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D. B. COFFER
COLLEGE ARCHIVIST
MSC, FE
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Number 166: Volume
COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), Texas, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1953
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AUGUSTA, Ga.—VP>—President
Eisenhower, bidding for support of
Democrats in Congress, today
starts writing a reply to critics-
among them who contend business
is on the skids.
Eisenhower was scheduled to
meet at his Augusta National Golf
Club office with two key aides who
have responsibility for planning to
avert any business downtrend.
' They are Dr. Gabriel Hauge, the
president’s personal adviser on
Senate Leaders
Ca l l G 0 P
To Work Jan. 5
WASHINGTON—UP) _ Repub
lican Senate leaders today issued a
back-to-work notice for Jan. 5—
the day before Congress meets of
ficially—and applauded President
Eisenhower’s bid for Democratic
cooperation.
Sen. Knowland of California, the
Senate GOP leader, said the Sen
ate Republican Policy Committee
would meet Jan. 5.
That is the same day on which
Eisenhower yesterday invited Dem
ocratic leadei’s of Congress to the
White House along with some Re
publicans for a preview of his State
of the Union Message. He will de
liver it to a joint session of Con
gress two days later.
“I think it’s a good policy,”
Knowland said of the plan to in
vite the Democrats to hear some
thing of the legislative program in
advance. Chairman Ferguson
Mich of the Senate GOP Policy
Committee agreed.
Some Democrats had been grum
bling because Eisenhower invited
only the GOP leaders and commit
tee chairmen to his legislative
conferences earlier this month.
While several of them spoke
kindly of the forthcoming talks to
include Democrats, they said it
was little more than a gesture
since the President’s message to
Congress would be virtually com
pleted by then.
“This is better than no consulta
tion at all,” Sen Kefauver (D-
Tenn.) said. “I hope that the pro
gram has not been so permanently
set that there will be no opportu
nity for acceptance of Democratic
suggestions.”
Sen. Monroney (D-Okla) de
scribed the Eisenhower invitation
as a “belated recognition” that
some Democratic votes will be
needed to put over portions of the
President’s program in the closely
divided Congress.
Rep. Rayburn of Texas, the
House Democratic leader, said
“Pll be glad to attend.” He de
clined further comment.
Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson of Tex
as, the Senate Democratic leader,
and Sen. Russell (D-Ga.) were ex
pected in the capital today or to
morrow. Both are among those in
vited by Eisenhower.
Knowland told repoi’ters he
would confer with Johnson as soon
as the Texan arrives.
He voiced hope the Senate will
get down to lawmaking as soon as
possible. No business is ever trans
acted until after the President’s
message, but Knowland said he
wants to avoid the “usual Janu
ary drag” after that.
economic problems, and Dr. Arthur
F. Burns, chairman of the three-
man Council of Economic Advisers
authorized by 1 Congress after
World War 11.'
Hauge and Burns brought with
them from Washington yesterday
a preliminary outline of the eco
nomic report which Eisenhower
will send to Congress shortly after
the legislators reconvene Jan. 6.
The President arrived here
Christmas Day to work on that
report, the State of the Union Mes
sage he will deliver in person to
the lawmakers Jan. 7, and the an
nual budget message. He also is
writing the television-radio report
he will make to the nation Monday
night on the administration’s first
year in office.
Eisenhower’s headquarters an
nounced yesterday that week from
today in Washington he will give
Democratic congressional leaders
a preview of his State of the Union
Message. Republican leaders—who
already have been consulted on the
message—will sit in at the session.
The announcement said special
emphasis at the forthcoming White
House meeting will be directed at
winning bi-partisan support for the
administration in the fields of for
eign affairs and national defense.
Eisenhower aides added, howev
er, that the President is just as
eager for the cooperation of Dem
ocrats on domestic matter's.
On the economic domestic front
there have, been some signs lately
that the administration might come
under attack in the new session.
