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Che Battalion
Cooler,
cloudy,
windy
Wednesday — Partly cloudy to
cloudy. Winds 10-15 mph. Low 44
degrees, high 67 degrees.
Thursday — Cloudy to partly
cloudy. Winds light and variable.
Low 41 degrees, high 69 degrees.
Kyle Field — Partly cloudy,
easterly winds 10-15 mph. 67 de
grees.
Vol. 66 No. 34
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, October 28, 1970
845-2226
Great Issues audience
signs petitions to Hanoi
By PAM TROBOY
Battalion Staff Writer
Almost 200 people responded
Tuesday night to a plea for a
show of concern for American
prisoners of war in Vietnam.
An overflow Great Issues crowd
signed petitions to be sent to
Hanoi, picked up literature on
former students being held pris
oner and took home letters to be
forwarded to North Vietnamese
negotiators in Paris.
A&M students also will man a
booth Saturday in the Memorial
Student Center to give football
fans an opportunity to sign the
petitions.
Speaking to his first campus
crowd, Air Force Maj. Gen. Fred
N. Thompson, a prisoner of the
North Vietnamese for five
months, said when people “back
home in places like College Sta
tion and Bryan” show concern
for POWs and MIAs (missing in
action), North Vietnam “worries.”
‘‘Vietnam wonders if the Presi
dent speaks for our people when
he stands up and says: ‘Release
the prisoners!’,” Thompson said.
"Petitions and letters may con
vince them that the President
does speak for the people on this
issue.”
He said there is ample evidence
that Vietnam will respond to pres
sure from the United States.
“In February and August of
1968, Hanoi released short-term
prisoners who were not sick or
wounded — those that looked
good,” he said. “They did this to
convince the world that they take
good care of their prisoners. In
May of 1969, the U. S. made pub
lic the first reports of how badly
the prisoners are treated.
“We announced that they kept
the sick and wounded without
proper medical treatment,” he
said. “In August they released
three guys who had been prison
ers for more than two years and
who had been sick or wounded.”
Thompson said only 257 letters
had been received from prisoners
before the United States accused
Vietnam of mistreating our men,
but since that time more than
2,000 letters have been received
in less than a year.
“Maybe a letter doesn’t seem
like much,” he said, “but try
telling that to a family that has
had its first word in five years
that a son or husband is alive.
A letter can mean an awful lot.”
Thompson called for the Viet
namese to release all sick and
wounded prisoners “immediately,”
to publish a complete list of all
prisoners, to agree to an impartial
inspection of prison camps by a
neutral power and to eventually
release all prisoners.
A veteran of 263 combat mis
sions, Thompson was shot down
March 20, 1968, 65 miles north
of the demilitarized zone (DMZ)
in North Vietnam and captured
as soon as he touched the ground.
He was released Aug. 1, 1968.
He said he was stripped, tied
and thrown in a trench after his
capture and moved to Hanoi
(about 200 miles way) in 10
stages, traveling by night and
stopping in native villages by
day where the populace took out
their hostility toward Americans
on him.
“Anything you can think of,
they did,” he said. “If anything
the women and children were even
worse than the men. They threw
rocks, hit me, kicked me and spit
on me, but only up to a point.
My captors evidently had been
ordered to get me to Hanoi in one
piece, which wasn’t easy at times.
We had to leave one village pretty
fast because things got out of
hand.”
When he arrived in Hanoi, he
said he was taken to “Heart-
(See Great Issues, page 5)
Shot down in North Vietnam
‘Scary as hell’ prisoner says
By HAYDEN WHITSETT
Battalion News Editor
“I got hit by small arms fire
when I was in a 10-degree dive
at about 100 feet. When I start
ed to pull out the controls
jammed. I was in too much of a
dive to eject so I stayed in the
plane.”
Maj. Fred N. Thompson of the
Air Force leaned back on the
pillow behind him and lit a cigar
ette. He was speaking of how he
became a prisoner of w a r in
North Vietnam.
“I guess I was doing 450 mph
Problems with the law?
call rights commission
By SUE DAVIS
Battalion Staff Writer
An organization to aid students
in trouble with the law exists on
the A&M campus. By calling a
member of this organization, stu
dents may receive information
and help in solving their legal
problems.
The Legal Rights Commission
(IRC), set up under the Life
Committee of the Student Senate
last year, is growing in size and
in the scope of its operations,
said Chairman David Reynolds.
Originally almost a one-man com
mission headed by David Zoellner
last year, the LRC now has six
members.
“Dave (Zoellner) had an almost
impossible task last year,” Rey
nolds said, “with no precedents
or well-defined policy to guide
the commission’s actions.”
