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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, May 13. 1964
Press Conferences Green Grass
Since his ear pulling and beer drinking escapades before the press last month, the President is evidently trying to renew his image with the nation's newsmen and their readership.
Veteran newsman Clark Mollenhoff discussed this "social" aspect of Washington news coverage in his lecture here on April 30. He discussed the dangers involved when a reporter accepts favors from politicians.
Once, after he and his wife had attended a dinner at the White House, she turned to him and said, "Wasn't that great?" He agreed with her, but added, "As soon as I start to feel that I have to be invited back — I'm dead."
HOW TRUE HIS WORDS ring. Although there is notning really wrong with a press conference on the White House lawn, where the newsmen are urged to bring their families, it just does not seem like the proper atmosphere for doing business.
Would a police reporter take his wife to a bank holdup? Or would it sound logical for a journalist to take his family along when he got an interview with labor racketeer? No, not only because of the unsavory aspects of reporting these stories, but also because getting the news is a full time job and there is just no time to turn that job into a family picnic.
The whole idea of associating with the President and other top politicians on a social level increases a Washington reporter's feeling of status and prestige. Anything which he might do to jeopardize this newly acquired position will not be pleasing to him.
HE GRANTS A VISITING correspondent a private interview and treats him like a king, then he leans over and gives him "the real story" on what Russian plans are. The pressures may be applied in Cuba, Viet Nam and the Congo, but the newsmen will write that these actions do not really mean anything. Khrushchev really wants to live and let live. He told them so, while swimming nude in his private pool. How much more direct can you get it?
President Johnson is not the only politician to utilize flattery as a device to gain favors from the press. Nikita Khrushchev is also skilled in manipulating the Western Press.
Johnson's lawn party may have been a big hit with the ladies and children, but we hope the newsmen will not let it affect their news judgment.
And if the President picks someone up by his ears again, while drinking beer, the press should report it anyway — the public has a right to know these things.
Daily Texan—Jon Van
Daili'i Fihsan
111 Flint Hall
Member Inland Daily Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press. Represented by National Advertising Service, 18 East 50 St., New York 22, N.Y. News service: United Press International. Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $5 a year. Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays, University holidays, and examination periods. Second class postage paid at Lawrence, Kansas
NEWS DEPARTMENT
Managing Editor
Bv Mike Miller
Uncertain American Support Threatens Vietnam Victory
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Ten years ago last Thursday—May 7, 1954-Communist troops took the remains of a French outpost called Dien Bien Phu.
Mike Miller
"PUBLIC SUPPORT for what the U.S. is doing to keep South Vietnam from being taken over by the Communists continues to slip away. It is uncertain, uneasy, and getting more so.
This task is the basis of many of America's diplomatic headaches today.
This ended the Indo-China war. It also ended the reign of French military power in Vietnam.
Roscoe Drummond warned last week that the war in Vietnam can be lost in the U.S.
"This means that President Johnson faces the prospect of having no adequate backing among the American people for the measures he may find necessary to take unless we are to let the Communists unhinge the Vietnamese gate which could lead to Communist domination of all Southeast Asia."
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Dean Rusk left for Europe to urge NATO allies to contribute more to the fight against the Communist guerrillas in South Vietnam.
SUBSTITUTION of one western power for another created a temporary stalemate between South Vietnam and North Vietnam, which had been abandoned to the victorious Communists. After a while, however, the Communists resumed the initiative with guerrilla incursions into South Vietnam. The U.S. inherited the French role of damming the Communist tide in Southeast Asia.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Robert McNamara is planning to visit Saigon again next week. This will be his second visit to Vietnam in the last two months. There is speculation that he may use this visit to announce a tougher U.S. stance in South Vietnam, possibly entailing evacuation of American dependents. The U.S. now has more than 16,000 military men in South Vietnam and an estimated 1,800 dependents in Saigon.
The collapse of French military power produced a vacuum into which the U.S. moved.
Editorial Editor
The military junta ruling South Vietnam last week eliminated the last trace of the Ngo Dinh Diem government by executing Diem's younger brother in Saigon. He was the last important member of the powerful Ngo Dinh family remaining in Vietnam.
day Kothari and Margaret Hughes ... Assistant Editorial Editors
THE PRESIDENT got his blood pressure up last week, however, over GOP charges that his anti-poverty program was a "cruel hoax." The President was making his inspection tour of conditions in the northern sections of Georgia as part of his poverty tour of the Appalachian states. He got big receptions from crowds on his tour, particularly in Knoxville, Tenn.
In another foreign policy situation, the Defense Department said it doubts the report that Russia took home the top-grade antiaircraft missiles she installed in Cuba and left Fidel Castro with second-class weapons to back up his
On President Johnson's much criticized practice of picking up his beagle dogs by the ears, Truman snapped, "That's the way to lift them. Did you ever have any hounds? The President did it twice for you guys. What are you hollering about?"
As well as backing from Harry Truman, President Johnson got a clean bill of health from his doctors. Johnson suffered a heart attack in 1955, but the White House said Johnson's latest electrocardiograph examination showed a normal result.
threats against U.S. surveillance flights.
