Cbe Battalion
Blessed Are The
Peacemakers; For They
Shall Be Called
The Children Of God.
Vol. 67 No. 204
College Station, Texas Wednesday, January 24, 1973
WEDNESDAY—Cloudy tonight
with chance of rain. High 53,
low 43.
THURSDAY — Rain all day
ending at night. High 57.
845-2226
Vietnam Peace Settlement Reached
Families Of POW-MIAs Estatic Over Treaty
Cease-Fire Becomes Effective Saturday
WASHINGTON (AP) — Agreement has been “We must recognize that ending the war is only
lied to end the Vietnam war—the longest in the first step toward building the peace,” Nixon said,
r Hours ^ mer i ca s hi stor y~ w i t h a cease-fire effective Satur- “All parties must now see to it that this is peace
.f day night and complete U.S. withdrawal coinciding that lasts, a peace that heals—and a peace that not
) -6:00' with release of all war prisoners, President Nixon only ends the war in Southeast Asia but contributes
;urday told the nation Tuesday night. to prospects of peace in the world,” he said.
0 - G.’OO Nixon said it is a just and fair peace—an Nixon said the United States will strictly adhere
Hours Ci honorable way to end a nightmarish, decade-long war to the agreement’s terms and that he expects other
6-8041 that left nearly 350,000 Americans killed and parties to do the same—a phrase that appeared
hur f wounded and caused an unprecedented upheaval at
home.
Presidential adviser Henry Kissinger and Hanoi’s
pie Due Tho initialed the agreement Tuesday in Paris
i» and it will be formally signed on Saturday, Nixon
said.
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Major points of the agreement he outlined:
— An internationally supervised cease-fire to go
into effect at 7 p.m. EST on Saturday.
— The release of all Americans “held prisoners of
war throughout Indochina” within 60 days.
— The withdrawal of the remaining 24,000 U.S.
forces in South Vietnam within the same time
frame.
— “The fullest possible accounting” for all those
missing in action.
— A guarantee that the people of South Vietnam
will have “the right to determine their own
future without outside interference.”
Nixon said he joined North Vietnam in an agreed
upon announcement expressing hope the accord “will
ensure stable peace in Vietnam and contribute to the
preservation of lasting peace in Indochina and
Southeast Asia.”
The chief executive traced the broad terms of the
settlement and said full text of the agreement and the
protocols to implement it will be made public on
Wednesday.
He said the settlement has the full backing of
South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, and
pledged that the United States will recognize Thieu’s
government “as the sole legitimate government of
South Vietnam”—continuing to supply it aid.
intended as a warning to the enemy that the United
States will be watching for violations of the accord.
And, in words which seemed intended for the
Soviet Union, Nixon declared: “We shall also expect
other interested nations to help ensure the agreement
is carried out and the peace maintained.”
As Nixon was speaking from his Oval Office,
President Thieu told the South Vietnamese people
that Hanoi has been forced to recognize North and
South Vietnam as two separate countries.
Thieu said the peace agreement to be signed
Saturday recognizes the sovereignty of South
Vietnam—a point made by Nixon when he said the
United States recognizes Saigon “as the sole
legitimate government of South Vietnam.”
After reading the joint statement issued simul
taneously in Hanoi, and outlining the bare bones of
the peace agreement, Nixon addressed “a few special
words to each of those who have been parties to the
conflict.”
He told the people and government of South
Vietnam that their courage and sacrifice “have won
the precious right to determine your own future.”
He told North Vietnamese leaders that the
United States is prepared to make a major effort to
“build a peace of reconciliation.”
“But just as reciprocity was needed to end the
war,” he told Hanoi, “so too will it be needed to
build and strengthen the peace” other major powers
involved in Vietnam “even indirectly”—a reference to
the Soviet Union and mainland China—Nixon said,
“Now is the time for mutual restraint, so that the
peace we have achieved can be kept.”
Richard Nixon On TV
President Nixon’s announcement of the signing
of a peace treaty in Vietnam and the impending
release of American prisoners of war brought joy and
relief to Texas families.
“I am estatic. I am happy,” said the wife of Air
Force Col. Samuel Robert Johnson, a pilot who has
been a prisoner of war since 1966.
“I am delighted by the whole thing,” said Mrs.
Johnson in her home in Plano shortly after the
presidential announcement.
Minutes earlier Mrs. Robertson, her mother Mrs.
