Daily hansan
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
59th Year, No. 61
Friday, Dec. 15, 1961
Eichmann, Calm As Ever, Hears Verdict Is Gallows
JERUSALEM, Israel, —(UPI)—Three Israeli judges told an icaly calm Adolf Eichmann today that he must "hang by the neck until he is dead" for masterminding the Nazi slaughter of six million Jews during World War II.
It took only 12 minutes for the judges to condemn Eichmann but because of appeals it may be four months before it is finally decided whether he will die at the end of a hangman's rope.
THE 55-YEAR-OLD EICHMANN,
standing stiffly erect in his bullet-
proof glass box, did not even blink
as Presiding Judge Mose Landau
pronounced the words he had fully
expected to hear.
Only an occasional twitch of the right side of the mouth betrayed the fact that he was anything but a statue. He appeared drained of emotion by the four months of the trial and the four months of waiting while the three judges had considered the verdict.
Defense attorney Robert Servatius immediately announced he would file an appeal within 10 days to the supreme court.
His assistant. Dieter Wechtenbruch, told United Press International the appeal would challenge the competence of the court to try Eichmann because the trial was based on "retroactive law applying to a time at which the state making the law did not exist."
Fomin Goes Back; Cancels Activities
Alexander Fomin, counselor of the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D. C., who was KU's World Crisis Day guest yesterday, has been forced to cancel all his appointments in Lawrence after noon today.
Fomin must board a plane back to Washington from Kansas City at 4:30 p.m. today. Soviet Ambassador Mikhail A. Menshikov is coming to the embassy and Fomin's assistant is ill.
BESIDES THE APPEAL to the Supreme Court. Eichmann also could appeal for mercy to the President of Israel, and the parliament (Knesset) must pass a special law enabling the execution. Israel law at present does not provide for carrying out a death penalty.
The courtroom was packed as Eichmann was brought in at 8:58 a.m. (12:58 a.m. CST).
The judges filed in 19 minutes later and toward the end of the waiting period Eichmann started rubbing the thumbs of his folded hands. Then he composed himself.
Earlier this week the court had explained its reasons for finding Eichmann guilty of all 15 counts of an indictment charging him with crimes against humanity, crimes
(Continued on page 12)
Fomin, Laird Talk On Party Congress
A Soviet official and a KU professor exchanged views on the 22nd Communist Party Congress and Communism in general yesterday in the Kansas Union ballroom.
Alexander Fomin, counselor to the Soviet Embassy and Roy Laird, assistant professor of political science, each spoke for about 20 minutes to about 600 students and faculty members
Prof. Laird said semantics is important in understanding on both sides.
"ONE OF THE MOST abused of all modern concepts is the term socialism. Thus, although Mr. Foin used the term repeatedly this morning, the Western European Socialist, or the Socialist in the British Labor Party and our own followers of Norman Thomas will emphatically assert that the new Soviet definition of socialism is fundamentally different from the Western concept of democratic socialism
Thus if we are to communicate
at all, the Westerner must always ask himself who is speaking when such terms as democracy and freedom are being used. When a Soviet speaker uses the term socialism he really means socialism involving the dictatorship of a Soviet aligned Communist party."
"BUT, I THOUGHT IT WAS MYTHICAL"—No, Elnora Taylor, Paola freshman, the Jayhawker isn't really mythical. It's real; there actually is a yearbook called the "Jayhawker."
Mr. Fomin said the Soviets have a different understanding of the Western principle of freedom.
"WE CONSIDER FREEDOM of a person is not his independence from his conditions. His freedom is the perception of necessity. Our freedom is the freedom from exploitation, insecurity, unemployment and discrimination. The freedom of every man and woman to develop. It would not be equal freedom without equality."
Prof. Laird noted three highlights of the 22nd Congress;
- The denunciation of the anti-party group composed of Molotov, Kaganovich, Malenkov, Bulganin, Pervukhin, Saburov and Sheilov and the endorsement of the doctrine of peaceful co-existence.
- The withdrawal by Premier Khrushchev of the mandate concerning the signing of an East German peace treaty.
- All-out war involving nuclear weapons is ruled out but the struggle is to go forward on all levels short of war.
He said a "major assignment of the Party in preparation for the
(Continued on page 12)
Legion Post Stands Firm
WICHITA — (UPI) — A local American Legion Post whose protest over appearance of a Russian diplomat at the University of Kansas went virtually unheeded by other groups stuck by its stand today.
Carl S. Packer, commander of Patrick Henry Post 144, said the group's attitude remained unchanged following yesterday's World Crisis Day activities at the University. Alexander Fomin, counselor to the Soviet Embassy in Washington, appeared at an all-University convocation and participated in a student-faculty discussion program.
