PACE TWO
THE DAILY TAR HEEL WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1954
The President
And The Physicist
In a secret room somewhere in Washing
ton today, the president of the University is
performing for his government the most vital
task to which he has yet been called.
It is Gordon Gray and his two fellow mem
bers of the Atomic Energy Commission's
board of inquiry who will decide on the
loyalty of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the
pioneer atomic scientist.
The charges, made public by Senator Mc
Carthy and others, that Dr. Oppenheimer
opposed the H-bomb program with dark
motives and that he even supplied the Com
munists with atomic secrets, will be sufficient
to brand the man a traitor in the minds of
many.
Guilt by accusation, however, is not yet
the law of the land. And the only acknowl
edged doubt about Dr.. Oppenheimer's loy
altythat as a young man he associated with
Communists was effectively scotched in ad
vance by Dr. Oppenheimer in 1949 when he
wrote to the late Senator Brien McMahon:
"It would be foolish to suppose that a young
man sympathetic to Communists in his stir:
dent days would
by that fact a
lone become
disloyal and a
potential t r a i
tor. It is basic
to science and
democracy alike
that men learn
by error."
This is an ex
pression that
will, we are certain, be remembered by Mr.
Gray and his board members. The import
ance of their job is heightened by a world
condition of crisis and suspicion in which the
non-conformist opinions of free men are be
ing taken in some quarters as a proper basis
for judgment of their loyalty.
President Gray's fair mind and innate calm
and unprejudiced nature will find heavy use
here. We wish him well.
Take One Giant Step
We are taking our first baby steps today
in an area previously reserved for the giant
strides of Editor Rolfe Neill. We find, upon
first use of his typewriter, a simple fact that
needs acknowledging: He has been the best
Daily Tar Heel editor of all.
Beyond the things well known about Rolfe
Neill that he has- stated his belief articulate
ly, that his editorial skill places him in the
first rank of his profession, that he has made
you laugh and made you mad some less pub
lic accomplishments should be recorded:
For a long time, he has patiently put up
with his less-dedicated associates, smoothed
their egos and copyread their spelling. His
field of interest has"'reached to all points of
the universe and the University; little is a
bove his attention; nothing is beneath his re
gard. He has held fast to his own opinions,
allowing always for a contrary view. He has
drawn from the past, not letting tradition
become an impediment.
His newspaper has attested, we think, to
his competency. In the language of the
vaudeville circuit, he'll be a hard act to fol
low, .v---"" -v-r-v- - t , -
'You Thinking About My Security Or Yours?'
Tar Heel
At Large
"Chuck Hauser-
THE ROAD TO HELL got a
lot of paving stones over the
holidays as hundreds of students
carried books and lecture notes
home and to the beach to "study'
while they relaxed.
THE CAMPUS changed a lot
in just five days. The trees are
finally full, hiding buildings be
hind thick green fans. You can
walk down through McCorkle
Place, past Davie Poplar, the
Caldwell Obelisk, and Silent
Sam, and never get touched by
the sun. Grass has sprung up a
round the newly - planted Old
Well garden area, where the
tired azalea blossoms are gasp
ing out the last of their beauty.
AND AS WE enjoy the' fresh,
young and glorious sensations of
another spring at Chapel Hill,
men are dying in agony half-way
around the world, their bodies
ripped open and torn apart by
mortar and artillery shells, burnt
crisp by napalm, and chopped to
pieces by machine gun slugs....
In Washington, the Republican
strain to convince themselves
and the American public that
"we're not going into-Indochina
. . .well, maybe not . and
they sweat out the votes the par
ty would lose if the administra
tion which went into office on a
promise to get us out of one war
turned around and got us into
another. . . .And a lot of peo
ple who can see farther than the
next election look at their maps,
and wonder what the difference
is between Indochina and Korea,
except that Indochina is much
more of a keystone in the de
fense of what's left of the Free
World than the bloody and
scarred Korean peninsula
ADD SIGNS of Spring: Stu
dents swiping sheets of lens pa
per from zoology labs as coeds
hit the roofs and field glasses
are dusted off and put to use.
