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THE BATTALION
Page 2
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, April 5, 1961
CADET SLOUCH
by Jim Earle
Letter - Signers
Express Views
A controversial film and a con
troversial congressional committee
recently received a great deal of
play in the editorial columns of
The Battalion.
The film, “Operation Abolition,”
and the committee, the House Un-
American Activities Committee,
have been the subject of several
Battalion editorials and a large
number of letters to the editor.
precipitated, The Battalion inter-
of the signers of the letter.
Not all of the signers were in
terviewed, but the answers of
those who were contacted seemed
to reflect the same general opin
ion.
One of these letters, reprinted
in The Battalion’s “Sound Off”
column Feb. 22, was signed by 24
A&M faculty members.
Of the twelve faculty members
interviewed, only one said he saw
the film before he signed the let
ter. Three of the twelve said they
saw the film after the letter was
published, but only one of these
said he would not have signed the
letter after seeing the film.
The 24 faculty members, repre
senting the departments of eco
nomics, mathematics, physics, Eng
lish, geography, agricultural eco
nomics and sociology, history, en
tomology, biology, chemistry,
oceanography and meteorology,
and plant physiology and pathol
ogy, criticized the showing of the
film without any explanation of its
controversial nature.
None of the signers said they_
objected to the film itself or the
showing of the film on the cam
pus. The principal objection seem
ed to be the showing of the film
without first explaining to those
who were to view the film its con
troversial nature.
“At the very least, each pre
sentation of the film should be ac
companied by some mention of
protests against the committee by
various religious groups, by jour
nalists, by the labor movement
and by 700 faculty members from
Stanford University, the Univer
sity of California at Berkley, San
Francisco State College and San
Jose State College,” the letter said.
A Dallas Morning News column
ist, Lynn Landrum, picked up the
story and in his “Thinking Out
Loud” column of Mar. 3 said:
T didn’t object to the picture,
but to the Air Science Depart
ment's showing of the film with
out explaining its controversial na
ture,” one faculty member said.
USAF Okays A&Mi Frosh, Soph
Math Contest
Set May 2
Propellan t Project
“The film is questionable when
presented without its background
information,” said another signer,
“I think there should be a thor
ough study of what the film actu
ally is.”
“ . . . I was nervous as a cat at home durin’ th’ holidays.
I was afraid that th’ postman would bring my grades.!”
The U. S. Air Force has re
cently approved support of a new
A&M research • project dealing
with missile propellants.
Dr. Walter W. Heck, associate
professor in the Department of
Plant Physiology and Pathology,
and principal investigator and co
ordinator of the project, said the
initial contract is for one year
and provides a budget of $25,270
to be administered by the A&M
Research Foundation.
Purpose of the project, Dr.
Heck said, is to study effects of
missile propellants on environ
mental pollution.
In addition to Dr. Heck, A&M
researchers to participate in the
program are Dr. Luther S. Bird,
associate professor of the De
partment of Plant Physiology
and Pathology; Dr. Morris E.
Bloodworth, professor of the De
partment of Agronomy; and Dr.
William J. Clark, assistant pro
fessor of the Department of
Biology.
The new research program is
of fundamental importance, Dr.
Heck said, because of the in
creasing use of missiles and their
possible wide geographical distri
bution. He said some of the
missile propellants are known to
be toxic materials. This research
effort will add to knowledge of
the effects of these propellants
and provide a foundation for
sound public health and agricul
tural safety.
Four areas of investigation will
be studied by the different spe
cialists.
Dr. Heck will study effects of
missile propellants on plant
growth and development. Dr.
Bird will investigate effects on
soil bacteria and fungi. Dr.
Bloodworth will study effects on
soil, soil structure and run-off
water, and Dr. Clark will concen
trate on the effects on aquatic
life and water supplies.
Job Interviews
INTERPRETING
The following firms will inter
view graduating seniors on
campus:
April 6
Texas Highway Department,
District No. 9 (Waco) will inter
view graduating seniors major
ing in civil engineering.
★ ★ ★
April 7
The Connecticut General Life
Insurance Co. will interview
graduating seniors majoring in
agricultural economics, business
administration, economics and in
dustrial distribution.
The annual Mathematics Con
test examinations are scheduled
for Tuesday, May 2, from 7:30-
9:30 p.m. The freshman contest
will be held in Room 223 of the
Academic Building, and the
Sophomore contest in Room 225.
Prizes offered this year in each
of the contests are: first prize—
gold wrist watch; second prize—
$15, and third prize $10.
All freshman awards and the
second and third sophomore
awards are provided by the
Robert F. Smith Memorial Fund,
established in memory of the late
Professor Robert F. Smith. The
first prize for sophomores is ob
tained through the Halperin
Award Fund, established by the
estate of the late Professor H.
Halperin. Profesors Smith and
Halperin were for many years
members of the mathematics
staff of the college.
NOW UNDER NEW MANAGE
MENT. Effective Of Today.
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“None of these professors was
at San Francisco. None of them is
prepared either to say or to get
reputable witnesses to say that the
student participants of what the
film records were hired actors . . .
What, the camera shows was not
rehearsed. It took place. And
every viewer can say for himself
what it means.”
“The film was presented as fact
ual when it should have been
shown as controversial,” said
another.
“There is a question as to what
is fact and what is fiction in the
film. There are two sides to the
question. Both should be present
ed,” said another signer.
When asked what should be done
to combat communism at A&M,
the faculty members interviewed
seemed to believe our biggest need
is education.
