wants in Asia, as well as Europe.
4. Attacking the draft law, armed forces
expenditures and the Marshall Plan aid.
(Minimum liberal criticism calls for some
revisions of these three, but hardly drop-
ping them.)
5. Failing to charge Russia with main-
taining armed might and dominating neigh-
bor nations.
6. That done, the Progressives would fin-
ally work for permanent peace through the
United Nations.
Such a policy, if it ever could conceivably
be carried out, would indeed leave "Billions"
for domestic issues, as Wallace said in his
acceptance speech, but it would also wreck
the UN, advance the Russian curtain of
c omination and probably result in a world
arbitrarily run from Moscow. Russia would
see no need to continue supporting the UN
if she knew that Americans would crawl
back into the isolationist coccoon again and
let the rest of the world drift. The U.S.
\would also lose her influence as a democratic
force in the world and the small nations
would inevitably fall to the strong leader-
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Editorial Rounds
DAILY,
OFFICIAL
BULLETIN
Publication in The Daily Official
Bulletin Is constructive notice to all
members of the University. Notices
for the Bulletin should be sent ina
typewritten form to the office of the
Assistant to the President, Room
10)21 Angell Hal, by 3;00 p~. ona
the day preceding publiation (11:00
a u, Saturdays).
* * *
Notices
SUNDAY, AUGUST 1, 1948
VOL. LVIII, No. 198
Business Administration: Clas-
sification for the fall semester
will take place during the week
of August 2-6. Please see the bul-
letin board in Tappan Hall for in-
structions.
Bureau of Appointments and Oc-
cupational Information, 201 Ma-
son Hall:
The Proctor and Gamble Com-
pany, Detroit Office, will have a
representative her on Thursday,
August 5, to interview men for
sales positions. Men interested
should call Extension 371 for an
appointment.
Symposium on Theoretical and
Nulear Physics:
The following lectures will be
given in Room 150, Hutchins Hall,
during the week beginning August
2.
Professor H. B. G. Casimir will
continue his discussion of "Theo-
retical Aspects of Low Tempera-
ture Physics" at 10 o'clock on
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The concluding lectures on "Re-
cent Developments in Quantum
Electrodynamics" will be delivered
by Professor Julian Schwinger at
11 o'clock on Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday.
Physics Colloquia:
On Tuesday evening, Dr. W. A.
Nierenburg, University of Michi-
gan, will discuss "Recent Develop-
ments in Molecular Beam Meth-
ods"
The speaker for the Thursday
evening meeting will be announced
later
The colloquia are held in the
East Conference Room of the
Rackham Building at 8 p.m.
The Russian Circle will meet in
the International Center on Mon-
day, August 2, at 8 p.m. Professor
Lobanov Rostovsky will be the
guest speaker and his subject will
be, "The Russia I Knew."
Lectures
Mathematics Lecture: Professor
H. Davenport, F.R.S., of University
College, London, will give a lecture
on "Recent Progress in the Geom-
etry of Numbers" on Monday, Aug-
ust 2nd, at 4:15 p.m. in Room 3011
Angell Hall.
Linguistic Institute Forum Lec-
ture. "A Notker Concordance and
Dictionary," by Professor Edward
H. Sehrt of George Washington
University, Tuesday, August 3,
7:30, Rackham Amphitheater.
Linguistic Institute Luncheon
Conference. Lecture on "The Na-
ture of the Tocharian Language"
by Professor George S. Lane of
the University of North Carolina,
Wednesday, August 4, Union Buil-
ding. Luncheon 12:10, Anderson
Room; lecture 1:00, Room 308.
Concerts
Carillon Recitals: Another pro-
gram in the current series of sum-
mer carillon recitals will be played
by Percival Price at 2:15 p.m
Sun., August 1. It will include
four Welsh Airs, groups, of com-
positions for the harpsichord and
the carillon, and three selections
from operas, Intermezzo from
Mascagni's Cavaliera Rusticana
Offenbach's Barcolle from Tales
of Hoffmann, and Rossini's Finale
from The Barber of Seville.
Student Recital: Kathryn Karch
Loew, organist, will present a pro-
f gram at 8 p.m. Sun., August 1, in
Hill Auditorium, in partial ful-
fillment of the requirements for
the degree of Master of Music. A
1 former pupil of Palmer Christian
Mrs. Loew is now studying with
Carl Weinrich, Guest Lecturer ir
Organ in the School of Music. Her
recital will include compositions
by Vivaldi, Bach, Karg-Elert
Vaughan Williams, and Dupre
and will be open to the public.
Chamber Music Program: The
String Quartet class under the di-
rection of Oliver Edel and Ber-
nard Milofsky, will present a pro-
gram at 4:15 Mon., August 2, it
Rackham Assembly Hall. The pro.
t gram will include Haydn's Quar-
tet, Op. 64, No. 6 in E-flat major
Beethoven's Quartet, Op. 18, No
a 4, in C minor, and Haydn's Quar-
e tet, Op. 33, No. 3, in C major. Th(
e general public is invited.
