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University Daily Kansan Tuesday, October 24.1961
Red China and War
The Communist Party Congress dissention in Moscow has revived the speculation on the ideological differences between Russia and Red China. The basic thing that the Red Chinese and the Russians disagree on is whether or not war is still a legitimate part of Communist policy. Russia maintains that it is not, that the Communist bloc can win its struggle without war. Red China insists that war is still a valid means of furthering the Communist cause.
The point has been made frequently that Russia does not want a war because it would mean the destruction of her industrial centers, which are concentrated west of the Ural mountains. The Red Chinese, however, have no such concentrated industrial complexes to lose in a war.
The result is that we know what Russia has done about its basic policy on war; it has developed the doctrine of co-existence. But what about Red China? What has it done to advance its doctrine that the use of war is still valid?
ABOUT A YEAR AGO THE OFFICIAL magazine of the Chinese Communist Party carried an article saying flatly that the sooner World War III came, the better it would be for the Communist cause. To this end tensions should be increased, not decreased. Red China has been working hard to realize that goal.
Within a few years, perhaps next year according to Western experts, Red China will explode its first nuclear device. Red Chinese leaders can be expected to continue the development of nuclear arms until they have a huge stockpile, just as the Soviet Union and the United States have done. If they hold to their present position, they will then start World War III.
THE RED CHINESE LEADERS HAVE ALSO been working hard on survival units for a nuclear war. They are called communes. They may
serve other purposes, but basically they are survival units. Each is a self-governing unit with its own small scale manufacturing, schools, medical facilities and the other personnel and equipment needed to be self-sustaining. Plans have also been made for 156 widely separated industrial centers, each of which would serve a number of communes.
At present Peking is having great difficulties with its communes. They have had to take a step backward toward the collective farm system. There have been crop failures this year (and for several years) and there is a strong possibility of famine this winter. Red China has also been suffering from a population explosion that is increasing its food problem (the population is nearly 700 million). Peking once experimented with birth control but dropped the project because of its effect on public morale and on the grounds that it would be admitting a weakness in the Communist system if they had to limit the population in order to produce enough for it.
THESE ARE SERIOUS PROBLEMS BUT there is no guarantee they will break the grip of China's Red rulers. The Soviet Union experienced famine and great internal strife during the years that Lenin and Stalin were consolidating Communist control in that country, but the Communists emerged triumphant.
The prospects for peace in the future as Red China continues to develop do not seem good. The big trouble is still a few years away and it does not press on the nation's consciousness, but it is taking shape fast. The situation is a dangerous one and at present the only things that might change it are a cooling of Red Chinese fanaticism or possibly the Soviet Union's efforts at restraining the Peking regime.
William H. Mullins
The Theater Scene
Arms and the Man - Two Views
By Mark Dull
"ARMS AND THE MAN," by George Bernard Shaw, produced by the Cleveland Playhouse as the guests of the University of Kansas Concert course. A play in three acts.
It was a bad night for heroes and noblesse oblige took a back seat to an undutiful Chocolate Cream Soldier in last night's production of "ARMS AND THE MAN" which was belted out to an appreciative one-half capacity crowd at Hoch Auditorium last night.
The action takes place in a small town in Bulgaria in 1885-86. Raina Petkoff is just retiring when her mother sweeps into the room and informs her that her betrothed, Sergius Sarnoff, in the Bulgarian army, has led a heroic cavalry charge against the Serbians, some of whom may be straggling through the town.
CAPTAIN BLUNTSCHILI. A Swiss mercenary in the Serbian army, climbs up the drainpipe into Raina's bedroom and threatens her life if she discloses his presence to the searching Bulgarians. She takes a fancy to the straight-forward Swiss who stuffs his mouth with cholocate creams while destroying her romantic notions about the battle. He vows that the cavalry charge, a strategic flasco, succeeded only because the Serbians had been supplied with the wrong cartridges. He finally escapes, wearing Major Petkoff's old coat. The good Major, in addition to being master of the house, is also the commander of the Bulgarian army.
Peace returns to Bulgaria and so do Petkoff and Sergius. They recapitulate for their lovelies a tale of two Bulgarian women who hide a Serbian from the authorities and even send him off in the master's coat. Captain Bluntschilli calls to return the coat and Petkoff believes he has come to see him.
Sergius soon gets involved with the impudent maid, Leuka, whom he finds less tedious than her pretentious mistress. Things get complicated when Louka tells Sergius that the story that has been circulating about the Serbian who was protected by the Bulgarian women actually took place in Raima's room and Raina spies Sergius in a compromising situation with the saucy Louka.
BLUNTSCHILI REVEALS the sham Sergius and the Major as amateur soldiers who can't even get their troops back home for all their own heroes, even as he is exposed as the soldier in Raina's boudour. However, our unsung hero reverses his field and emerges the victor, capturing the hand of the new and unaffected Raina.