Sen. Douglas D-Ill., for example
said last week that American busi
ness already is in the midst of a
“real recession.”
In a debate with Douglas on that
issue last Sunday, Hauge rejected
the idea that business has slumped
seriously. Hauge added that “we
can still look pretty optimistically
on the business situation this year
and the outlook for next year.”
wm
REUNION—Mrs. Sum Jones of Lubbock, Tex., was re
united with her son, Nick W. Woods of Houston, after 20
years on Christmas. Woods located his mother through a
chance conversation followed by a long distance phone call.
He is shown giving his mother a picture of her two-year-old
granddaughter, whom she has never seen.
Weather Today
South Korea Blasts
India’s 'Red Sup port’
COLD
An expected cold front will ar
rive sometime tomorrow and be
come stationary in this area. A
stronger cold front is now in the
midwest and may get this far in
two or three days. The high yes
terday was 52, low last night 36.
Expected high today about 52.
Draft Head
Den iesCha rge
Of ‘Control’
WASHINGTON——Maj. Gen.
Lewis B. Hershey has denied an
assertion by Rep. Burr P. Hai'ri-
son, D-Va, that the draft machinery
in Virginia is being used to help
control farm production.
But Harrison, who made public
today Hershey’s reply to his com
plaint, said in an interview that he
disagrees with the selective service
director.
Harrison’s charge, in effect, is
that a circular issued to Virginia
draft boards discourages them
from giving deferments as essen
tial farm workers to youths who
are producing primarily crops of
which there is a surplus. He said
that would make selective service
“an instrument of agricultural pro
duction control.”
The circular was issued by the
Virginia state draft director,
Thomas W. White. A national se
lective service official said he knew
of no similar circulars in other
states. He said state directors are
not required to send such material
to Washington, “but most do as a
matter of information.”
The Virginia circular said that
“if there is an overproduction of
a particular agricultural commodi
ty it can readily be seen that fur
ther production thereof would cer
tainly not be necessary to the
maintenance of the national health,
safety or interest, and to defer
registrants to continue to produce
those commodities where there is
an overproduction would be un
warranted.”
Hershey, in his letter- to Harri
son, said he had been assured by
White that it was not the state
director’s intention “to attempt to
control the nation’s agricultural
production.”
Harrison, saying he disagrees
with Hershey, commented:
“I do not believe it was the in
tention of Congress to put the local
selective service boards in the po
sition of being agricultural econo
mists.”
If local boards act on the basis
of what they read about farm sur
pluses, he added, there could be
a great disparity in opinions.
Harrison said in an interview
that draft boards should base farm
deferment decisions solely on
whether the registrant is or is not
necessary to farming.
PANMUNJOM — <A>) — South
Korea’s foreign minister today as
sailed India for backing a report
blaming South Korea for sabotag
ing the explanations to balky war
prisoners.
“We are not surprised,” Foreign
Minister Pyun Yung Tai declared,
“because we know India will side
with the Communists on all im
portant issues.”
Pyun’s attack was the opening
blow of an expected South Korean
thunderclap against India’s neu
trality in the touchy prisoner sit
uation.
India, the chairman of the five-
nation repatriation commission,
sided with Poland and Czechoslo
vakia in a majority report that
accused South Korea of control
ling compounds housing more than
22,000 anti-Communist North Ko
rean and Chinese war prisoners.
Only a small number of the anti-
Red prisoners ever met Commu
nist persuasion teams in the OOday
explanation period. Those that
did rejected return to their home
lands by an overwhelming major-
ity.
A minority report by Sweden
and Switzerland blamed Commu
nist explanation teams for drag
ging cut the interviews sometimes
as long as five hours.
Pyun told a news conference in
Seoul he did not know what went
on behind the prison componds in
the neutral zone but added, “I do
South Korea Seeks
To Try U.S. Soldiers
SEOUL—UP'—Foreign Minister
Pyun Yung Tai today said South
Korea would seek a jurisdictional
agreement which would permit his
government to arrest and try
American servicemen.