QUESTION of the Week: What
does the University do with all
those $2.50's it collects just be
fore and after a holiday?
. L
rCl Z&ZZ' S
Nixon's Getting Ike Buildup Drew Pearson
d)i Snty or &cl
The official student publication of the Publi
cation! Board of the University of North Carolina,
where it is published
daily except Monday,
examination and vaca
tion periods and dur
ing the official Sum
mer terms. Entered as
second class matter at
the post offic in
Chapel Hill, N. C, un
der the Act of March
3, 1879. - Subscription
rates: mailed, $4 per
year, $2.50 a semester;
delivered, $6 a year,
Stie of ihe LVu raty " '
North Cirolwuf
- bh first
opened U chwjfs
in Itaptutry ,
7S
::-
THE DISPUTE over whether
Jim Fountain can or cannot leg
ally be appointed as head cheer
leader caused me to go to the
elections laws and see just what
the statutes say. From Article
XIH, Section 2: "In every vacan
cy filled by appointment, the
appointee shall have the same
political status as the officer
who held the position. The ap
pointee shall fulfill the require
ments of Art. VH, Sect 3." So
I turned to Article VII, Section
3. It lists the academic require
ments for all office-holders ''he
shall have passed a minimum of
40 hours in three quarters im
mediately prior to that quarter
in which he is nominated, which
shall be accompanied by an over
all grade of C or higher." Foun
tain does not have an overall
grade of C or higher for last
year's work. Now you answer the
question is he or is he not eli
gible? '
WASHINGTON The interna
tional political furor kicked up
by Vice President Nixon's speech
before the American Society of
Newspaper Editors has now sub
sided, leaving two main points
very clear:
1. Dicky Nixon looms more and
more definitely as the man Eisen
hower has picked to succeed him
in 1956.
2. There is no question whatso
ever that the Eisenhower Admin
istration contemplates the use
of armed force in Indo-China if
necessary. Depite a modifying
statement by
the State De
partment follow
ing Nixon's
speech, both the
use of Ameri
can ground
troops and small
atomic bombs
have been under
discussion.
PEARSON The Nixon
speech before the editors was
not only a masterpiece; it was
calculated to win him recogni
tion from a powerful group of
opinion makers. Even Democra
tic editors who didn't like Nixon
came away admitting that the
college degree he took in public
speaking was paying dividends.
Jim Bassett, Nixon's old public
ralations man, now pro for the
GOP National Committee, purr
ed as he listened.
Nixon spoke for one hour with
out reading a manuscript and,
scarcely looking at his notes. His
delivery had force, earnestness
and a grasp of his subject. He
was not partisan. The first half
1
hour was devoted 'to a disarm
ing exposition of the problems
of Southeast Asia, interlaced with
"I was there" observations.
For instance, he told about the
a pleasurable variety of personal
difficulty of getting along with
cantakerous but courageous Pre
, sident Syngman Rhee in Korea.
Then in almost the same breath
he quoted a British general who
was asked what was needed most
in Indo-China.
"Nothing would stand us in
such good stead," said the gene
ral, "as another Syngman Rhee."
The latter part of Nixon's talk
was devoted to the difficulties
faced in Indo-China, the politi
cal problems of the French Lan
iel government which could easi
ly be overthrown because of Indo
China; The great problem of
creating a Spiritual leadership
among the native peoples; and
the U. S. alternative policy of
appeasing Red China by admitt
ing its Communist government
to a seat on the United Nations.
Someone has to grit his teeth
and face up to things, Nixon
warned... it would be more ex
pedient to compromise by giving
Red China a seat on the UN, but
we must adhere to principle...
The Administration has a duty
to the higher interests of the
nation, even if unpopular ... It
is necessary to take definite
action despite the handicap...
American policy cannot be bog
ged down by uninformed public
opinion on one hand or reluctant
allies on the other . . . We may
have to go it alone in Indo-China
even though unpopular. We must
hold the line at any cost re
gardless of political repercussions.
