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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, May 7, 1968
The Bay State primary
New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller's decisive write-in victory over Richard Nixon and the strong write-in showing of Vice-President Hubert Humphrey in the Massachusetts primary will do much to boost the candidacies of these two men. Indeed, the voting for all major candidates in this later voter poll shows how very much of an open race the nominations in both parties can be.
Perhaps the only true upset was Governor Rockefeller's ability to decisively out poll Mr. Nixon, even though the voting took place on the very day that the former put himself back into the Republican race. It is fairly safe to assume that had Mr. Rockefeller made more of an organized effort in Massachusetts, his victory would have been even greater.
While the Rockefeller showing does not remove Mr. Nixon from the front-runner spot for the Republican nomination, it must cause frowns among the latter's backers. For the Massachusetts outcome may indicate that, whereas Mr. Nixon is stronger with the professional politicians, Mr. Rockefeller is stronger with the voters.
Equally interesting was what many long-time Massachusetts political observers characterize as Sen. Robert Kennedy's weak show in this same primary. It was expected that Sen. Eugene McCarthy, with the advantage of having his name printed on the ballot, would win handily
over Senator Kennedy. He did by some two to one. But there were few who thought that Vice-President Humphrey would get nearly two votes for every three of Senator Kennedy's. After all, if there is any state in the Union where any Kennedy could be expected to do well, it is in his long-time home state.
Observers were particularly interested to note that Senator Kennedy did considerably less well, even as a write-in candidate, in the Democratic Irish-Catholic stronghold of Boston than expected. This is seen as confirmation of the surprisingly strong degree of anti-Kennedy sentiment among many politicians.
It is also apparent that the Massachusetts primary did much to keep Senator McCarthy strongly and firmly in the race. His ability to get some 50 per cent of the Democratic vote (even with the advantage of being the only name on that party's ballot) against such contenders as Senator Kennedy and the Vice-President, as well as his getting nearly 10,000 Republican votes in that party's light turnout, demonstrates forcefully the degree to which he has captured popular approval by his courageous battling.
As a result of this primary, this year's politics are more open and more interesting than ever.
— Reprinted from the Christian Science Monitor
Letters to the editor
Of 'indoctrination' and 'impact'
To the Editor:
In response to Colonel Gravitt I would like to quote from two studies of the ROTC program. The first is Education and Military Leadership, was written by Lyons and Masland (whom Dean Heller said are extremely well qualified).
"The increased importance and impact of the ROTC programs make it more than ever necessary to understand the two main characteristics that distinguish them from the regular educational activities. The first of these stems from the absolute core of the military profession itself, the feature that distinguishes it from all other professions. This is what Harold Lasswell identifies as the 'management of violence.' It is the essence of the military profession; it must be understood by every officer. It involves the ability to organize firepower instantly and automatically to known stimuli that announce danger.
"The method used by the services to develop traits of character
nat are consistent with their moral code is indoctrination. The process of indoctrination is usually indirect. In courses like military or naval history, it consists of studying a problem from a specialized point of view with little or no acknowledgment or weight given to other perspectives. In exercises like drill or repetitive learning, it seeks to develop habits of instantaneous response without questioning or reasoning. IN ITS METHOD AND IN ITS PURPOSE, INDOCTRINATION IS ALIEN TO THE BEST IDEALS AND OBJECTIVES IN AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION."
The second is a report of the Humanistic-Social Research Project of the American Society for Engineering Education. Serious reservations were recorded due to the poor quality of instruction in ROTC courses; the fact that ROTC "classes are seldom conducted in an atmosphere encouraging to the free exchange of ideas;" the fact that "the rigid control exercised by military
authority over subject matter and examinations is out of the hands of the academic faculty."
Robert Cherry
New York City graduate student
To the Editor:
Don Walker's "A Primer With Impact" (May 1) is a pitiful mixture of news reporting, emotional appeal, and pseudo-logic. The basic thesis of the editorial was that emotion should become more acceptable as an appeal in this particular war. To support this thesis, Mr. Walker paints his own emotional pictures: an armless Vietnam woman, an Air Force plane "magnificently?" dropping its bombs, the unblinking calm of Dean Rusk. But ironically, the war is soon branded "so clearly absurd," and the term "logically" is quietly slipped into the paragraphs. Mr. Walker should make up his mind whether to appeal to emotion or to logic, at least within a single editorial.
Bill Hutchinson Chanute junior
Book review
Deighton's latest spy
By Scott Nunley
Len Deighton's newest spy novel is by far his best. In fact, "An Expensive Place to Die" deserves to stand with the very sensitive espionage fiction of the Master: leCarre.
Deighton's hero this time is a nameless Englishman, "heavy and not young—late thirties she'd guess—and his body was thick and uncared for." His job is to establish an identity in Paris for whatever purposes might intrigue British Intelligence. He is professional enough to make his own rules but ordinary enough to be recognizable as a human being.
Deighton's former heroes—such as Harry Palmer of "The Ipcress File" and "Funeral in Berlin"—were not simple, one-dimensional super-spies. But neither did they have the depth of this careful Englishman. In recent thriller-fiction, only John leCarre's "Spy who came in from the Cold" and "The Looking Glass War" have surpassed Deighton's latest success at characterization.
Of course, our new psychological spies have fallen into quite healthy ruts of their own, while busily avoiding the ruts of Mike Hammer or James Bond. "An Expensive Place to Die" shares in the unfortunate plurality of these new formulae.
For example, the drug scene (sophisticated LSD brother to Spillane's rubber hose) in which our helpless hero struggles for the psychological victory of outwitting the brain-washers. George Segal captured it all vividly in "The Quiller Memorandum" movie—but these repetitious cellar doses of amyetal are becoming a definite drug on the thriller market.
The most exasperating of these new-formulae tricks is the "cheating narrator." Although we think that we are receiving the story through the mind of the chief character, Deighton allows his spy to conceal the important conclusion of his plans from the reader. It may be more suspenseful, allowing for surprise endings, but it cheats the mystery fan of engaging his own ratiocination.
"An Expensive Place to Die" isn't fatally hit by this formulae-ambush. Deighton's low-key prose never demands the big attempt that can be (in Fleming's best moments) a big triumph—or a bigger fiasco. Deighton's Paris is diseased, but very alive.
If there is such a depressingly real world of cold war espionage, these new humanly weak heroes seem aptly suited up for their roles. And if there is an audience for thoughtfully instead of viciously paced thrillers, Len Deighton should at least be their honored Numero Duo.
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