Pyun said at a news conference
his government would have a draft
of the proposed agreement ready
soon. He said it would be pat
terned after that between the Unit
ed States and Japan.
not think the Communist charges
are fully founded.”
He said Communists were back
ing away from a Korean political
conference because of unrepatria
ted prisoners on Jan. 22 “look like
a faulty procedure.”
The Communist high command
maintains that after a full 90 days
of explanations any prisoners re
maining should be turned over to
the political conference for disposi
tion. Negotiations toward setting
up a poKtical conference are at a
standstill.
The U. N. Command maintains
the armistice provides that all un
repatriated POWs be released as
civilians Jan. 22—30 days after the
explanation period ended Dec. 23.
Pyun said he doubted the sin
cerity of “an Indian gentleman”—
apparently Lt. Gen. K. S. Thimay-
ya — when Thimayya said India
would lose legal custody of the
prisoners after Jan. 22. Thimayya
is chairman of the NNRC.
Pyun declared he was certain
the United States, U. N. Command
and South Korea will stand by the
Jan. 22 release date.
★
DEATH TOLL
GOES HIGHER
CHICAGO—(A 5 ) _ The nation’s
traffic death toll over the New
Year’s weekend, the National Safe
ty Council estimated today, m a y
reach 360.
The council said its estimate was
for immediate traffic deaths only
and covered the period from 6 p.
m. Thursday, New Year’s Eve, to
midnight Sunday local time.
The council’s advice to the pos
sible 360 victims was: “A wonder
ful way to start the new year
would be to start it!”
Reports Leave
Far East Shaky
WASHINGTON—(A 3 )—The State
Department was reported today
readying a statement on the new
Communist invasion drive which
has split Indochina and given the
Far East a new cast of jitters.
And Sen. Knowland of Califor
nia, Republican Senate leader, said
the development poses a grave
threat to Thailand, which borders
on Indochina.
“Any invasion of Thailand would
be considered highly critical,”
Knowland told reporters.
“We could not stand by. If the
United Nations did not take action,
it could not survive.”
Thailand must be protected
against Communist invasion, he
said, “unless the free world wants
all Asia to go down the drain.”
At the State Department yester
day, a spokesman said it is “watch
ing that Indochina situation close
ly and awaiting further reports.”
However, officials were under
stood to be working up a response
to the Christmas Day complaint
by the Laotian Prime Minister soon
after Communist Vietminh forces
climbed the mountains and struck
out for the Thailand border.
The diplomatic way—the practi
cal way, for that matter—is for
the United States to await state
ments from countries immediately
affected in such cases before is
suing a public statement of its
own. Other than the Laotian com
plaint, there have been no state
ments from governments in the
area.
American officials watching the
outbreak of fighting say official
reports are lagging far behind
newspaper accounts. They also ex
pressed surprise at the amount of
press coverage given the military
push, saying there have been larg
er communist drives in the past.
Nevertheless, they say the dra
matic manner in which the Com
munists forced across a 4,000-foot
mountain range in Indochina for
150 miles to the Nekong River
boundary apparently has caught
the imagination of American edi
toi's and newspaper readers.
These officials say there has
been little contact between the in
vading Vietminh troops and ground
forces of the French Union and
loyal native troops. But they say
the Communists, en route for sev
eral days, have been hit heavily
by air attacks.
They estimate the Vietminh
troops number between 3,000 and
4,000. They have said the Commu
nist military buildup reached its
peak last year, whereas French
Union forces have been continuing
a buildup and seem strong enough
to hold their own.
There was little talk of more
U. S. aid to the embattled French
Union forces. The explanation was
that France and the Indochinese
are receiving about as much aid
as they can now absorb.
Victor Alessandro
★
San Antonio
Symphony Next
For Town Hall
Tickets are now on sale in the
Office of Student Activities for the
Jan. 7 Town Hall attraction, The
San Antonio Symphony orchestra,
conducted by Victor Alessandro.