Pascal Melton, and two neighbors had listened to
Nixon tell them that the colonel will be home
shortly.
“I am happy,” Mrs. Johnson said. “Not only by
the fact that our men are coming home, but by the
whole thing—peace.”
“This was better than I had expected,” she
added. “I thought Nixon’s speech was extremely
good and his mention of former President Johnson
was an appropriate one and very moving.”
Mrs. Johnson said her husband was captured in
North Vietnam in April of 1966, but she did not find
out that he was a prisoner of war until 1970 when the
Air Force told her.
“Since then we have received 30 letters from
him,” she said. “They are very short letters. He
expresses his concern, his love for us, and asks about
the children.”
The children are Bob, 21, a senior at Texas A&M,
Gini, 19, a sophomore at Navarro Junior College, and
Beverly, 16.
Col. Johnson and his wife are from Dallas. He is a
career man who joined the Air Force in 1951 shortly
after graduating from Southern Methodist University.
In Temple, Charlene Bliss, wife of Capt. Ronald
Bliss, said of her husband’s return: “It’s been a
mightly long time. Six hard, long years... It can
only go up from here. I am ready.”
Capt. Bliss will return to find Erik, the baby he
last saw in a crib, three weeks old, now going to first
grade.
“It seems like an answer to everybody’s prayers,”
Mrs. Bliss said. “We’ve been prepared there will be an
adjustment, but we are ready to make it. The full
realization of this will not hit me until I see him.”
She said she received a letter from her husband
two weeks ago. It was the first letter in nine months.
Capt. Bliss was downed over North Vietnam in
Sept. 1966.
NSL Opinion Poll Results Told
MSC Week Events Slated
“Mountain Man Night” will
highlight “Get Involved Week”
sponsored by the Memorial Stu-
ident Center Council.
Scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 2, in the Deware
Fieldhouse, “Mountain Man
; Night” consists of spontaneous
entertainment such as a best
(worst?) dressed contest, a chew
ing tobacco contest, impromptu
square dance lessons and other
carnival type activities.
Students are not required to
come dressed “mountain man”
style, but they can participate in
the contest if they do. The eve
ning is free and there will be
refreshments.
“Get Involved Week,” the re
placement for the usual MSC
spring open house, will officially
A&M To Be Closed Thursday
r
The university will be closed
Thursday as part of the na
tional day of mourning of the
death of former President Lyn
don B. Johnson, announced
TAMU President Jack K. Wil
liams.
Dr. William also announced
special memorial services will
★ ★ ★
State, Federal
Offices To
Close Thursday
State offices will be closed in
many parts of the nation Thurs
day, as part of a national day
of mourning for former Presi
dent Lyndon B. Johnson. Stock
exchanges in New York and the
Board of Trade in Chicago will
suspend operations.
Postal service will be suspended
and the American flag still at
half staff for the death Dec. 26
of Harry S. Truman, will remain
lowered another 30 days.
be held at 11 a. m. Thursday in
G. Rollie White Coliseum. The
services, led by Dr. Bailey
Stone, pastor of the First Bap
tist Church of Bryan will be
open to the general public,
as well as to TAMU students
and personnel,.
While classes will be dis
missed and administrative of
fices closed, essential univer
sity services will remain open,
along with the dining halls, the
Memorial Student Center and
University Library.
Classes will resume at 8 a. m.
Friday.
With the closing of the uni
versity, The Battalion will not
publish Thursday.
Silver Taps for Jane Wil
liams Record of Houston, A&M
coed who was killed Sunday
night in a two-car accident near
Caldwell, will be held at 10:30
p. m. Monday.
Originally scheduled Thurs
day night, the service was
reset because the University will
be closed Thursday.
begin Monday with an open house
from 7:30 to 10 p.m.
“The entire week of activities
is to make it visible that student
organizations are here for the
students,” said Gary Reger, MSC
the week also give students the
Council members. “The events of
opportunity to join any campus
activities.”
The three main programming
organizations, (Student Senate,
Resident Hall Association and the
MSC Directorate committees),
will be featured Monday night
for recruiting purposes. Free
refreshments will be served in
the Ballroom.
Tentatively scheduled for Tues
day is a girls versus boys basket
ball game before the Tech game.
Team members will be volunteers
and girl referees will be used.
Free University registration in
the Deware Fieldhouse for
courses such as gourmet cooking,
(See MSC Week, page 2)
National Student Lobby refer
endum results have been tallied
concerning the positions of A&M
students on national issues.
