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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 1951)
ce^ er s ie \. 5-^ege ^ G ' C °^ tjMei Newspaper; Circulated Daily To 90% of Local Residents OOP Station's Official Number 130: Volume 51 i Battalion PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A&M COLLEGE COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1951 Student Body President Question to Be Voted On Tonight — Be Sure to Vote Price Five Cents Gen. Mac Arthur Fired for Bucking Policy The Day Came The effort of cleaning up the “Hole” is finally rewarded by the inspecting officer looking it over. On the right the head of the inspecting team, Col. Paul B. Malone, senior Army instructor for Texas Organized Reserve, looks over a room in the White Band. Lt. Col. Douglas Stevens, from Ft. Sill, left, looks over the room of C. L. Mayben, of Company 11. The commander of Company 11, Herman Thompson, is on the far right. In DeWare Field House Deep Sea Excursion Prize For Bait Casting Contest By ROjGER COSLETT Fishing Contest Editor A pass for two on Benny Allen’s Deep Sea Boat out of Freeport, aourtesy of Andy Anderson, awaits the winner of the Battalion’s bait casting contest. The contest will be held April 27 in DeWare Field Bouse. Anderson, fishing editor for ' the Houston Press, will be master 4>l ceremonies for the event. Anderson is bringing with him, as other prizes, copies of his fish- ...in’ guide, a fly line, a casting line and a dozen lures. He will also have several casting rods for use by fishermen who have no rods but who would like to enter the contest. Other prizes for the contest will be announced later. A demonstration of fancy and trick casting by a well-known ex pert and a thirty-minute sound movie will also be on the pro gram. The contest is open to all stu dents and residents of College Sta tion and Bryan. Tournament casting plugs will be used in the contest. Target rings will be set at specified distances from the point of cast. Accuracy will be the aim of the contestants. For those who are not casting experts, The Battalion is spon soring a fishing contest. The con test is to be conducted on an hon- 4 or basis. Your word is good. This contest is also open to all students and residents of College Station and Bryan. Fish must be taught between April 10 and April 24. Your entry must be in by mid night of April 24. Fish must be caught by either the spinning, trolling, bait cast ing, fly or still fishing method. Salt water entries are not eligible. Pictures of your catch are not necessary, but we would like to have one for possible use in The Battalion. To become eligible to win a prize, just provide us with the following information: On April , 1951, I caught a —(kind of fish) that measured inches in length. I caught the fish in—(name and location of lake, river, stream or pond, which is in (or near)—(name of town.) I caught the fish on—(type and make of rod—-if using rod), using —(type and brand of bait),—(test of line in pounds), and a—make of reel). Mail your entry to: Fishing Contest The Battalion College Station, Texas with your name, address and phone number. Dig out that rod and reel, amble on down to your favorite fishing hole and catch that big one that got away last year. You may be the winner. Chamber Elects Rogers to Head New Committee Another step toward better city government was taken yesterday when the College Station Chamber of C o m- merce met and formed a spe cial committee to coordinate the Chamber with the city council The meeting, originally called for Monday, was cancelled due to the lack of a quorem present. The committee will work along' with a similar group representing the city council in an effort to study and solve problems confront ing the city. The Chamber is al ready working with the council on plans for a new city charter. Chairman of the newly formed committee is Ralph Rogers and as sisting him will be Wendell R. Horsley. The Chamber discussed plans for giving money to the college for the sending of brochures and pamh- lets to high school seniors through out the state. This plan is to try to encourage graduating seniors to come to A&M next Fall. “No definite conclusion could be reached because the financial re port for the coming year is still incomplete,” said Joe Sorrells, pres ident of the Chamber. “Our mem bership campaign is almost finish ed although we are still receiving applications for membership,” he added. Miss Marie Cobb, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charley C. Cobb, was officially named as the Chamber’s representative to the A&M Cotton Pageant and Ball. Nominated by Les Richardson, Mrs. C. B. God- bey, and R L. Hunt, Miss Cobb ac cepted by the Chamber directors. She has not as yet selected an es cort for the event. Referendum Vote Scheduled Tonite The question of whether or not A&M will have a Student Body President will be