The LRC was conceived in Oc
tober, 1969, and set up the follow
ing December by the Student Sen
ate. Approximately 100 calls were
received last year, with 20 cases
important enough to be written
up for the files, Reynolds said.
Eight or ten calls have been
received this year, Reynolds stat
ed, and the LRC has taken four
or five cases to their conclusion,
including three on-campus disci
plinary cases.
‘‘There are even more Aggies
on campus who have never been
helped,” he added.
So far only men have called
the commission.
Students in trouble may call
any members of the LRC at any
time, Reynolds said, whose phone
number is 856-2692.
Vice-chairman on the LRC are
Don Mauro, 846-5278, in charge
of the traffic division; Bill Sherle,
845-2108, in charge of on-campus
disciplinary division; and Paul
Turner, 845-5048, in charge of the
misdemeanor division.
“These students are very com
petent and dedicated individuals
who were recruited for their spe
cific specialties,” Reynolds com
mented.
Other members of the LRC are
Joe Kornegay, 845-1870, and Mal
colm Hofstetter, 845-4349.
Although the LRC was orig
inally set up to secure students’
civil and legal rights, Reynolds
said, it dealt mainly with students
who “simply needed some advice
on misdemeanor or traffic cases.”
The LRC cannot dispense legal
advice without a license to prac
tice law, he went on. However,
they can advise students of pre
cedents in similiar cases and pro
vide them with procedural infor
mation.
“In fact, with the help of local
lawyers, we may even have some
limited substantive expertise,”
Reynolds said.
“In on-campus disciplinary
matters, we are much less re
stricted,” he added. “We plan to
develop a subcommittee dealing
exclusively with giving advice to
students facing expulsion or other
disciplinary sanctions and even
defending them, if necessary, be
fore the Dean or the Disciplinary
Appeals Panel.”
when I hit the tops of the trees.
All I could see was branches
whipping past the canopy. For
some reason or another, I guess
the plane, a FIDO fighter, was
traveling flat enough, it actually
rose up and started climbing.
“I headed for a ridge up in
front of me, knowing that if I
made it over the ridge I could be
rescued. Just as that idea ran
through my head the plane start
ed to roll so I figured I better
eject. I was about 100 to 200
feet above the ground then.
“I got down to the ground and
a little brown kid came running
up to me and pointed a rifle at
my chest. I just smiled at him.
“The day I was shot down I
had just pinned on my major’s
leaves and I had only ten days to
go before my tour was over.”
Lean built and beginning to
grey, Thompson is one of nine
men to be released by North
Vietnam since the war’s begin
ning. There are over 1,500 men
listed as prisoners or missing in
action—15 of them are Aggies.
“It was scary as hell till I got
to Hanoi, then just scary,”
Thompson said, laughing.
He said when he was captured
he was publicly displayed for the
10 days it took him to make the
200-mile trip to Hanoi.
“When they displayed me, they
encouraged the people to fight
and to take out any animosity
they had on me,” he said. “I saw
a lot of hatred in their eyes. They
threw rocks and sticks, and spit
on me. They would have killed
me if they could have.”
Once, he said, the crowd was
raised to such a high pitch of
excitement that they did try to
kill him. When the guai-ds caring
(See ‘Scary,’ page 5)
Vietnam topic
at extra forum
A student may appeal only sus
pension or dismission, he said.
The LRC will advise him and help
set up his defense.
Membership on the commission
is open to anyone who is interest
ed in the law, who is even vaguely
familiar with the law, or who
has a desire to help students,
Reynolds said. Anyone interested
should contact Reynolds.
Town Hall hosts
Mauriat orchestra
Reynolds believes it is time to
expand the LRC’s activities. “I
see us working principally in
three areas: misdemeanor of
fenses, traffic offenses, and on-
campus disciplinary matters,” he
said.
Game tickets
still available
Pickup deadline for student
tickets to the Texas A&M-Arkan-
sas game Saturday afternoon has
been extended to Friday, Athle
tic Business Manager Wally Groff
said Tuesday.
Groff said two sections of stu
dent seating still are available.
“I would encourage the student
body to support the Aggie team
in its quest for that still elusive
victory,” Student Body President
Kent Caperton said. “The team
and Coach Gene Stallings deserve
our continued support.
“It is in the tradition of this
student body to support the team
through bad times as well as
good,” Caperton added.
Musical architect Paul Mauriat
and his orchestra will build their
distinctive musical mood in G.
Rollie White Coliseum Friday in
a football weekend Town Hall-
Rotary guest performance.
Arranger of the phenomenally
successful “Love Is Blue,” Mau
riat and his imaginative treat
ment of “now” music is expected
to pack G. Rollie’s 8,000 seats
for the 8 p.m. show.