“The 450 students who voted
represent the entire 16,000 stu
dent body in the NSL,” said Barb
Sears, chairman of external af
fairs.
The NSL referendum, voted on
here Nov. 15, is voted on by stu
dents throughout the country.
Copies of the TAMU poll results
will be sent to the Texas Legis
lature and NSL headquarters in
Washington.
Percentage results are as fol
lows :
Government increase in finan
cial aid given directly to students
such as grants, loans, work-study
and G.I. Bill was favored by 83.1
per cent.
Congressional help to fund day
care centers on campuses for chil
dren of students, faculty and
staff was favored 49.9 per cent
while 17.9 had no opinion.
At present, the costs of tuition,
room and board at public and
private universities are exempted
from cost controls of the U.S.
Price Commission (two and one
half per cent increase per year).
Almost 57 per cent favored con
gressional control of these price
increases while 17.3 per cent held
no opinion.
Forty-two and a half per cent
favored Congress permitting “dis
count fares” on airlines for per
sons under 22 and over 65, thus
preventing the Civil Aeronautics
Board from banning them.
Seventy-three and nine tenths
per cent favored Congress allow
ing voter registration by mail
and the enactment of other meas
ures to increase voter participa
tion.
States repealing laws prohibit
ing abortion and leaving the de
cision to the women, doctor and
others directly involved was fa
vored by 68.4 per cent.
The conversion of the military
into an “all-volunteer” force when
the present draft law expires
June 30, 1973 was favored 64
per cent.
Congressional conversion from
a defense industry-based economy
to a civil science systems-based
economy, involving research and
development of mass transporta
tion, pollution control and health
care systems was favored 60.9
per cent while 16.7 per cent ex
pressed no opinion.
Fifty-eight per cent favored
Congress placing more stringent
controls on the possible influence
of multi-national corporations
(such as I.T.T., oil companies)
on U. S. foreign policy. Twenty-
two and a half per cent held no
opinion on the matter.
Congress should cut off foreign
aid to military and colonial gov
ernments such as Rhodesia and
Portuguese colonies in Africa! was
favored 35.9 per cent while 30.7
per cent held no opinion.
Congress should establish a
system of national health insur
ance and campus clinics was fa
vored 51.8 per cent. Seventeen
and a half per cent had no opinion
on the matter.
ISA Has New Chairman
Luis Juarez has succeeded
Friedrich Mach as chairman of
the International Students Asso
ciation following Mach’s resigna
tion this semester.
Juarez, a senior mechanical
engineering student from Ha
vana, Cuba, was vice chairman
and next in line to replace Mach
according to the club’s charter.
Juarez has held an office in
each of the ISA’s three years of
existence. He was treasurer in
1970-71 and vice chairman for
programs in 1971-72 before being
elected vice chairman for this
year.
This semester the ISA plans
to have an international weekend,
a talent show, a picnic and a
dance.
“The debate we had last semes
ter was a success,” said Juarez,
“so we will be having more of
those, probably one or two this
semester.
“We are planning to have a
joint program, an international
week with the University of
Houston or Texas Women’s Uni
versity, but that is still in the
planning stages.”
The ISA is also trying to locate
former international students to
form an international student
alumnus association to keep a
link wtih A&M and the ISA.
On Feb. 2, A&M President
Jack K. Williams will hold a
reception for all incoming foreign
students. There will be inter
national specialties, flags and
cultural displays.
The ISA is formed in the pat
tern of the United Nations with
every country on campus being
represented. A general assembly
of 714 members from 64 countries
elects the executive committee
consisting of a chairman, vice
chairman for programs, secretary
and treasurer. The terms of
office is one school year and elec
tions are held at the end of
spring.
During his tenure ex-President
Friedrich concerned himself most
ly with obtaining financial sup
port and an international house
which would serve as a meeting
place. He also tried to relieve
an unintentional segregation
problem on campus.
“All international students
were once housed only in Schu
macher and Hotard because they
were the only two halls that re
mained open during the semester
break,” said Mach. “We encour
aged the students to live with
American students and suffer the
slight inconvenience of moving to
Schumacher or Hotard during the
break.”
Days Of Campus Landmark Numbered
CAC To Open Spring Film
Season With 4 At The Circus’
The Contemporary Arts Com
mittee Film Series opens its 1973
spring season at 8 p.m. Thursday
with the Marx Brothers’ “At the
Circus,” in the Memorial Student
Center Ballroom.