The Legion's state Commander, Eugene Hiatt, declined comment. He said that the Kansas department of the American Legion "has not issued any statement" on the subject and that he preferred not to comment until he could acquaint himself more fully with what Mr. Fomin said.
In the discussion session, Mr. Fomin said he thought, that within the last year he has "felt a greater wish among U.S. and Russian diplomats to do something to improve relations."
Mr. Fomin's address was generally conciliatory in tone. With few exceptions he steered away from subjects which have been a matter of controversy between Russia and this country.
Turnout Good For Crisis Day
By Zeke Wigglesworth and Arthur Miller
Students packed classrooms, overflowed auditoriums and showed definite concern for world issues as they responded to World Crisis Day yesterday.
- More than 5,000 students and faculty members attended the opening convocation to hear Alexander Fomin, counselor to the Soviet Embassy in Washington, and Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. speak on American and Russian foreign policies.
- Faculty members report that discussion groups scheduled for the World Crisis Day were extremely well-attended and that much debate resulted.
- More than 500 students, faculty members and Lawrence citizens attended the closing session of World Crisis Day to hear a panel sparked by John Ise, professor emeritus of economics, discuss many of the problems under consideration during World Crisis Day.
At the summation meeting last night, people laughed, applauded and hooted as they saw Alexander Fomin stick to party lines and as John Ise and the other faculty members on the panel tore Russian and American policies asunder.
IN THE MIDST OF A DISCUSSION of American and Soviet aid to underdeveloped nations, John Ise interjected this note of discord:
"I've been bothered all the way through this discussion. The Soviets should think of colonialism and then take a look at Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the other nations of Central Europe." (Applause from audience)
"When you talk about doing something for a country, there is one way. Get an army, shoot up the place and then distribute the land." (Laughter from the audience)
"Our shirt tails aren't clean, either," he continued. "We have investments all over the world, and I'm sure these influence our politics. Why should we give money to these countries anyway? Why give aid to backward countries with corrupt governments? Now I wouldn't invest any of my money." (Laughter)
"AND," HE WENT ON, "IM not sure what to do about this problem anyway. I have a little sympathy for the Russian method. They go in and shoot up the boys and distribute the land." (Laughter)
Alexander Fomin, smiling, answered Prof. Ise's statement.
"The Soviet Union has a different way of giving money to under-developed nations. We are doing it in a manner so as to build schools, laboratories, dams and other things like that. This way, we help the people, not the leaders."
Prof. Ise commented that the United States is often wrong about its relations with underdeveloped nations.
"We used to love Trujillo. He was in New York once, and we really rolled out the 'Red Carpet' for him. We should have put him in the first jail and hung him in the morning."
ALEXANDER FOMIN TOLD the audience that the Soviet Union is interested in "long-term, low interest loans" to underdeveloped nations.
Klaus Pringsheim answered, saying:
"We are also for freedom. We are against any kind of colonialism. You (the Russians) don't have the monolopy on 'long-term, short-interest loans.' The difference is, that we in the United States have a different system than you do in Russia. In Russia, Khrushchev says something, it is done. Here, our President has to go begging. But the United States and Russia have agreed on some aspects of colonialism. We both believe that it should be banished."
MR. FOMIN TURNED to Mr. Pringsheim, smiled, and they shook hands. This brought loud applause from the audience.
The panel turned to a discussion of disarmament. Prof.Ise said that if the United States, being much richer than Russia, tried to get rid of its armaments industry, it would have more trouble doing so than Russia.
Klaus Pringsheim disagreed.
"The American people are smart and inventive. They could figure ways to make stereo sets with 72 speakers in the floor and 64 speakers the ceiling. Then they would force us to buy them."
There was loud laughter and applause from the audience
Mr. Pringsheim said there are other ways the money can be spent. "Let's put the money into the underdeveloped nations." (Applause). "Or how about education?" (Applause)
Prof. Ise said he was apprehensive about money to schools.
"The American people are not too hot for education," he said. (Applause and laughter)
PROF. L. R. C. AGNEW said that the money could be used for the development of outer space.
"There's no assurance, of course, that we wouldn't make the same mess out of the moon as we have the earth. But it would help Von Braun, the poor soul. He can use some of his energies on outer space, like he did over London." (Laughter)
Closing the discussion, Prof. Ise said that peace wouldn't solve a thing as far as Americans are concerned.
"Nobody wants disarmament. But if we got it, there would be people standing in line in front of the White House wanting to lower taxes. We would lower taxes by about the same amount as we would save by disarmament."