DRAMA CRITIC—Kenneth Macgowan, critic and producer, relaxes in a chair to discuss his friend, the late playwright Eugene O'Neill. He will speak at tonight's Humanities Lecture.
Macgowan Talks On O'Neill, Theater
By Kelly Smith
"O'Neill signed his first letter, 'this is the beginning of a long friendship, and it was," said Kenneth Macgowan, professor emeritus of U.CLA. , speaking of playwright Eugene O'Neill.
Prof. Macgowan will speak on the Humanities Forum lecture series at 8 tonight in Fraser Theater on the topic "Two Screens and a Stage." An informal reception sponsored by the University Theatre members will be held in the Watkins Room of the Kansas Union following the lecture.
At 4 p.m. today he will speak in the Music and Browsing Room of the Kansas Union on "The Psychological Background of Eugene O'Neill."
This first letter from O'Neill to Prof. Macgowan was one of over 100 which were to be exchanged between the two during their friendship before the playwright died in 1953.
PROF. MACGOWAN met O'Neil "in 1921 or thereabouts" in New York City when the playwright was working with the Province Town Players in Greenwich Village on a play he had written called "Emperor-Jones."
"New York has changed a great deal from our day," he said. "During the years I was a drama critic for Vogue and Theatre Arts magazines, there were 70 legitimate Broadway theaters in the city; now there are only 25 to 30."
The slender, balding man flicked his cigarette lighter against the mouth of his pipe and continued:
"THEHAS HAS BEEN a decline in the field of American playwrights as far as numbers go, but there are still good writers to match O'Neill, such as Miller, Williams and Inge."
He commented that he felt O'Neill's most powerful play was "Long Day's Journey Into Night," but that the first two acts of "Mourning Becomes Electra" contained his best writing.
Referring to his beginning in the world of dramatics which came during his sophomore year at Harvard University, he said:
"AS THE STAGE manager for one of our drama club productions called 'The Scarecrow,' I met a reviewer for the Boston Transcript, and expressed a desire to write. He offered me a job reviewing plays. I took it, and loved it."
ASC to Discuss Stadium Seating
The All Student Council tonight will discuss;
- The stadium seating problem
- The People-to-People committee
- The stadium seating problem
- Standing committee appointments
in residence and back at him.
The men will still call at 7 to
night in the Kansas, Union.
The athletic seating board has been studying the seating problem in Memorial Stadium since football season last fall when living groups tried to reserve certain sections of the stadium.
- A finance and auditing bill
JERRY PALMER, El Dorado junior and chairman of the ASC, said the council will hear the report, then try to take some action tonight.
"I don't know what the council will do," he said, "but I do know the meeting may have some heated debate. At the moment, stadium seating is a hot topic and many people have definite views on it."
Palmer said that the People-toPeople program would be set up as a committee of the ASC tonight.
THE PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE program will include KU men and women to act as brothers and sisters for the foreign students next year. Since the committee is new this year, its permanence has not yet been established.
"Students interested in the committees applied to the ASC last week," Palmer said. "The applications have been considered, and the appointments will be announced tonight."
The standing committee appointments will also be made tonight.
Tom Kurt, Pratt first year medical student, introduced a bill recommending that the Finance and Auditing Committee be separated into two sub-committees, the Finance SubCommittee and the Auditing SubCommittee.
A BILL ON accounting of funds will also be discussed tonight.
Kurt introduced the bill last week and it was tabled, following ASC procedure for a bill. Tonight it will be taken from the table for debate.
Daily hansan
58th Year, No.127
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
LONDON — Both sides in the war in Laos today accepted the British-Soviet appeal for a cease fire.
The British Foreign Office announced that the Royal Laotian government formally accepted the call for a cease fire.
Tuesday, April 25, 1961
By United Press International
Laos Cease Fire Accepted
The amendment was passed unanimously after short discussion.
In Moscow, the official Soviet news agency Tass reported that the Communist-backed Pathet Lao also agreed to stop the fighting immediately.
This would include Greek walk-ins and other public punishments.
DECISIONS OF the judiciary committee can be appealed to the executive committee of the IFC, to the floor of the IFC or to the University disciplinary committee.
The Interfraternity Council last night approved an amendment to its constitution that will change the structure of the organization by the addition of a judicial committee to its organization.
According to the amendment the decisions of the committee will be reported only to the dean of men and the houses concerned.
IFC to Establish Judicial Group
TASS SAID Prince Souphanovong, the so-called Red prince who is political leader of the Pathet Lao
The committee will be set up next year. It will be made up of the presidents of four fraternities and the president of the IFC. It will act in closed sessions.
THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE will act as a disciplinary group having jurisdiction "over those houses who violate the IFC constitution but particularly the article on public hazing."
Edward Epps, Winnetka, Ill., senior and chairman of a special committee to draw up the bill, introduced the amendment at a IFC meeting March 20. It was tabled, the usual procedure for amendments to the IFC constitution, and brought up for discussion and voting last night.
U.S. Fails In Orbit Try
CAPE CANAVERAL — (UPI) — A U. S. attempt to fire a space capsule carrying a "mechanical astronaut" into orbit ended today when the rocket booster blew up but the capsule was saved by an emergency escape system.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced 10 minutes later that the rocket was destroyed after about 40 seconds of flight, and that the spacecraft was separated from the booster by its escape system "which apparently worked satisfactorily."