Cuba’s 6 Good 9 War What
Khrushchev Had In Mind
Landrum then said, “The column
does suggest that these gentlemen
(the faculty members who signed
the letter) may be representative
of a large class of clergymen, edu
cators and others who leap to the
defense of the so-called ‘liberties”
of people who are engaged in seek
ing the destruction of the actual
liberties of us all. That they do
it innocently does not lessen the
harm of what they are doing.”
As a result of the controversy
jhe letter and the Landrum column
“We must freely discuss con
troversial issues and know what
communism it,” said one. “We
can’t learn just one side of these
issues, but must know what both
sides think.”
“Students must be able to de
cide for themselves what is good
and what is evil. To do so, they
must first know the backgrounds
of both communism and our own
heritage,” said another signer.
“Educate the students and let
them make up their own mind,”
said another.
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THE BATTALION
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the stu
dent writers only. The Battalion is a non-tax-supperted, non
profit, self-supporting educational enterprise edited and op
erated by students as a community newspaper and is under
the supervision of the director of Student Publications at
Texas A&M College.
Members of the Student Publications Board are L. A. Duewall, director of Student
Publications, chairman; Allen Schrader, School of Arts and Sciences; Willard I.
Truettner, School of Engineering; Otto R. Kunze, School of Agriculture; and Dr. E. D.
McMurry, School of Veterinary Medicine.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use fo]
dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in the
for republication of all news
paper and local news of
spontaneous origin published herein. Rights of republication of all other matter here
in are also reserved.
The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A.&M. is published in College Sta
tion, Texas, daily except Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, Septem
ber through May, and once a week during summer school.
Entered as second-class
matter at the Post Office
h College Station, Texas,
under the Act of Con
gress of March 8, 1870.
MEMBER:
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Texas Press Assn.
Represented nationally by
National Advertising
Services, Inc., New York
City, Chicago, Los An
geles and San Francisco.
News contributions may be made by telephoning VI 6-6618 or VI 6-4910 or at the
rtising i
editorial office. Room 4, YMCA. For advertising or delivery call VI 6-6416.
Mail subscriptions are $3.60 per semester; $6 per school year, $6.50 per full year.
Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 4, YMCA,
~ , Ti
College Station, Texas.
BILL HICKLIN
Joe Callicoatte.
EDITOR
... Sports Editor
Bob Sloan, Alan Payne, Tommy Holbein News Editors
Jim Gibson, Bob Roberts Editorial Writers
Larry Smith Assistant Sports Editor
Bob Mitchell, Ronnie Bookman, Robert Denney,
Gerry Brown Staff Writers
Johnny Herrin Photographers
Russell Brown Sports Writers
By J. M. ROBERTS
Associated Press News Analyst
The State Department’s pam
phlet on Fidel Castro and the
capture of his revolution by the
Communists is an outline in de
tail of just what Premier Khrush
chev of the Soviet Union promises
revolutionaries everywhere.
In his statement of Jan. 6 in
terpreting the Communist mani
festo of 1960 for Soviet purposes,
Khrushchev promised interven
tion in such civil wars as “good
wars” for promoting the world
revolution.
The picture of Castro coming
to power in Cuba through a
“good” war, then finding that he
had to rely on such organizers
as he had available, the organiz
ers being in many cases Com
munists, is typical of what Khru
shchev had in mind. The Inter
national Communist movement
intends always to be Johnny-dn-
the-spot with such help.
The White Paper lists a num
ber of important Cubans who
helped Castro to success, then
quit him when the Communists
took over. Incidentally, it makes
quite a list of possible leaders of
counterrevolution, whether the
State Department intended it that
way or not. But Castro, holding
to power vested him by a trust-
ever, in avoiding the semblance
ful people, preferred to out-Com-
munist the Communists and re
tain his position. Dictatorship at
tracted him, and so did dreams of
spreading his revolution through
out Latin America.
The State Department is try
ing to rally Latin-American opin
ion against these dreams. It
hopes that hemispheric organiza
tion can be solidified aS against
any tendency toward merely
Southern Hemisphere organiza
tion—which would inevitably be
directed against the United
States.
In this connection it cites tlie
grievances of other Latin-Ameri
can states against Castro, as a
warning but not as an actual de
mand for action.
This attitude, of hoping the
other states will carry the ball
against Castro, has made the
United States appear indecisive
ever since the emergency was
Social Calendar
The following organization will
meet on campus:
April 6
The Bellaire Hometown Club
will meet in Room 207 of the
Academic Building at 7:30 p.m.
Get a flying start on Continental!
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Convenient connections at Dallas and Houston with fast
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CONTINENTAL AIRLINES
.
recognized. It has its points, how-
of big-power pressure.
The Castro revolution in Cuba,
which has now become the Com
munist revolution, may fail of its
own shortsightedness, and of its
own subversion to interests with
which the Cuban people have
nothing in common. As yet, be
cause many of the people are still
befogged in dreams, there is
small hand-hold for counter
revolution.
Wednesday - Thursday - Friday
Walt Disney’s
“SWISS FAMILY
ROBINSON”
Plus
“HERCULES UNCHAINED”
with Steve Reeves
The Cjimpus new manager wants
to get acquanted with all Aggies.
So, Mon. thru Fri. from 1:30 p. m.
to 6 p. m. will be roommate time.
Bring your roommate in free on
one adult ticket.
Double Feature
TODAY THRU SATURDAY
Eddie Albert
In
“ORDERS TO KILL”
&
“GRISBI”
(Little “A1 Capone”)
PALACE
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