Dien Bien Phu's was not the only anniversary last week. Former President Harry S. Truman celebrated his 80th birthday by visiting Washington. Typically, he had comments on most subjects.
Secretary of Defense McNamara said the U.S. will continue to fly aerial reconnaissance missions over Cuba whether or not the Russians turn over to Cuba the antiaircraft missile batteries they installed. He stressed the need of the flights in the absence of on-site inspections.
While the U.S. was wondering about Cuba, Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev made his first visit to Africa. He received a tumultuous welcome from Egyptians and was embraced by President Gamal Abdel Nasser. The 17-day state visit to the United Arab Republic is expected to be a propaganda offensive for the Soviet brand of communism in Africa, seeking to minimize the inroads made by Red China.
He told the Knoxville audience that men of "timid faith and narrow vision" wanted to put "for sale" signs on the Tennessee Valley Authority. It was Sen. Barry Gold-water who once said a "for sale" sign should be posted on the TVA.
- * * *
As he toured the depressed areas, he pounded on rostrums and whacked his fists together exhorting thousands of fellow citizens to join the anti-poverty army.
E. Welsh, Wallace's vote was short of the Wisconsin total.
Tom Coffman
ANOTHER THORN in Johnson's side, Gov. George Wallace of Alabama, didn't fare as well in last week's Indiana presidential primary as he did in the Wisconsin primary last month. Although he pulled a heavy protest vote against Johnson's stand-in, Gov. Matthew
AT LAST COUNT, Goldwater has 265 of the needed 655 first-tally convention votes. Gov. Nelson Rocketeller picked up his first four committed votes in the District of Columbia primary.
The Supreme Court last week refused to review two racial rulings. This means the two rulings made by lower courts will stand. In one action, the court rejected contentions by Negro children in Gary, Ind., that their constitutional rights are violated by a school system requiring them to serve their residential area and which they said resulted in segregation in fact.
Goldwater has another backer, John M. Bailey, Democratic national chairman, said he would like to see Goldwater selected as the Republican candidate for President. When asked how he thought President Johnson would do against Goldwater in the presidential election, Bailey said, "Do you think we can be that lucky?"
Wallace called the 32 per cent of the vote which he garnered a moral victory against the "liberals in Washington." Wallace is entered in the primaries to give those who are protesting the civil rights bill a chance to record themselves.
In other primaries, Robert Taft Jr. and former Oklahoma football coach Bud Wilkinson scored landslide victories in their attempts to reach the U.S. Senate. Taft won the right to face Sen. Stephen Young, who won the Democratic primary, although John Glenn pulled about one third of the Democratic votes. An ear injury forced Glenn out of the race more than a month ago. Former Oklahoma governor Raymond Gary was defeated in his bid to meet Wilkinson in the generals.
Sen. Barry Goldwater picked up Indiana's 32 convention votes in his race for the Republican nomination. He also won the 12 votes from Wyoming.
***
The other upheld contentions by Negro children in Jacksonville, Fla., that they have a right to entire school systems operated on a nonracial basis, including the assignment of teachers, principals and other personnel.
TRAGEDY PLAYED a part in last week's news. A tornado swept through a portion of Michigan killing more than a dozen people and causing extensive property damage.
In what resembled a scene from a late television movie, a passenger on a Pacific Airlines plane shot and killed the crew of the plane. The plane crashed, killing 44 people.
WHEN DORIS GAVE ME THE ULTIMATUM THAT WE EITHER GET ENGAGED OR WE BREAK UP I NEARLY WENT CRAZY.
I TOLD DORIS GETTING ENGAGED, FOR ME, WAS A TRAP THAT ID COME TO HATE HER IF SHE MADE ME GIVE UP MY FREEDOM.
AFTER WE'D BEEN EU-
GAGED THREE YEARS
AND DORIG GAVE ME
THE ULTIMATUM THAT
WE EITHER GET
MARRIED OR WE
BREAK UP I NEARLY
WENT OUT OF MY
MIND.
I ASKED DORIS WHY NOW THAT I HAD BEGIN TO GROW AS A PERSON BE Cause OF BEING ENGAGED DID SHE HAVE TO LIMIT MY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT BY MAKING ME MARRY HER?
J
I TOLD DORIG
BEING MARRIED
WAS THE MOST
INSPIRING EX-
PERIENCE IN
MY LIFE- WHY
SPOIL IT WITH
A KID?
LITTLE LEROU IS FOUR NOW THE MOST ADORABLE CHILD IN THE WORLD, UESTERDAM DORIS GAVE ME AN ULTI MATUM ABOUT HAVING A SECOND KID AND MOVING TO THE SUBURBS.
ON OUR SECOND
ANNIVERSARY
WHEN DORIS
GAVE ME THE
ULTIMATUM
ABOUT THE
BABY I NEARLY
WENT OUT THE
WINDOW.
ILL ARGUE.
ILL SCREAM.
EVENTUALLY
WE'LL DO IT.
sio
wi
is
FORTY YEARS OLD
DOING WELL IN THE
MARKET SUCCESS-
FUL IN MY CAREER,
ACTIVE IN MY COM-
MUNITY, POLITICALLY
AWARE AND AFTER
ALL THIS, WHAT AM I?
DAGWOOD BUMSTEAD.