Scheduled for Guion Hall, the
show will be staged in two per
formances in order to seat antici
pated crowds. Tickets are $2.00.
Tickets should be purchased for
either the 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. per
formance. Ducats with the 7 p.m.
time will not be accepted at the 9
p.m. show.
Student Activities plans to keep
Dm tickets on sale for the remain
der of this and next week.
Rhee Asks
Allies to End
‘Futile Talk’
Democrats Question
Korean Troop Withdrawal
WASHINGTON — (A 3 ) — Demo
cratic senators today questioned
President Eisenhower’s decision to
withdraw two U. S. divisions from
Korea. Republican Senate leaders
gave it solid support.
Sen. Sparkman of Alabama, the
Democratic vice presidential can
didate last year, said he feared
“budgetary factors may have play
ed a great part in the decision.”
Sen. Monroney (D-Okla.) called
for a “full-dress, nonpartisan in
vestigation by the Armed Services
Committee” of long-range U. S.
defense needs. He predicted that
administration defense cuts plan
ned for the year beginning July
1, “will be a major issue before
Congress next year.”
The administration is reported
to have decided on an average 10
per cent manpower reduction in
the Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
The Air Force would not be af
fected.
Sparkman, asked for his opinion
on the Korea troop withdrawal de
cision, said in an interview:
“One thing really bothers me.
That is, we don’t know what the
Chinese Communists are goin to
do in Indochina. But we do know
that for every man we take out
of Korea they can put that much
more pressure on Indochina. This
is a bad time for us to be weak
ening our Far Eastern strength.”
Sen. Knowland of California, the
GOP Senate leader, said in a sep
arate interview he thinks it “ad
visable to reduce our forces over
seas” as soon as world conditions
permit. He expressed full agree
ment with Korean withdrawal.
Sen. Ferguson, (R-Mich.) GOP
Policy Committee chairman, called
the move “a step in the right di
rection.” Because of Eisenhower’s
military background, he said, he
is certain the withdrawal would
not have been ordered “if it were
in the danger zone.”
Sen. Wiley, (R-Wis.) chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations
Cortimittee, said that although he
had not been consulted , on the de
cision, he would not question it.
Sen. Hunt, (D-Wyo.) a member
o fthe Senate Armed Services Com
mittee, said the withdrawal decis
ion had been made by “those di
rectly affected and in a better po
sition to be fully informed than
we are in the Senate.”
Two other Democrats—Senators
Humphrey of Minnesota and Mc-
Carran of Nevada—questioned the
withdrawal.
Humphrey said: “What concerns
me is that this decision may have
been made because of budgetary
considerations . . . This is no time
to weaken our defense structure
and make concessions.”
McCarran said the two divisions
to be withdrawn would probably
have to be sent back to Korea,'
with additional forces, in the near
future.
SEOUL —UP) _ South Korean
President Syngman Rhee today
called on the Allies to halt “futile
discussions with the Communists”
and join his nation in “the last
great battle to annihilate the Red
force that seek destruction of the
free world.”
The fiery Korean patriot, in a
new year’s message to his people
that echoed his previous threats
to unify Korea by force, asserted
a decisive war with communism
is “eventual and inevitable.”
A few hours earlier the aged
leader pledged to North Koreans
in a new year’s greeting, “We will
come to your rescue just as soon
as we can.”
He told the people of the Com
munist-ruled North “never do we
forget, even in the nightmare
dreams that haunt us in sleep, the
tei’rible plight in which you are
caught.!’
The strong statement appeared
to give new life to his repeated
threats in the last stages of the
war last spring that South Korea
would drive—alone if necessary—
to the Yalu River boundary.
But the recent breakoff of nego
tiations to set up the conference,
he said, “can be regarded as fi
nal.”
“If the United States continues
to maintain its present strong
stand, we shall never have to wait
another three or four months in
an attempt to prepare for a po
litical conference that is fore
doomed to be fruitless,” he de
clared.
