^or "The Forgotten Americans
.
By - Cal Carpenter
Petitions asking for humane treatment of
American prisoners held by the North Vietna
mese communists are being circulated in Bre
vard. It is hoped that, if enough Americans
express their concern is this way, through neu
tral embassies, the Hanoi government will he
shamed by world opinion into treating prison
ers in accordance with the Geneva Conven
tion.
The petition drive, sponsored by the Air
Force Association and the Air National Guard,
is spearheaded in the southeast bv Col. William
Kelly, Commander of the 165t,h Military Airlift
Command Group in Savannah, Georgia. It is
headed in the Brevard area by Master Sergeant
Jimmy Alderman, Manager of the Brevard Col
lege Bookstore and a member of the 165th MAC
Reserve Group. The petitions are available now
in many local stores. When completed, they will
be sent to several neutral embassies.
NAME AND ADDRESS ONLY
The petitions require the signer's name
and home address only. Their purpose is
purely humanitarian; they ask onlv that the
North Vietnamese government abide by the
international conventions as to honorable
and humane treatment of prisoners of war.
Through diplomatic channels, the effort will
he to force the Hanoi government to provide
the names of war prisoners, allow Red Cross
inspection of the camps, and distribute mail
and Red Cross packages in accordance with
international agreement.
"Anyon© old enough to write his name and
address is welcome to sign the petitions," says
Col. Kelly. “Concern over the mistreatment of
our war prisoners is not exclusive with adults."
The petition effort is nationwide. The
effort is to get as many name* from as many
parts of the countrv as possible. The .more
American concern that can be clearly shown
ft to the neutral embassies, the more the possi
bility of neutral and non-communist economic
sanctions which could force the Hanoi govern
ment into compliance with the international
agreements on prisoner treatment — agree
ments which they have signed.
REAL TRAGEDY
The mistreatment of some 1400 American
prisoners of war is one of the most traffic things
to occur in this or any other war, in the opinion
of many peoples of the world. The hardships
they endure, as have been evident by the few
prisoners released, are in direct violation of Con
vention agreement. How much more other
prisoners have suffered can only 'be guessed at
since the Hanoi communists have allowed no
international inspection of their prisoner camps.
The little known about prisoner conditions in
North Vietnam and in Viet Cong areas other
than obvious propaganda releases through com- .
munist sources, is from the factual reports of a
few returned prisoners which describe treatment
in only a few of the several North Vietnamese
and Viet Cong camps.
• , . ' ■ ; - i
There is sufficient information, however, ]
to leave little doubt in all informed opinion
that there is suffering, degradation, isolation
and mental and nhysical mistreatment of men
who, whatever the poHtical arguments, were
only doing their duty as soldiers and airmen.
Even less defensible is the real tragedy of
the communists’ refusal to release the names of
prisoners. Hundreds of wives and families have
lived for years without knowing whether hus
bands, fathers, sons are alive or dead. The in
nocent have deliberately been made to suffer in
order to use their tragic uncertainty as a politi
cal weapon.
international banditry
With moat people, there is no way of
softening the description that obviously ap
plies to the cruel and inhumane treatment of
American war prisoners and their families by
the Hanoi regeme. Their refusal to abide by
the civilised, world-accepted rules for treat
ment of prisoners and the deliberate torture
of innocent families places the men respon
sible beyond the pale of humane reason. It is
pure and shnple international banditry in the
opinion of all reasonable people.
Can world opinion sway such a govern
ment? . There is no answer to this question until
it is tried. The petitions are a way of trying it
that everyone can join.
Certainly the government of the United
States has made its concern over this in
humane action clearly known. More than 274
members of the U. S. Congress have intro
duced resolutions on the POW question. The
President has personally expressed concern;
hundreds of important people both in and out
of public life have gone on record with their
horror at this international inhumanity. Major
magazines and news sources have left no
doubt as to their concern.
An article entitled, “The Forgotten
Americans of the Vietnam War, by Louis R.