Note general reaction among
editors was that the Vice-President
did a brilliant job and en
hanced himself with the news
paper profession, but that the
American public was a long way
from being ready to send troops
to Indo-China.
Some editors figured the Nixon
fireside chat was a mere trial
balloon sent up by the Admini
stration's no. 2 man, so that
Eisenhower himself, if necessary,
could deny it later. This writer
deduces differently for the fol
lowing reasons:
A. Ike has repeatedly, delibe
rately relied on Nixon to speak
for him, no later than the reply
to Adlai Stevenson. He has also
let Nixon carry the ball as ne
gotiator with Joe McCarthy, as
the pacifier on Capitol Hill, and
as the all-round political handy
man of the Administration.
This began partly because Dee
gets both bored and tired while
Dick is an eager beaver; partly
because Ike doesn't understand
politics and Dicky loves politics;
partly because Ike hates political
chores and the Vice Presidency
is a job where time hangs heavi
ly on one's hands. Subbing for
the President began as . an acci
dent, but has now become a ha
bit a habit likely to be recog
nized when the Republicans start
loking for Ike's successor in 1956.
B. The plan to stand firm in
Indo-China, with U. S. Forces if
necessary, was drawn by the Na
tional Security Council to which
Ike now delegates major decisions
on foreign policy. Its Indo-Chinese
decision has now become
the hard-and-fixed policy of the
Eisenhower Administration.
- $3.50 a semester.
fiwi
z
VJiA M A ttCQO ID 0 eZ3iOU5 WIT
Editor
CHARLES KURALT
1 m
.1&LWN WUUlfle
Managing Editor
ROLFE NEILL
Associate Editors
CHUCK HAUSER,
LOUIS KRAAR, ED YODER
Sports Editor
JOHN HUSSEY
Business Manager
AL SHORTT
News Editor
Society Editor
Asst. Sports Editor
Circulation Manager
Subscription Manager
Advertising Manager
Asst. Subscription Manager
Asst. Business Manager
Jerry Recce
Eleanor Saunders
Dick Barkley
Don Hogg
. Tom Witty
Jack Stilwell'
Eugene Polk
Tom Shores
6M10METHAT
MAKE$ UF A
VOU60TJ ft&iHtee.
1 T7 S
UFB AN EeTHlN 1 PfcMI 7 CANT HAVE
f I THE cN&TIWm I HWr,NOr ON WITH
Wednesday Nite is Ravioli Night at the RATHSKELLER - 90c - All You Can Eat
NEWS STAFF Fred Powledge, Ken Sanford, Tom
Clark, Babbie Dilorio, Richard Thiele, Jennie
Lynn, Dell Hoyle, James Wright, Benny Stewart,
John Jackson, Warren Love.
EDITORIAL STAFF Bill O'Sullivan, John Beshara,
John Taylor.
SPORTS STAFF Larry Saunders, Jack Murphy,
Ray Linker.
ARTIST Stan Smith.
Night Editor for this issue: Rolfe Neill
L J O 7HOS PORE,DEE-USHUs (-OHrMYr- i Jk I SOU HATE W DUW'T V ATLAST THV I
On The
Carolina Front
Louis Kraar
After the holidays at home, we've just about
decided that rock-skipping is better than dodging
woman shoppers in a supermarket, and that coun
try life has it all over city life.
We first were introduced to the manly art (al
though X hear women do it) of rock-skipping at a
friend's suburban home in Charlotte. The sport is
simply a matter of making a pebble sail across a
lake bouncing at intervals on the surface.
A flat pebble is required, along with more side
arm than a girl boomerang tosser. You have to get
right down to the water's edge, so if s a good way
to get your new white bucks dirty before school
starts. If you give the pebble just the right push,
it will bounce right along the lake, making several
neat little ripples.
The Payoff
After an afternoon of watching this rural pas
time from the comfort of a low-slung hammock,
we were sold on the quiet life of the country. And
after a trip back to town, we were ready to sign
an oath against city life and civilization.