An extensive program will fea
ture music of Burt Bacharach
(“Raindrops Keep Falling on My
Head”), Bob Dylan, the Mar-
Keys, Paul McCartney, Simon
and Garfunkel (“Bridge Over
Troubled Water”) and Michel
LeGrand (“Windmills of Your
Mind” and “Oh Happy Day.”
“Gone Is Love,” title piece
from Paul Mauriat’s latest LP
album, also is listed.
Town Hall and Rotary Series
season pass holders and students
with activity cards, have assured
seats. Rotary season general ad
mission tickets may be exchanged
for available reserve seats, Town
Hall chairman Bill Leftwich said.
Single admission reserve and
general admission tickets are al
so on sale at the Memorial Stu
dent Center Student Program
Office.
Mauriat, who formed his first
orchestra when he was 17, sets
the stage with 30 instrumental
ists, three singers and a specially
constructed 12 - channel sound
system.
Breaking from the traditional
platform set-up as with his
music, Mauriat creates four lev
els on the stage. Farthest from
the audience (creating a back
drop of sound) are the violins.
On descending levels are the per
cussion and trumpets; in front
of these the voices, two guitars
and the trombones; and on stage
level the piano, harpsichord,
Martenot Musical Waves, drums
and saxophones.
“The Paul Mauriat Orchestra
is the one to watch for innova
tions in modern sound,” a critic
said.
Graduated from Marseilles
Conservatory at age 14 with first
prizes in piano and solfeggio,
Mauriat aimed for a classical
music career.
He encountered jazz, was
struck by the idiom’s new rhyth
mic forms and turned his musi
cal sights on combining his clas
sical training with the improvi-
zational freedom of jazz. Mau
riat’s music eventually took on
another quality—one most timely
for the 1960s and ’70s—the mel
odic clarity found in all folk
music.
By FRAN HAUGEN
Battalion Managing Editor
The soapbox forum, sponsored
by the Student Senate and Great
Issues Committee, will hold a
special forum Thursday night at
5 to discuss the war, Student Sen
ate President Kent Caperton said.
This will be in addition to the
regularly scheduled forum Thurs
day from 11 a. m. to 1 p. m.
Both forums will be at the re
viewing stand on the drill field.
Caperton said topics other than
the war could be discussed, but
that the forum was being called
to discuss the war because of
an expressed desire by members
of the Campus Committee of Con
cern.
The CCOC has been denied per
mission by the administration to
hold an antiwar rally Thursday
at 5 p. m. on the drill field, Mike
van Bavel, publicity chairman for
CCOC said Tuesday.
Van Bavel said members of the
CCOC took a resolution to the
Senate requesting guarantee of
constitutional freedoms. The exec
utive committee of the senate said
that such a measure had already
been passed and any further ac
tion on this would be redundant,
he said.
The Senate then suggested the
CCOC write a letter to Dean of
Students James P. Hannigan re
questing a rally, and this was
done, Van Bavel said.
Van Bavel said the group noti
fied Monday by Hannigan no
rally could be held that was not
sponsored by a recognized, on-
campus group. The CCOC then
went to Acting President A. R.
Luedecke who Tuesday morning
reiterated Hannigan’s decision,
van Bavel said.
The junior electrical engineer
ing major said CCOC members
will be present at the forum to
discuss the war and “the adminis
tration.”
Van Bavel said that three or
four individuals would resubmit
the request for a rally to Hanni
gan today without sponsorship
by the CCOC.
“The CCOC wouldn’t be in
volved at all,” he said, the people
who make the request might be
on the CCOC by coincidence. The
administration won’t be able to
use the reason that the CCOC is
sponsoring the rally because the
CCOC won’t be sponsoring this
one.”
Hannigan said that CCOC mem
bers Sandy Broder and Charles
Liner had come to his office
around Sept. 24 and had wanted
to know if they could hold a rally
as “two separate students.”
He told them that the soapbox
forum was set up for “this type
of activity” and they could ar
range with the Senate for a dis
cussion of the war and advertise
through the Senate, he said.
“They went to the Senate,” he
said, “and somewhere along the
line they took off their masks and
said they were from the CCOC.
This was the last I heard about
it until five or six days ago when
I received a letter from Broder-
CCOC coordinator, stating that
there would be a rally. He didn’t
ask, just stated. I notified them
that they had no permission—
that it would not be appropriate.”
Hannigan said that if individ
uals were allowed to hold rallys
on there own, there would be
14,000 conflicting events at the
same time.
“I din’t see any more reason
for the CCOC as an unrecognized
off-campus group to hold a rally
than for the Klu Klux Klan to
march across the parade field, or
the Bryan Chamber of Commerce
to meet in the Memorial Student
Center,” he said.