decided tonight in a campus wide elec tion. The Ballots will be dis tributed through the first ser geants and Dormitory Senators. The president of the Student Body would automatically be come the president of the Stu dent Senate, if the proposal pas ses. General Received Dismissal News Calmly Says Aide (Editor’s Note: Russell Brines, AP Bureau Chief in Tokyo, was captured in Manila when that city fell to the Japanese. He re turned to covering General Mac- Arthur in the Philippines cam paign and remained with the General throughout the rest of the Pacific war and the occupa tion of Japan.) By RUSSELL BRINES TOKYO, April 11—<A 5 )—General MacArthur received the news of dismissal from all his commands today “magnificently and without turning a hair.” Maj. Gen. Courtney Whitney, military secretary of the United Nations command, told newsmen MacArthur would have no comment “for the time.” He added: “I just left the General. He received the word of the President’s dismissal from command magnifi cently. He never turned a hair. His soldierly qualities were never more pronounced. “This has been his finest hour.” The firing of MacArthur, by President Truman, came with the drama and irony which has mark ed the five-star general’s 47 years of active military life. Even in defeat, he added another precedent to a career studded with them—the first dismissal of his tory’s first United Nations com mander. The general with the dramatic touch went out under circumstances more like the stage than war. His notice came without warning dur ing a quiet luncheon at his home. Throughout a career of three wars and tumultous peace, MacAr thur has shouldered aside precedent to follow his destiny with meteoric and controversial brilliance. He liked to say, as an explana tion of many things: “I shall keep a soldier’s faith.” Today, at the apparent end of (See DISMISSAL, Page 4) . Pompeo Coppini—Depictor of Texas History Sully’s Sculptor Visits Campus The man who immortalized Sully returned to the campus today. And his bronze creation of the “Soldier, "'Statesman and Knightly Gentle man,” still stood where he had watched it unveiled almost 32 years ago. . The man is Pompeo Coppini, one of Texas’ leading sculptors. He arrived here today for a short visit on the campus. His General Sul Ross Statue, a landmark to A&M students for three decades, is only one of many Texas commemorative works of art to come from his studios. The San Antonio resident also produced the Littlefield Memorial ^ Fountain at Texas University, the Confederate Group located in front of the State Capital at Aus tin, and the Baylor Memorial. He also sculpted the six bronze figures in the Hall of Texas Heroes at the Centennial in Dal las in 1936. Sculptor Coppini was bom in the Italian province of Moglia in 1870, a descendant of a noble and wealthy family mined by the Austrians in the War of 18G6. He turned down a rightful title of nobility, prefer ring to earn all that he got from life. After studying in Florence, Italy, under the best teachers of his time, he was graduated from the Aca demia de Belle Arts. He finished the eight year course in three years, winning highest honors and prize money over students of eight to twelve years training. In his attempts to follow his chosen field of work, the young artist was forced to spend several years in the Italian Army, paint signs, clerk in a store and sell wine. From his profits as a wine merchant, he returned to Florence to open a studio. Coppini arrived in the United States in 1896 to spend several months wandering around New York before landing a commis sion to make portrait busts of several New York notables. He soon went to Omaha where he modeled all the groups and oth er sculpture work for the govern ment building at the Omaha Expo sition. He also prepared many of the groups for the Pan American Export Exposition held in Philadel phia in 1899. And, upon return ing to New York, the sculptor open ed a studio in partnership with Arthur Fendel. Sully’s creator came to San An tonio in 1910, where he built his present home and studio in Alamo Heights. And, though he still maintains an office on West 14th Street in New York, he prefers to spend as much time as possible in his Texas home. His General Sul Ross Statue was done for the State of Texas which presented the work to the college. Speaking of that statue, Coppini has said: “It was an honor to do a statue of such a great man. He was a great Indian fighter, par ticipating in 136 battles and had five horses shot under him. As governor, he was elected twice by a handsome majority and died as president of A&M College. “At the college Ross was respect ed and admii’ed, but not as an ex governor but because of his love for the students. He loved the col lege sufficiently to reject a nomi nation as Railroad Commissioner. “In spite of his outstanding rec ord as an Indian fighter and gen eral in the Confederate