The Atlas rocket blasted into the sky at 10:15 a.m. CST and disintegrated in a massive stream of fire and smoke less than one minute later.
As the booster came apart, however, emergency escape rockets jerked the one-ton capsule free and sent it rocketing into the sky well away from the explosion. Parachutes opened a few seconds later and eased the bell-shaped capsule back to earth.
Partly cloudy today, tonight and tomorrow. Cooler today and tonight. Highs today and tomorrow 55 to 65. Lows today 40s.
Weather
rebels, "will order (his) armed forces to cease fire throughout the country."
The agency said Souphanouvong "warmly acclaims" the cease fire appeal and the call for a 14-nation conference to work out the future of Laos.
British officials expressed hope that the cease fire would be put into effect within the next few days.
The Royal Laotian government said its army was ready to implement the cease fire as soon as it received an order to that effect.
"For this purpose the head of state, the major-general of the Royal Armed Forces, is ready to establish contact at any moment with the responsible head of the opposing forces, in order to determine an agreement between the two parties for the day and hour of the effective cease fire," an unofficial preliminary translation of the Laotian communication said.
THE MILITARY SITUATION will now be frozen until the arrival of the three-nation control commission for Laos.
The foreign office spokesman said the British Government "very much welcomed" this acceptance.
British Ambassador J. M. Addis noted that communications were poor with pro-government and pro-communist guerrilla units, and that word of the cease fire might not reach these units for some time.
He said failure to make contact with these units is "bound to give rise to small clashes all over the
place." He told newsmen this would result in "early accusations of a breach of the cease fire and bad faith."
TODAY'S MOVE followed the appeal by Britain and Russia yesterday to the two warring factions in Laos to end hostilities as a prelude to a 14-nation foreign ministers Laotian peace conference in Geneva May 12.
In Washington the State Department said today that the United States will not attend the 14-nation conference on Laos until it is assured that an actual cease fire is in effect.
Department spokesman Lincoln White said he wanted to make the United States' position "abundantly clear" that until there is a verified cease fire there's no conference as far as we are concerned."
AN AUTHORITATIVE U.S. source said that the "test" will come in the next day or two—whether the Communists in Laos actually adhere to a cease fire.
If they do not, this source said, the eight-nation Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) would be called on to take steps, presumably including military steps, against communist activities.
"We shall therefore see," he said, whether a cease fire is in fact observed."
White accused rebel Communists in Laos of staging "an eleventh-hour offensive" over the weekend "knowing that a cease fire was imminent."
April in Paris
PARIS — (UPI) — A French light cruiser whose crew remained loyal to President Charles De Gaulle fired the first known shots of the Algerian uprising today when insurgent paratroopers tried
French Cruiser Fires on Algerians
Bulletin
PARIS — (UPI) — Insurgent paratroopers withdrew suddenly from two of Algeria's three key cities today. French government sources warned their redeployment could be a prelude to a civil war invasion attempt against France itself.
The mysterious withdrawal of the paratroopers from Oran and Constantine climaxed a day of fast-moving events in which Premier Michel Debre warned that the insurgents' aim was to take over the heart of Paris itself, by force if necessary.
As news of the paratroopers' move became known, the French Mediterranean fleet was steaming out its Toulon base on a mystery mission of its own. It was believed headed for Algeria.
to take over the big naval base at Mers El Kebir. The rebels were beaten back.
The incident was disclosed, without details, by Premier Michel Debre in a speech to parliament this afternoon.
"THE NAVY," he announced without elaboration, "has fired to slow up the entry of insurgent troops into Mers El Kebir."
His announcement followed earlier unofficial reports that the cruiser had fired "warning" shots in the direction of the paratroopers. How the paratroopers moved against the base, which lies four miles from Oran in western Algeria, was not revealed. Neither were their numbers. But there were reports the paratroopers were opposed in their attempt by French Marines.
DEBRE TOLD parliament that, despite disclaimers by the mutinous cities of Oran and Constantine, one of their objects "was and without doubt still is . . . to occupy the heart of Paris."
To safeguard the nation, the premier told parliament, measures of "extreme gravity" must be taken by the government.
"How," he asked, "could it be otherwise?"
The recall to France of three armed regiments serving with NATO in Germany.
DE GAULLE said the insurrection "endangered the independence of the state and the security of the republic." He moved swiftly to crush the unrising. Developments included:
Debre solemnly warned the national assembly that France faces civil war if the rebel generals in Algeria do not surrender "very quickly."
—Appointment of an Air Force commander in Algeria and new commanders of the three key army corps at Algiers, Oran and Constantine.
—Arrest of key generals in the French command in Germany and in France whose sympathies were with the cause of the rebels who want to keep Algeria "forever French."
—Disclosure by the White House in Washington that President Kennedy has offered to provide De Gaulle with any help he deems advisable or necessary in the current crisis. But the announcement said there has been no request or any indication from De Gaulle that he might need help.
According to reports reaching France, Adm. Alain Querville took the escort vessel Maille-Breze out to sea when paratroopers were spotted marching on the Mers Elkib base. The base is six miles across the bay from rebel-held Oran.