Stockstill, published in the Air Force and Space
Digest magazine, has been read into the Con
gressional Record. It is one of the most im
portant documents of journalism in recent years, .
in the opinion of its Congressional sponsor, Con
gressman Roman C. Pucinski, Democrat from
Illinois. I
BREVARD’S PART
The people of Brevard are now being
offered a chance tp help,in the important ef
fort to theme the, communist government of
Nort* "• ‘ ‘ * '
North Vietnam A»t© complying with the inter
hith suspense of hundred* of
wiy#» and; children and parent* who still do
bbt know whether wed oho* are living or
. V' vi>- !• ’•.
• They can. ho oii record with their fellow
citizens of, the free irtrorld that they abhor the
irihumsne treatmfeht bf 'helplesa men in the com
munist prison camps.
- They c*n add their voices to the .swelling
chorus of decent people who demand a stop
to international barbarism.
On other occasions, communist govern
ments have bowed before world opinion backed
by the- threat of economic boycotts. Maybe, and
hopefully, they will do it again.
r
WHERE TO SIGN
; ‘ Petitions have 'been placed in the follow
ing businesses in and around Brevard:
The Brevard Pharmacy, corner of Broad
Street and West Main
Duvall Drugs, College Shopping Center
Let Us Do Your Job Printing
The Transylvania Times
highway
Morris Pharmacy, corner of Broad street
and Weet Main
Quick-Shop Grocery, Rosman highway.
diftlly invites you to watch the
Country Club, Charlotte, North
On top-flight golf or top-flight
Science for You bob mown
PROBLEM: Phototropism: the turning of a plant,
as influenced by light.
NEEDED: Milk cartons, soil, bean or mustard seeds.
DO THIS: Cut off the cartons, place dirt in them and
plant the seeds. Place some cartons in a dark place, some
where bright light reaches them from one side and others
where light is about equal on all sides. The plants will
grow toward the brighter light.
Cells on the darker side of the plant grow
faster and longer. The seeds planted in a dark place will
grow faster, but will die in a few days for lack of food.
Growth regulating substances called “auxins” are pro
duced in the tips of young growing stems, and migrate
in greater quantity toward the darker side of the stems.
This special “Science For You” feature Is sponsored
by Olin Corporation at Ptsgah Forest in co-operation with
The Transylvania Times.
NOTICE
State of North Carolina
County of Transylvania
Under and by virtue of the
power of sale contained in a
certain Deed of Trust execut
ed by FRANK GREENE and
wife, SHIRLEY H. GREEN to
JERRY H. JEROME,
for Brevard Federal
and Lopn Associate
said Deed of Trust bears
of the 29th day of September,
1969, and is recorded in the
Office <jf the Register of Deeds
for Transylvania County in
Deed of Trust Book 84, Page
103, default having been made
in the payment of the indebted
ness. thereby secured and said
Deed of Trust being by the
terms thereof subject to fore
closure, the undersigned sub
stitute Trustee, E. GENE RAM
SEY, will offer for sale at
public auction to the highest
bidder for cash at the Court
house door in Brevard, North
Carolina, at noon on Wednesday
the 13th day of May, 1970, the
property conveyed in said
Deed of Trust the same lying
and being in Brevard Town
ship, Transylvania County and
more particularly described as
Follows:
BEGINNING at an iron pin
situated in the Northern mar
gin of Park Avenue, said iron
pin being situated N. 65 deg. E.
5 ft. from the Southeast corner
»f Lot No. 2 of the Franklin
Park Subdivision and running
thence with the Northern mar
gin of Park Avenue N. 65 deg.
S. 95 ft. to a stake; and ran
ting thence N. 24 deg. 49 min.
W. 136.6 ft. to an iron pin;
ind running thence N. 23 deg.