“More, than ever we are con
vinced that as long as the Chinese
Communists are on Korean soil
there can be no successful confer
ence and no peace for our suffer-
ig country.”
Rhee said it was his biggest
wish that “our allies come to re
alize fully that the war in Korea”
has a close link with their future
safety from communism.
“Now to make certain that these
sacrifices shall not have been in
vain, we call upon them to con
clude futile discussions with the
Communists, and to rise with us
in courage and valor for the last
great battle to annihilate the Red
forces that seek the destruction of
the free world.
“Only thus can the free world
prevent the launching of Red ag
gression and bring lasting peace
to the earth.”
F
Near
Of Peak
LOS ANGELES—(A 3 )—Mt. Wil
son’s valuable observatory and tel
evision equipment were still safe
today as more than 1,000 men bat
tled two forest fires in the San
Gabriel Mountains.
High winds which fanned the
flames yesterday had abated, but
the fire creeping up Mt. Wilson
was reported near the top and in
places was estimated variously as
from 200 yards to one-quarter mile
from observatory structures.
Some 8,000 acres had been swept
in this area, and another 3,000 in
the second fire 20 miles eastward,
below Mt. Baldy, foresters said.
Approximately 2,500 persons
have been evacuated from both re
gions, but a recheck last night
showed the number of unoccupied
cabins burned to be about 33. Ear
lier 136 cabins were reported de
stroyed in Santa Anita Canyon.
The fire now menacing Mt. Wilson
started the! and spread to adjoin
ing canyons.
Lower edges of this fire have
from time to time threatened out
skirts of Monrovia and Sierra
Madre, foothill communities east
of Pasadena.
Fire equipment from m a n y
towns—as far north as Bakersfield
and south to San Diego—has been
moved in to aid federal, state and
county foresters.
The fire below Mt. Baldy is
north of Claremont, and 700 to
1,000 residents in that vicinity were
evacuated.
The Pacific Telephone & Tele
graph Co. reported its coaxial ca
ble to the top of Mt. Wilson, where
TV transmitters are located was
still intact although in danger.
Net work offici have pointed
out that loss of Mt. Wilson facili
ties would knock out Los Angeles
area reception but would not affect
network operations, which are
piped East by another coaxial ca
ble.
Late last night observatory per
sonnel sent their wives down the
mountain by one remaining safe
route and joined the fire crews.
Valuable scientific instruments,
household effects from six dwell
ings and five automobiles were
moved inside the double-walled
steel dome that houses the 100-
inch telescope.
One astronomer said the 100-
inch and 60-inch telescopes, in steel
housings, probably would be safe
but heat from the fires might de
stroy the delecate alignment of
other instruments if the flames ac
tually reached the observatory.
'
v
Board Created
To Stop Strike
Of Rail Workers
AUGUSTA, Ga.—<A>)_ President
Eisenhower today created an emer
gency board to head off a threat
ened strike of more than a million
railroad workers represented by 15
non-operating unions.
The union members all are such
employes as clerks and track walk
ers who don’t work on the moving
trains. The dispute affects 150
railroads operating throughout the
country.
Creation of the three-man emer
gency board means that under
terms of the Railway Labor Act
the 15 unions are barred from
striking for a 60-day period.
Eisenhower’s vacation headquar
ters here said the members of the
board will be named in a few days.
During the 60-day no-strike per
iod the board will hold hearings
and recommend settlement terms.
The last half of the two-month per
iod is reserved for union-manage
ment negotiations on the basis of
the board’s findings.
Eisenhower’s executive order set
ting up the board said the dis
pute threatens “substantially to
interrupt interstate commerce to a
degree such as to deprive the coun
try of essential transportation
service.”
The 15 non-operating unions re-
cenelty took a strike vote, after
which it was announced that more
than 90 per cent of the members
approved a walkout. No strike
date was set, however.