What cinched the deal was a shopping trip to
one of those huge . supermarkets where you buy
everything from caviar to the latest Mickey Spil
lane novel. Our shopping chores were small. All we
wanted was some spaghetti and a carton of soft
drinks.
Armed with empty bottles (we were told at
home that this would make our shopping easier
and cheaper), we advanced into the store. Conveyor
belts were moving goods along narrow counters
and cash registers clanged out totals. A mob was in
the place.
Before we realized what had happened, one
lady had thrown a body block at us that would have
put Choo-Choo to shame. We took advantage of her
nearness and asked where to put our empty bottles.
Finally, we found ourselves handing the bottles to
a cashier and getting money. Here we had come
into the store to buy, and they were paying us.
Country Style For Sure
Then we had to find the spaghetti. A man in a
white coat said he didn't know where we could find
it, since he worked next door at the drug store.
Another man in an apron told us counter five. And
we found our spaghetti.
At last, it was time to pay. We got in line. Our
turn was next, so we put the few goods on the
counter. All at once a conveyor belt pushed the
groceries down the counter, along with our wallet,
which we had put on the counter, too.
Leaving the store, we decided that next time
there's something to be bought, we'll' make it our
business to be away perhaps at a friend's house
skipping rocks across a lake.
7A Sad, Romantic Town1
Jake Wade
(The author of this piece is sports publicist for
the University. Every once in a while, as on an
April day when students are away for spring holi
days, Jake Wade wanders from the sports trail and
writes about his town. Editor.)
This is a town touched by strange magic and one
to which its peoples, many of them a curious breed,
hold a rare and somewhat inexplicable attachment
Our town has no rivers, no mountains, no sea, but
in the spring it is beautiful and in all seasons it is.
both wonderful and sad, romantic in the spirit of
the youth it harbors in the educational processes
of the great State University, which is the town's
principal industry.
Chapel Hill, where bells wake you in the morn
ing, regardless whether you live in the Beta house,
Cobb dormitory or on Laurel Hill Road ... and
where bells ring periodically the day long, with the
chimes taking over in the majesty of twilight and
on certain important occasions such as the big foot
ball games ... A town as tragic as Pasadena, Cal
ifornia, and as lovely and charming ... A town
which a native son, a brilliant and beloved artist,,
called "The Southern Part of Heaven" in a best
seller he wrote between painting and who, then, in
his own home in this gentle village he loved so
much a:d dwelled in so happily, shot himself one
black fall morning.
In Chapel Hill you can purchase a first rate
steak with a good salad and a bushel of french fries
for less than what an appetizer and sandwich will
cost, you in some places - . Chapel Hillians, like
the folks in your town or city, play poker, bridge,
scrabble and canasta, but, strangely, little or no
gin rummy, and they play golf and handball . . .
Chapel Hill, where the tiniest tots are accomplish
ed swimmers, and old men play an exciting brand
of tennis. . . Where you keep in the right traffic
lanes when you are going straight ahead as well as
to turn right . . Where student golfers, lolling in
the clubhouse awaiting members of their four
somes, read Cervantes and Shakespeare. . .One of
the millionaire retired band leader's closest friends
is the folksy retired (from big time) village editor
. . .A famous singer breaks bread often and attends
games with a Kenan professor. . .A coach has tea
regularly with a celebrated author. . .A University
department head finds more wisdom, truth and
beauty in the philosophy of a local tavern keeper
than in the ivory towers of his own intellectual
level and prefers his company. . .But Chapel Hill
is a town of neighbors who are bird watchers and
tend their flow gardens with loving care' and talk
over picket fences or stone walls, and drink their
coffee or cocktails while talking oftenest about
their children and grandchildren . . . Yes, in Chap
el Hill the college Chancellor can be seen almost
every afternoon rolling a baby buggy down the
main drag, stoppinfg now and then to tuck in his
grandbaby or to light his pipe. That's Chapel Hill,
God bless it and its gentle way of life.