Piano Recital. The sixth pro-
e gram in the Monday Evenini
D series of faculty recitals will fea-
s ture Webster Aitken, guest lectur.
I er in piano in the School of Music
o Scheduled to begin promptly al
Xette4
TO THE EDITOR
The Daily accords its readers the
privilege of submitting letters for
publication in this column. Subject
to space limitations, the general pol-
icy is to publish in the order in which
they are received all letters bearing
the writer's signature and address.
Letters exceeding 300 words, repeti-
tious letters and letters of a defama-
tory character or such letters which
for any other reason are not in good
taste will not be published. The
editors reserve the privilege of coa-
densing letters.
* * *
Def/eis Aist ps
To the Editor:
My commendation on "Wal-
lace's Little Group," written by
Joseph and Stewart Alsop in last
Sunday's edition. It is one of the
most provocative articles ever pre-
sented in The Daily. To condemn
it because a viewpoint is presented
is foolish. What does its critic, Mr,
Defendini, want-an endless chain
of dry facts? Why did he not tear
apart the "Red Badge of Courage"
editorial written directly above
this article? Perhaps it was slant-
ed to coincide with his views.
The critic's article is petty. May-
be it was "quite obvious" that the
convention was managed by the
C.P. If one is familiar with the
"Radio Moscow Line" as it is
heard over the air and then at-
tends a meeting of the "Com-
mittee for Academic Freedom" or
AVC, only to hear the line repeat-
ed by the speakers, is it then too
much to infer that the Communist
minority "stage-managed" that
evening?
I had this experience at a polit-
ical meeting last term. After. con-
cluding that the meeting was
directed largely by the far left, I
learned that the chairman was a
Communist sympathizer and the
most prominent discussion leader
a member of the C.P. I do not im-
mediately doubt the statement
that the convention was "quite ob-
viously" managed by the C.P., just
because the details are not given.
There is not room for many de-
tails in a survey article of this
type. The point that I have 'dis-
cussed exemplifies the petty stand
of the critic.
Another point quoted from the
criticism: Does being chairman
of a committee mean that one is
its dictator? No! But I should
think the chairman (Mr. Tug-
well) would be in sympathy with
the objectives of the committee.
If Mr. Tugwell is an exponent of
the Marshall Plan and chairman
of a committee which condemns
the plan, is he not in a ludicrous
position as the Alsop Brothers
stated? We have here an obvious
fact, hardly a conclusion. Why try
to twist Mr. Tugwell's position in-
to something else?
The original article was well-
written throughout. The concise
depiction of -John Abt as a "kind
of cut-rate Pressman" exempli-
fies the terse, animated style
which made the article unusually
good.
-R. E. Zwickey
August 3, Hill Auditorium. The
program will include compositions
'by Vaughan Williams, Bennet,
P Bilings, Brahms, Beethoven, Hin-
demith, Weinberger, Piket, and a
group of spirituals. Open to the
s public.
Special Concert: Sigurd Rascher,
saxophonist, assisted by Philip
Duey, baritone, and Joseph Brin.-
man, pianist, will present a pro-
gram in the Rackham Lecture Hall
i at 8:00 Wednesday evening, Aug-
ust 4. A concert and recording art-
ist, Mr. Rascher has appeared as
soloist with symphony orchestras
and in recitals throughout the
United States and abroad. His pro-
gram for Wednesday will include
(Continued on Page 5)
Fifty-Eighth Year
,
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+ BOOKS +
DerotFre* 1.0s
Unfinishied fBusiness
ATTENTION may now be turned
to those items in President
Truman's message which he plac-
ed before the special session
which come under the heading of
unfinished business.
. . . For the most part, the rest
of his program merits no more
consideration than he gave it. Ev-
erything which could possibly be
an issue in the fall campaign was
dredged up.
Nevertheless there are some
things that Congress could and
should do during its short session
that would be in the public inter-
est.
The Taft - Ellender - Wagner
Housing Bill for example, is just
where Congress left it when it
adjourned in June. It has approv-
al of the Senate and is being held
up in the House by Jesse Wolcott.
Housing, both public and pri-
vate, is a national emergency at
the moment. And, like foreign
relations, it requires non-parti-
san action. This can be accom-
plished. Republican leaders of
stature have approved it. Sen-
ator Taft is one of its sponsors.
And the President has advo-
cated its passage.
It requires no more hearings, no
more studies. The House can and
should dispose of this important
piece of legislation without delay.
It is at least a step in the right
direction.
Another matter which Mr. Tru-
man called for action isa revised
Displaced Persons Bill,
That which was passed is butS
the shadow of the substance of I
what is needed.