Army, I think' he is well depicted as a statesman and college president.” Coppini’s statue of Ross was unveiled at 2:30 on Sunday, May 8, 1919 before a gathering of approximately fifteen hundred persons. Dr. William B. Bizzell, then pres ident of the college, and Betsy Ross, grand-daughter of General Ross, took part in the ceremonies. Judge Norman G. Kitrell of Hous ton was main speaker. During his visit today, Coppini will witness the Federal Inspection Corps Review. He plans to return to San Antonio tomorrow. General Ridgway Named to Take Over All of Mac Arthur’s Commands Washington, April 11—UP)—President Truman fired Gen. Douglas MacArthur today on grounds he failed to sup port—and publicly sought to change—the grand strategy of the United Nations war against Red aggression in Korea. In a sensational statement released at the White House at 1 a.m. (E.S.T.) after days of soul-searching and indecision, the President announced: “With deep regret I have concluded that General of the Army Douglas MacArthur is unable to give his wholehearted support to the policies of the United States government and of the United Nations in matters pertaining to his official duties.” Acting with lightning speed on that conclusion, once he had reached it, the President: • Relieved the 71-year-old MacArthur of his four-fold Firing Mac Big Bust-Congress Washington, April 11—CP)—An gry congressional critics today call ed President Truman’s removal of Gen. Douglas MacArthur as Pacific commander a “tragic error” and “the forerunner of a Far Eastern Munich.” Explosive reaction among law makers included demands that Mac Arthur testify before the bar of American public opinion on his view that the fate of Europe hinges on the gage of battle with Com munism in Asia. This runs directly counter to the Truman administration’s efforts to localize the fighting in Korea and avoid all-out war with Red China. Senator Taft of Ohio, chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee and a possible Republi can presidential candidate next year, led the attack on the presi dential decision. “The President has made a tragic error, not only because of the loss of one of the greatest military leaders in U. S. history but because the decision indicates a determina tion to continue the wavering, plan less course in the Far East and points to either a stalemate in Ko rea or to ignominious concessions to the Chinese Communists,” he told a reporter. Senator Knowland (R - Calif) called the decision a “forerunner to a Far Eastern Munich.” Know- land has been a persistent critic of Far Eastern policy. “By his action, the President has yielded to British and American critics of General MacArthur,” Knowland said. “Our position in Japan and the whole Far East is in jeopardy. It is also a great vic tory for Secretary of State Ache- son and his Far Eastern policies.” Knowland said it is imperative that MacArthur tell his side of the story to Congress—a move the gen eral seemed tree to approach under the President’s authorization to MacArthur to “travel to such places as you select.” Senator Wherry of Nebraska, the Republican floor leader, said Mac Arthur now should “tell the Ameri can people what the reasons are for his disagreement with admin istration policies.” “The President has removed the general without consulting the American people or the Congress about the matter,” Wherry said. “Anything can happen in Congress now.” Wherry said Mac Arthur’s views had “caught fire in the country.” Contending that the majority of the people will back the general. Senator Kerr (D-Okla), one of the fii'st openly to criticize Mac Arthur, said he regrets “that the President found it necessary to take this action.” Mr. Truman, too, ex pressed his regret. “However,” Kerr said, “the job is too important and the responsi bility too great for anyone to have charge of it who is not 100 per cent on the team and with the team.” Ken- said Mr. Truman is “respon- (See ‘BIG ERROR’, Page 4) m li Pompeo Coppini’s General Sul Ross Statue was first unveiled in it’s site in front of the Academic Building on Sunday afternoon, May 10, 1919. The General’s grand-daughter, Betsy Ross, drew aside the flags in which the statue was cloaked while an estimated crowd of fifteen hundred spectators stood at attention to the strains of the national anthem. The statue, more familiarly known as Sully, has remained a campus landmark through the years. duties as Supreme Allied Occupation Commander in Japan; United Nations Commander in Chief for Korea; United States Commander in Chief for the Far East; and Commanding General of the United States Army in the Far East. • Named Lieut. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway, field com mander in Korea, to succeed MacArthur in all these com mands. that means Ridgway hot only will direct the U. N. campaign in Korea but also wind up the Japanese occupation, assuming peace treaty plans go through. • Named Lieut. Gen. James A. Van Fleet, commander of the Second Army at Fort George G. Meade, Md., to take over the Eighth Army command in Korea from Ridgway. • Issued a set of secret messages exchanged between MacArthur and the joint chiefs of staff here. The evident aim was to show that MacArthur had scorned successive Washington directives to clear anything he said on major- political or military policy with either the State or Defense Departments. The order relieving MacArthur of command was Mr. Truman’s answer to the General’s persistent campaign of public statements to get the United States to follow a dif ferent policy in the Far East and especially, with its U. N. Allies, in the Korean war. Essentially he has advocated expanding the war to in clude direct attacks on Red China. He has presented Asia rather than Europe as the critical theater of conflict with ag gressive Communism. His dismissal amounts to reaffirmation by Mr. Truman of United States policies for a strictly limited war in Korea, if possible, and for treating Europe as the ultimately decisive area of contest with Soviet Communist power. Bombshell Explodes The bombshell announcement was made by Press Secre tary Joseph H. Short at a hastily summoned White House news conference. The President told MacArthur he is free to “travel to such places as you select”—thus freeing the General to re turn to this country after an absence of nearly 14 years. There were immediate demands in Congress that he come at once to Washington to give his views. In addition to the heretofore secret messages, orders sent out shortly before midnight to bring about the spectac ular shakeup in the Far East were also released. The secret message file showed MacArthur had been cov ered in a general presidential order last Dec. 6, clamping down on policy statements by all government officials. He had been bluntly reminded of this by Mr. Truman’s direction on March 24, after issuing his famous bid to the Red com mander in Korea to talk peace as U. N. forces reached the 38th Parallel. Backs Martin Meanwhile, on March 20, the record showed, MacArthur had sent to House Republican Joe Martin (Mass) the letter endorsing Martin’s idea of using Chinese Nationalist troops on Formosa to open a “second front” against Red China, and adding his own conviction that Asia rather than Europe is the critical theater of conflict with world Communism. Mar tin released the letter last week. U. S. Eighth Army Headquarters, Korea, April 11 —(/P)—Lt. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway had no comment for the press today when he learned he had been named to succeed General Douglas MacArthur. A press officer traveling with Ridgway said “his only comment was a terse no comment.” It was not reported when the new Allied Supreme Commander will fly to Tokyo to take over his new duties. Ridgway was visiting front lines with Secretary of Army Frank Pace. There was also an exchange of messages between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and MacArthur on the question of arm ing Korean troops. This showed MacArthur raising a ser ious question whether more Koreans should be armed in view of weapons needs for the developing Japanese police. Thus the White House sought to meet a MacArthur statement last weekend that the recent release of 120,000 South Koreans from military units was the result of a policy decision made in Washington and beyond his power to con trol. Feuding; Many Months While the Truman administration’s feud with MacAr thur goes back many months, two events apparently were decisive in bringing on the showdown. One was the Gener al’s 38th Parallel statement, in which he not only invited Red peace talks but also implied the United Nations might alter their policies and attack Red China. This set tempers rising in Allied capitals here and abroad. For not only did the policy makers have no inten tion of expanding the war, but as the messages now released show, they were planning their own much less belligerent bid to peace. Once MacArthur had spoken this was scrapped. The second incident was the MacArthur letter to Martin. Martin is a leader of the President’s Republican opposition; he used the letter in attacking the Presidentially sponsored Universal Military Training Bill in the House. Confers With Staff That was last Thursday. Almost immediately Mr. Tru man began conferring with Secretary of Defense Marshall, Gen. Omar Bradley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and other advisers on whether he should fire MacArthur and if so, how. The President is understood to have been cautioned in these conferences that if he did act so drastically he would face a political battle of staggering proportions. His ad visers believed MacArthur’s return here would set off an other “great debate,” this time over Far Eastern strategy instead of European defense.