The film concerns a strong
man’s assistant, a night watch
man and a lawyer trying to save
the funds of a circus owner but
the plot merely serves as a
springboard for the Marx Broth
ers zany gags and improbable
situations.
Other films scheduled this
semester include:
Feb. 1—“Pierrot Le Fou,” a
1969 Jean Luc Godard film that
has been compared to “Bonnie and
Clyde.”
Feb. 19—“Orpheus,” a fantasy
directed by the French poet Jean
Cocteau.
Mar. 2—‘Eyes of Hell,” a 3-D
horror film with free 3-D glasses
being provided.
Mar. 19—“Triumph of the
Will,” a 1934 piece of Nazi propa
ganda.
April 11—“Intolerance,” a 1916
spectacular considered by many
to be D. W. Griffith’s finest work.
A Betty Boop cartoon will be
shown with every feature and a
series of free Sunday night
movies will be announced.
Tickets are $1.00 for students
and $1.50 for non-students for
each film. Season passes are
priced at $4.00 for students and
$5.00 for non-students.
THE TRADITIONAL LANDMARK saying “Welcome
To Aggieland” is not long for this campus if plans go
through to build a new modern water tower. Plans call
for the 160-foot tower to be razed in September of 1974.
(Photo by Logan B. Council)
By Debi Blackmon
The old campus water tower is
the next thing to go at A&M
along with the “Welcome to Ag
gieland.”
The 160-foot traditional tower,
famed for its legendary “sinking
sabers,” stands on the highest
point on campus, behind the old
Engineering Building. The 150,-
000 gallon spider-leg tower which
has accented TAMU’s skyline for
53 years, will be razed in Sep
tember of 1974, if construction
goes as planned.
In its place, TAMU plans to
construct a new super-modern
two-million gallon water tank be
hind Sbisa Dining Hall, where the
old University Cleaners is located.
The final design of the two-
million gallon water tank, now
up for public bid, will be decided
by the Board of Directors some
time in June of 1973.
Two designs under considera
tion include a hydropillar tower
— a massive block-shaped tank
with a solid conical trunk, and a
delicate waterspheroid tower —
a teardrop sort of structure with
a smaller closed-in stairway.
The new tower will be one of
the last major improvements of
the university water system. A
new system of pipes was laid
down in the construction in front
of the Academic Building, and
pumping stations, located on Fin-
feather Road, are being increased
to a 16 million-gallon capacity.
With this new system, hot arte
sian water pumped from ground
wells located on the University
Annex can easily supply the
normal 3-3% million gallons of
water used daily by the univer
sity and provide the surplus sup
ply usually sold to the City of
College Station.
The new tower will provide an
excess of water capable of handl
ing electrical power failures or
pump failures and additional wa
ter demands during daily peaks
or in case of a large fire.
The great emphasis at the time
the old tower was built was on
the sufficient water pressure and
supply against the fire hazard.
It was built in the 1920’s. Sev
eral fires exhausted the campus
water supply just after the fires
were under control.
“In the old days, every class
painted its class year or outfit’s
insignias all around the tank,”
recalled Logan Council, director
of the university physical plant.
“Class numbers would just ap
pear one morning,” he said.
“Next morning, there would be
extra cross-rifles or cross-sabers,
or even castles—the old insignia
of the Engineers.
“The ‘sinking sabers’ legend
that says there are cross sabers
painted on the inside of the wa
ter tank, is highly unlikely. It
probably arose from the exterior
paintings.
“When they painted “Welcome
to Aggieland” in the early 1950’s,
all the signs disappeared for
good,” Council said.
Very few people have ventured
up the old water tower in the
past few years, and the artwork
is minimal. However, some stu
dents were surprised how much
it shakes in the wind.
Gen. A. R. Luedecke, executive
vice-president of A&M, says the
two styles now being considered
have enclosed stairwells, ending
waterwork artwork.
“The new water tower will fol
low a new concept in towers and
be painted a sky blue so that it
will blend into the landscape more
naturally,” Gen. Luedecke said.
“There probably won’t be any
writings on it at all. But the de
cision will be up to the board.”
“That old spider-leg tower was
the first thing you saw when
you came on the campus from
the train station,” Council said.
“At first, it made you feel like
you were entering a camp of some
kind — with the new military
dorms then.”
“We got used to it though,”
Council said. “It was a part of
Aggieland.”
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
—Adv.