It should be in accordance with
the great American tradition of
humanity in providing sanctuary
for the liberty loving, the worthy
and oppressed.
That from the beginning has
been the essence of our political
morality.
Furthermore, at this desperate
time of world crisis it is but the
fulfilling of an obligation we
have assumed as an important
adjunct to our foreign policy.
All this the Free Press said em-
phatically when the phony bill
was passed and signed as a stop-
gap measure.
In the same connection, a bill
aut~horizing a loan of $65 million to
the United Nations for construc-
tion of its headquarters in New
York is only a symbol of our con-
As for such other matters as in-
uation control, civil rights, aid to
education and other social meas-
ures, the time to decide them is
Nov. 2. As Arthur Krock writes in
the New York Times, these issues
are fundamental dixerences be-
tween the President on one hand
and Congress on the other. Both
represent an indeterminate public
opinion that cannot be crystallized
in Washington.
There are at issue heretwo basic
doctrines of government. Their
settlement transcends immediate
partisan considerations and
should not be viewed in that light.
These are questions for the
Country to decide, and that op-
portunity will come on election
day.
Until then, it is the course of
wisdom for Congress to keep its
hands oq new problems and con-
fine itself to clearing the slate of
matters already before it.
* * *
C hri ii. Sceice
Xhlior
Civil Rights Orders
For President Truman to issue
at this point the executive orders
on civil rights in the armed forces
and in federal jobs seems both
politically logical and personally
consistent.
Once he cast the die in the form
of his now-famous civil-rights
message,developments have led
directly and at last inexorably to
such a move. First, the northern
wing of the Democrats gave that
die a jet-propelled boost by writing
it into the platform in boldly spe
cific terms. Then came the bolt of
the Dixiecrats, which made clear
where the center of gravity of the
Democratic Party now rests.
The executive orders themselves
add up to something less earth-
shaking than early headlines have
made of them. As to federal em-
ployment, the President appears
to be doing no more than to re-
affirm long-standing policies and
to fix responsibility for seeing to it
that those policies are observed.
As to the armed forces, he takes
account of the consequences t
military efficiency and morale
which any revolutionary change
would bring. The first step pre-
scri ed is a study of possible meth-
ods by a presumably prestig
board. Mr. Truman makes n
mention of segregation. This
would seem to allow the armed
forces latitude in continuing t
h
A
THE BLOOD OF OTHERS, by Simone
de Beauvoir (292 pp., Alfred A. Knopf,
$3.00).
ALTHOUGH THIS is allegedly an Exis-
tentialist novel, the new Sartre phil-
osophy is such a dynamic force in the lives
of the principal characters that the book
takes on the quality of being the philosophy
of a novel. As a work of art, the finest thing
about the book is the sombre mood it
creates-the mood of Europe in the early
thirties, a feeling of endless tomorrows
without hope and without the chance of
finding anything for which to hope. Miss de
Reauvoir's greatest skill lies in the way she
aepicts these intangible forces in the lives
of her characters.
Her- hammering on the philosophies by
which her young men and women live is less
effective. The lhives of her characters are
ruled by Existentialism-they perceive all
the events in their lives according to it.
Many chapters in the book are concerned
with abstruse, ethical problems which the
characters strive to harmonize with the
ruling principles of their lives. I think the
average reader would feel more kindly to-
ward Existentialism if he were allowed to
every page or two. The result, at any rate,
is not monotonous. When we are able to
sort out the people in the story via the
piecemeal acounts of their lives, we find
excellent characterization.
The overt actions and general inter-rela-
tionships of the principals are well-drawn
and quite believable. It is only their pre-
occupation with difficult moral concepts to
a neurotic degree that prevents our having
a complete sympathy for them. The hero,
Jean, is forever deciding laboriously and
with many qualms on the course he must
take, taking it, and then regretting it for
chapters and chapters. For example, after
he decides he does not really love his fiancee
and tells her so, we have the following:
" 'Good-by,' she said. She walked to the
door. A devastating impulse threw me to-
ward her: I loved her. But already the door
had slammed and she was going downstairs.
I loved her for her sincerity and her courage.
I loved her because she was going. I could
not call her beck."
The hero through all the story is beset by
guilt complexes. He feels responsible when
he acts, when he does not act, and for the
aggressive actions of all the people in the
Edited and managed by students of
the University of Michigan under the
authority of the Board in Control ot
Student Publications.
Editorial Staff
Lida Dalles ..........Managing Editor
Kenneth Lowe ........Associate Editor
Joseph R. Walsh, Jr. ....Sports Editor
Business Staff
Robert James .......Business Manager
Harry Berg ....... Advertising Manager
Ernest Mayerfed. Circulation Manager
Telephone 23.24-I
Member of The Associated Press
The Associated Press is exclusively
entitled to the use for re-publication
of all news dispatches credited to it or
o-the.rwisecredited1 ithis newsnanr.
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