Shaw wrote this witty satire in 1894, in an apparent attempt to acquaint audiences with his version of the small-caliber hero Shaw's play has survived with a deliverance of line and humorous dialogue that smacks as much of the modern play today as it must have five or six decades ago.
MICHAEL McGUIRE, WITH his convincing portrayal of Bluntschii (The Man), rendered a polished performance. His easy manner and resonant voice gave the natural personality to Bluntschii that contrasted so well with the other main characters in the play.
By Richard Byrum
Sally Noble, as Raina, delivered her lines with practice and case for the most part. There were several instances when hers and the lines of some of the characters were lost to the back of the stage.
The cast was highly competent although they seem to have lost some of their freshness and vitality along the road. The role of Petkoff, handled quite well by Richard Oberlin, was brought to this area some years back by the imittable Billy Gilbert in the popular light opera, "The Chocolate Soldier" by Oscar Strauss, adapted from "ARMS AND THE MAN."
Yesterday evening a sizable crowd enjoyed a performance of "Arms and the Man"—a comedy in three acts by George Bernard Shaw. The play was staged in
Hoch Auditorium by members of the Cleveland Playhouse, who are currently touring the country.
The name of George Bernard Shaw immediately brings a sense of awe and respect to the mind of a critic of drama or music.
Many of his most productive years were spent as a critic in the service of not only the theater and concert hall, but of politics, social structure, romance, medicine, and many other institutes as well.
"Arms and the Man" is a light comedy which finds its primary success in the mirroring of ideas and concepts typical of Shaw. The action centers around the daughter of a well-to-do officer in the Bulgarian Army. She is a young thing, well cognizant of her higher station in life, and desirous, as are most women, that all should be slave to her caprice. She is overflowing with story book ideas and affected mannerisms which she radiates in delightful school-girl fashion. Thoughts on romance, militarism, snobism, politics and the like are tossed about between her, the servants, members of the family and lovers, until they find adequate expression for Shaw's purposes.
The part of the daughter was excellently portrayed by Sally Noble. She was completely at ease in the role and lended remarkable personality to the evening. The Man was played by Michael McGuire whose comic interpretation proved interesting and on the whole successful.
THE ROLE OF SARANOFF, played by Alan Lindgren, was not acted with the pomp that it could have been. Before he entered he was alluded to as "like an operatic tenor," which Mr. Lindgren did not quite carry through while on stage.
The other roles were well portrayed and indeed each showed laudable sensitivity to his character and to the overall spirit of Shaw.
The scenery was very well executed and should stand as an example of what can be done on a limited budget when good taste is employed throughout.
Sound and Fury
Thank God. At last I've been given the opportunity to express my reasons for getting out of the National Student Association. Really it's quite humorous when I see so many innocent people taken in by the argument that NSA costs too much for the benefits received here at KU.
Angry Voice on NSA
We who are dedicated to the destruction of NSA know that to get a point across to students it must affect them personally. Money is one way to accomplish this, but there are other more effective ways.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE WANT TO MAKE THE FRATERNIES and sororites hostile to NSA we tell them that the organization will soon launch a program to integrate their Greek system. It isn't true of course, but what difference does it make as long as the hostility grows, heh, heh.
Another way to alienate students is to spread rumors that the national organization is infested with Communists. Now if we were in an all-out campaign here, we would probably say that a John Bircher found 31, yes sir, 31 card carrying Communists among the delegates at the last NSA national congress. Yeap, it's quite likely that these 31 commies would walk right up to our Bircher friend and show him their Communist Party cards.
OF COURSE SPREADING RUMORS LIKE THESE TAKES a lot of work. We would certainly be thankful for a little league Birch group that could help us fight off the liberal infested—no I guess it's communist infested—NSA.
Really, though, we wouldn't have to do all the work in destroying NSA. Some of the national officers would help us along.
Dick Rettig, past president of NSA, would probably speak at the AWS national conference and say something to make the girls mad. And if the question of NSA affiliation came up these girls would undoubtedly look at the question objectively, sic.
How we would approach the problem of destroying NSA should be clear now. But perhaps you still don't know why we want to get rid of the organization.
It's really quite simple.
That silly hot-bed of liberalism is getting under our skin—what with support of sit-ins, and freedom riders, and that left-wing Peace Corps.
WHAT'S MORE. IF THEY CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE friendly relations with foreign students, it could affect the isolationism that we all want. Right?
Naturally we realize that there are two opposing international student organizations, one Communist controlled and the other NSA controlled. But the problem here is that we can't allow these wide-eyed liberals to mislead our foreign friends. We all know that the majority of American students are conservative. A recent L&M poll of 100 colleges proved this fact. Yet these NSAers go right ahead and tell the liberal student groups in other countries that American students agree with their political beliefs and want to be friends.
Even if NSA's friendliness keeps foreign students from Communist organizations it isn't right, is it?
Well, I'm sure you agree that this NSA group, with its terrible liberal policy, has got to go. We've got to be practical and fight this Communist menace with the only effective weapon we have, silence and isolationism.
Ba
-A.C.M.