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University Daily Kansan
Thursday, Oct. 8, 1953 To Be or Not to Be
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
by Dick Bibler
"Just what it saves—If
of ... what ... is.
?" If you had read the assignment, that question would be perfectly clear."
Indo-Chinese Fight Not New
The problem of Indo-China has recently been brought before the public by the increasing threat of an all-out Communist invasion in that country. But this problem has been developing over a long period of years.
Prior to French occupation, Indo-China had been united under the rule of an Annamese king. France won control of the country piecemeal over a course of several decades and established a protectorate in 1884.
Before World War II there was growing Indo-Chinese nationalism but it seemed to be limited to a small number of the population. The nationalist movement had become strong enough to cause the French considerable concern and difficulty.
Then came the war, and the Japanese occupied the country in 1942 at little cost and used it as a base for aggressive expansion in Southeast Asia.
After the defeat of Japan in August 1945, Chinese troops temporarily occupied the northern part of Indo-China and British troops the southern part, until the French could re-establish control. A situation was created comparable to Korea with the 16th parallel the dividing line.
The French had little trouble occupying the area controlled by the British, but in the north they ran into stiff resistance from Viet Nam. The French recognized Viet Nam as "a free state having its government" on March 6, 1946. The independence of the southern half was to be decided by referendum.
On Dec. 30, 1949, France granted independence to the French union, but maintained control over foreign policy and military defense until the civil war ended and the threat of Chinese Communist interference in support of Ho Chi Minh's Viet Minh was minimized.
The situation remains the same today as it was in 1949, and the civil war rages on now threatening world peace.
A referendum never was taken, for in December of 1946 the Communist-trained president, Ho Chi Minh, launched a civil war.
—Elizabeth Wohlgemuth
There was only one known survivor when an eruption of Mt. Pelee destroyed the city of St. Pierre on Martinique Island on May 8, 1902. More than 30,000 other inhabitants were killed.
Short Ones
Lovellette will play pro basketball with the Lakers, with a higher salary than he had with the semi-pro Oilers. Confucius say high boy make high pay.
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"Chadwick wins again" is almost synonymous now with news that the sun came up again this morning.
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Interesting puzzle: Lawrence has a water shortage. Potter lake is at an all-time low. Hawk's nest coffee is muddy. What do you think?
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A Daily Kansan reader suggests we add crossword puzzles to our features. Says the cartoons aren't funny enough to keep him awake in class, but a puzzle might do the trick.
***
The professor winding up his lecture by asking for questions from the class, would be astonished at a puzzle fiend's question: "How about a two-letter word for the three-toed社th?"
Which: H-bomb, NoH-bomb?
Member of the Kansas Press Assn., National Editorial Assn., Inland Daily Press Assn., Associated Collegiate Press Assn., Association for Professional Service, 420 Madison Avenue, N.Y. City. Mail Subscription rates: $3 a semester or less. Mail resume to Lawrence, Lawrence). Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays. Univer-sal holidays and examination periods are not allowed. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan., Post Office
under act of March 3.1879.
About this hydrogen bomb—do the Russians have a whole basement full of the things, or don't they?
Well-l-l now, it's like this. President Eisenhower says yes, they do; Charles Wilson, secretary of defense, says they probably don't, but even if they do, they're years behind us in development; and Val Peterson, administrator of civil defense, says he doubts if anybody has the h-bomb, including the Russians, us, and the Army surplus stores. Spaful!
Mr. Eisenhower was talking to an audience of churchwomen in Atlantic City when he said the Reds have brought together all the ingredients of atomic attack. He talked of the possibility of a Russian-sparked atomic war, and it's effects: "erasure of cities, windrows of unidentifiable dead, the possible doom of every nation and society."
These words suggest that Russia is pretty well along in the art of atomic warfare. If the President wasn't just building up to asking for greater defense expenditures, he was trying to suggest that the Russians have, or soon will have, a supply of hydrogen bombs and long-range bombers to bring them over American cities.
He went so far as to say that they probably have no actual bombs. Maybe they don't, but does that mean we do?
Secretary Wilson, who made his statement to the press shortly after the President spoke, said the Russians are in no position to start an atomic war. They are "about three or four years back of us" in atomic development, he said.
Val Peterson, civil defense chief, said: "I am assuming that no one has the hydrogen bomb yet." He, like Mr. Wilson, pointed out the distinction between performing a successful hydrogen explosion and having transportable hydrogen bombs.
In this respect, both of these men are well supported in their argument by the report issued Aug. 20 by the Atomic Energy commission. At that time, the AEC announced that the Russians weren't fooling when they reported a hydrogen explosion.