“It’s no new thing for an off-
campus group to use campus facil
ities,” van Bavel said. “The ‘pig
growers association’ or something
like that uses the MSC rooms all
the time.”
He said if the CCOC sponsored
a rally, it would not mean that
non-CCOC members couldn’t
speak.
“We’re just trying to make sure
A&M has free speech at all times
and not just two hours a week at
the soapbox forum,” he said.
Maj. Fred N. Thompson (Photo by Hayden Whitsett)
Abortion woman’s
decision: Packwood
By HAYDEN WHITSETT
Battalion News Editor
“We have no more right as a
government to compel pregnancy
than to compel abortion,” Sen.
Robert Packwood, (R-Ore.), who
has authored Senate legislation
to remove all restriction against
abortion and to limit the number
of children claimed as tax deduc-
toihs to two, said Tuesday noon.
It’s the woman’s decision, not
yours nor mine and least of all,
the government’s,” the 37-year-
old .senator said at the Political
Forum presentation.
Speaking of population, he said
“there is no large town in this
country that is a habitable place
to live.” I’ve spoken in every large
city in this country and visited a
lot more. There ai - e none suitable
for living.”
Packwood based his opinions on
what he calls the “Packwood pop
ulation postulate.” The postulate,
he said, is “the quality of life is
inversely proportional to the
number of people times the square
of the area in which they live.”
“I would like to think there is
more to this life than just mini
mum standards of how many peo
ple we can feed, shelter, and
clean up after,” Packwood told a
standing room only crowd.
The senator suggested four
possible steps to answer the Unit
ed States’ growing population
problem.
“We should have massive fam
ily planning, legalized abortion,
voluntary sterilization, and,
probably the most effective, a
limit of two on the number of tax
deductions for children,” he said.
The last “would not prohibit
having children, but would allow
tax deductions for only two. It
would not be retroactive, or ap
plicable to children already con
ceived. Neither would it apply to
adoptions or to multiple births,”
he added.
“There is no guarantee any or
all will work to stabilize popula
tion growth,” Packwood said.
“But unless we do something, it
will keep growing.”
A major problem, according to
Packwood, is the use of two
words, “they” and “can’t.”
“The citizens say “they,” re
ferring to the politicians, and
never think that they can work
for population control. The politi
cians say “can’t” to say “I won’t”
or “I don’t want to.”
“I’m damn tired of politicians
who find the public pulse and stay
within it,” he said. “Politicians
should lead, stick their necks out,
not stay within bounds and work
for reelection.”
After his 30 minute speech,
Packwood fielded questions on a
variety of topics.
On executive branch assistance
for his legislation: “Military hos
pitals have changed their position
on abortion and stated they are
not bound by state aboi’tion laws.”
On legalized abortion effects
elsewhere: “Romania made abor
tions legal and the birth rate went
into a decline. They got worried,
made it illegal and the rate start
ed to climb.”
U. S. immigration: “A decision
will be needed. Under present
laws, the country allows in 17
million each 20 years, counting
children.”
Oregon voter support: “It’s a
single-issue issue with them,
meaning I could get defeated over
this one thing. It’s only happened
twice beore, on fluoridation of
drinking water and gun control.”
Other countries adopting birth
control: “We can’t be hypocritical.
Hopefully by setting an example
we can gain followers.”
Congressional support of his
bill: “Only (Charles H.) Chuck
Percy (R-UL). Even the bach
elors don’t support it.”
Urban mass transit solution: “I
know it’s not the automobile. I’m
willing to try the subway, or
monorail. There’s probably no
sure-fire answer.”
Other environmental legisla
tion: “I’m particularly interested
in land use, for parks, preserves,
etc. We must get hold of it while
we can. I personally don’t want
to see happen to the West what
has happened in the East.
Applications for day permits
for spring due before Nov. 12
Students now living in resi
dence halls who wish to apply for
day student permits for the
spring semester must do so by
Nov. 12, Housing Manager Allan
M. Madeley announced Tuesday.
Madeley said applications re
ceived in the Housing Office by
Nov. 12 will be acted on in time
for preregistration. Those after
Nov. 12, he said, will not be acted
on until after the preregisti-ation
period, and students making late
applications will be assessed resi
dence hall fees.
Civilian students should file ap
plications with the Housing of
fice, Madeley said, and corps stu
dents should contact J. Malon
Southerland in room 105 of the
Military Science Building.
Students already living off
campus will not need to file a
new application for the spring,
Madeley said.
He noted all single, male un
dergraduate students are required
to live on campus unless living
with families. Exceptions to the
policy, he said, are made only
under “most unusual” circum
stances.
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
—Adv.