17 min. W. 129.60 ft. to an iron
pin; and running thence S 61
leg. 20 Min. W. 167.0 ft. to a
stake situated in the Eastern
nargin of Boxwood Street;
hence down and with the East
srn margin of Boxwood Street,
1. 29 deg. 42 min. E. 99.63 ft.
o a stake; thence N. 71 deg.
14 min. E. 57.83 ft. to an iron
tin; thence S. 26 deg. 01 min.
5. 149.06 ft. to an iron pin in
he Northern margin of Park
kvenue and point of BEGIN
NING. Being all of that prop
srty conveyed to Velma C. Mo
farland at Book 96, Page 155,
ind also conveyed at Book 66,
*age 154 in the
bounty Registry.
This the 14th
_GENE
Substitute
yi6/4tc
May Birthdays
May 1, 1707—Union of Eng
land and-: Scotland was effected
under the name of Great Brit
ain.
May 10, 1775—Fort Ticonde
roga was captured by Ameri
cans under Ethan Allen.
May 17, 1792—An agreement
signed by 24 brokers paved the
way for the creation of the New
York Stock Exchange.
May 30, 1911—The first long
distance automobile race was
held on a track at Indianapolis,
Ind.
Social Studies
Teachers At
Regional Meeting
Hundreds of social studies
teachers from all parts of North
Carolina have been meeting at
regional conferences this week
to discuss forthcoming revisions
in the social studies curriculum.
The meetings are a part of
a three . year in • service pro
gram designed by the State De
partment of Public Instruction
and the African - American In
stitute. One aspect of the re
vision, according to State
School Superintendent Craig
Phillips, is the scheduled in
clusion of African studies at the
seventh grade level during the
1971-72 school year.
Attending the regional meet
ing at Asheville were W. J. Ca
they, Jr., Rosman School; James
L. Looper, Rosman Elementary
School; Mrs. George Wilson,
Brevard Junior High; Mary P.
Gordan, Transylvania County
Schools; Patricia P. Bishop,
Brevard High School.
When in need of job printing,
call The Transylvania Times.
Bake Sale At
Etowah Friday
There will be a bake sale Fri
day, May 8th, from 3:00 til 6:00
p.m. at the Northwestern Bank
at Etowah.
This sale is sponsored by the
Ladies auxiliary of Etowah
Horse Shoe Fire department.
Proceeds of the sale will go
to the Fire Department.
When yon think of prescrip
Ions, think of VARNER’S, adv.
(a}iailll«lllllliiliiiiiiiiataiiiiiii|liii.iiiiil|illiiiiiiiiiiiii mu, mi..until,
..“I I
Keep Tuned To
WPNF
12 40
On Your Dia!
“WONDERFUL
PISGAH
NATIONAL
FOREST"
.»S
- t
MY
.MOTHERS/
> DA Y 1
sPffESEWTf]
Remember Mother with perfume,
costume jewelry, candy and a
Mother’s Day card. At Morris
Pharmacy you will fihd many gifts
to please and delight your Mother.
This is (Mdsmobilefe
year aft Indy.
Isn’t it your year
for an Olds?
The knowing folks at Indy
just named Olds 4-4-2 official
pace car for this year's 500.
For good reason. Olds is
not only an excellent performer,
It’s a winner in looks and ride as
well.
The fact is, every 1970 Olds
is a pacesetter. And it goes far
deeper than performance.
You find it in great engi
neering. In exceptional comfort.
In ride and handling that are out
standing. And in the solid quality
and dependability you've come
to expect from Oldsmobile.
In fact, it's this quality that
leads many people to believe
that Olds is priced out of
their reach. A mistaken notion that
might keep you in an ordinary car,
instead of an Olds.
The truth of the matter is
that many Olds models are priced
right down with the low-price
names.
Now that you have the
facts, isn't this your year to go
Oldsmobile? You can probably do
so for no more than what you've
been paying. See
your nearest
^—JTVoias dealer!
HOUQMQOvm
OLDSMOBILE
Eacapa from tha ordinary.