Underscoring this symphony of confusion coming from the top men in Washington is the fact that the American citizen has absolutely no idea of the destructive potential of the H-bomb. There has been much talk about a "knock-out punch" — a one-shot bombing raid that would leave the attacked nation so beaten that the launchers of the attack would be able to proceed immediately with mopping up and occupying the target nation.
We appreciate the fact that democracy is so woven into the fabric of our government that anybody can announce himself an authority, but when the subject is whether or not we're about to be blown to little chunks, we feel that any messages on the problem's status should come from a single, responsible source. —Tom Stewart
Opportunity In Small Channel Islands DeVoto Visit Cause Friendly Dispute
On Oct. 23 students here will have an opportunity to hear one of the outstanding men in the literary world today, Bernard DeVoto.
Mr. DeVoto will appear as a guest speaker in a two-day conference on composition and literature sponsored by the English department.
He has long been a well-known figure in both the magazine and book publishing fields, but Mr. DeVoto is perhaps best known for his trilogy about the history of the U.S.
One book in the trilogy won him a Pulitzer prize. This was "Across the Wide Missouri." Last year he was awarded the National Book award for nonfiction for the trilogy
He has said that the writing of his huge historical work was to help clear some of the fog away from the political and geographical development of the U.S.
He has often taken issue with some modern educators on the undertaking of historical studies. He feels the trend to regard a historical work as too difficult and too large a job for writers of today is a mistake.
Educators said for example, that while Parkman wrote accurately and extensively about the French in America, Prescott about the Spanish, and Motley about the Dutch, it was impossible for one modern writer to cover the entire development of the U. S.
Fifteen books have been published under Mr. DeVoto's own name and several others under the name John August.
However, after publication of the first book in the trilogy, most of the scepticism vanished.
From 1936 to 1938 he was the editor of the Saturday Review. Since 1935 he has written "The Easy Chair" in Harpers magazine.
Mr. DeVoto was graduated from Harvard and later taught there. He also taught at Northwestern university.
—Ken Cov
A Franco-British dispute eight centuries old—ownership of some gaunt rocks off the coast of France—has gone in friendly fashion to the International Court of Justice at The Hague for settlement.
The Pleateau des Minquires is a rock studded sea area of some 50 square miles, 12 miles south of Jersey and 18 miles from France. Near it are the Iles Chausse, a tiny achipelago that is definitely French-owned.
There was no problem so long as William the Conqueror and his early successors ruled England, Normandy, and the Channel islands in between. Later, however, the British throne lost its possession on the French mainland, while the larger islands remained indisputably British, ownership of the Ecrehous and Minquiers was never firmly fixed by treaty.
Les Ecrêchous and the Plateau des Minquiers, mute-sized island groups between the British-owned channel island of Jersey and France's Cotentin peninsula, are the prizes at stake.
Of the Minquiers, Maitresse He has the only habitation. Jerseymen have built a few granite houses for part-time use on the 200-yard-long rock, and there is also a Jersey customs house. French fishermen have erected a pre-fabricated sleeping shack there as well, but sea swallows are the island's most regular inhabitants.
The Ecreehous, where once livea solitary old sailor nicknamed "King of the Ecreehous," lie seven milesnortheast of Jersey and eight milesfrom the French coast. A smaller town is nearby;more land above water, theEcreehous now have three inhabited islands.
Largest of these, Maitre Ile, 300 by 150 yards, has one house and a ruined abbey building. Marmou尉 and Elanque Ile, really one island except at very high tides, boast a cluster of dwellings.
Main uses of the islands are for
summer jaunts and as fishing grounds. In addition to various fishes, lobsters, crabs, shrimp and oysters, the delicious ornament, a type of abalone, is found under rocks at low tide.
The question of fishing rights has already been settled by an Anglo-French agreement to share them, no matter what the International Court of Justice finally decides.
Letters
To the Editor:
Yesterday there appeared in the Kansas the most unjust dig I have ever seen. I would like to know who the patriotic little so-and-so that wrote the "Short One" about the school spirit on the football team.
Why didn't the dear, dear, pure football player "what was wrong" in football played?
I believe the football team has more school spirit than any other organization on the Hill.
I noticed Bill Nieder didn't stand for the alma mater, but maybe his wheel chair got in his way.
I hope this budding journalist never drops his typewriter on his foot, and can't stand up. There might be a few Bronx cheers.
Bill Means
business senior
Editor's Note: The budding journalist, Tom Stewart, did not expect those in wheelchairs to respond, but he still feels that the elimination of the free substitution rule has made it possible for the gentlemen on the bench to spare the minute or so necessary for the alma mater. Perhaps a compromise could be worked out whereby they could sit down during the ensuing "Rock chalk, etc."