Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 23 January 1950 — Page 10

iss Case Lessons conviction of 4 gearching in the ment. : "This man was found guilty of perjury—of trying to lie himself out of charges that he betrayed his country and its government, under which he held positions of responsibility "Yet it has taken 11 years for justice to triumph over political pressures in this infamous case.

The diligent prosecutor who won the case before a federal court jury must have wondered sometimes which side government was on. President Truman called the congressional investigation which brought to light the charges against Alger Hiss 8 “red herring.” Two justices of the United States Supreme Court testified as character witnesses for Hiss at his first trial last year. : Ambassador-At-Large Philip C. Jessup testified in behalf of Hiss at both trials. » ” » » - SECRETARY OF STATE ACHESON publicly expressed confidence in Hiss as recently as January, 1049, although by that time most of the evidence which has resulted in the conviction was known. “Nor was that Mr. Acheson's first introduction to “the Hiss case.” When existence of a spy ring in the State Department was reported to the government in 1939, an in~estigating official was told that Dean Acheson and Justice . Pelix Frankfurter would vouch for “the Hiss boys.” (Don‘old Hiss, brother of Alger, is a member of the Acheson law firm.) f It is admirable for a man to stand by a friend in trouble. But an official sworn to uphold and defend his government has a duty that transcends friendship. _. It is pertinent to ask where Secretary Acheson now ‘stands on this issue.

» » ” FOR IT would be assuming too much to conclude that Alger Hiss was the only person in the State Department or slsewhere in government service who transmitted official secrets to agents of Soviet Russia. "It would be assuming perilously too much. to conclude that the State Department and other government agencies ‘are now free of traitorous enemies within. Imprisonment of Alger Hiss will do little to protect this “sountry unless there is drastic change in the attitude of high #fficials who sought to belittle the charges against him and

FC Gets Into Oil THE Reconstruction Finance Corp. is a “temporary” ; t agency formed back in the days when Mr, was President. Its original purpose was to provide for banks, railroads and industrial enterprises which not in the depression m’rket otherwise raise the they needed. The RFC is still in business. During the war it financed defense undertakings. Among ‘other things it pro- : the capital to put a dam builder into the boat-building and steel businesses. : 5: Another man went to Washington soon after the war to try to get a priority for steel plate to build some service stations. Before he left town he was perto take some RFC money and get into the business of building prefabricated houses. He's still borrowing from _ the RFC, and still keeping his books in red ink.

» ». ”. : LATELY the RFC has become fascinated with the oil business. Anybody who knows anything about that business—and that probably does not include anybody in the RFC—knows that out in the oil areas of the country there are banks which specialize in oil loans. These oil-country banks have plenty of money to lend. 1 More important, they have trained petroleum engineers ‘who know how to compute the extent of a would-be borrowler's proven oil reserves underground, and therefore how {good his credit is. I? 80 we are startled to read that the RFC has loaned 5 million to bring about a refinancing and merger of four spomparatively small oil companies. Maybe it is a good loan. {But we note, with a little more than casual interest, that the purpose of the loan is to pay off debts already owed. With all the idle capital now available in the oil banks and the insurance companies, if it is a good loan how did | the get a chance at it? If it is not a good loan, what “does the RFC mean using taxpayers’ money to get into ‘ $hat risky business’ oF

Jerusalem's Holy Places i A FACT-FINDING mission of Protestant churchmen has ' returned from a visit to Jerusalem with the opinion ! that internationalization of the Holy City, as voted by the {United Nations, would be both “dangerous and unneces-

Hiss should cause some soulHouse and the State Depart-

~p..

A wit

_+' Instead of making Jerusalem a United Nations city, | this group contends that the Christian world has a right to Yequire no more than free accessibility to the holy places in. Palestine. This proposal does not meet the Vatican's demands, but it does offer a realistic solution to the problem. The modern city of Jerusalem is under the control of new government of Israel, and has been declared the ital city of that state. The so-called “old city” is held the troops of King Abdullah of Jordan. * Both the Jews and the Arabs have refused to accept the United Nations plan to internationalize any part of the “¢ity, and will fight to maintain their present positions,

. » » IN theory, the idea of making Jerusalem an intermpational city under United Nations control has some appeal. But the history of the international areas hasn't been a happy one. Danzig was one. Trieste is another. | The United Nations does not have the machinery to force its decision on Jerusalem. : » Possibly, then this

ky od

INF

that the United Nations

to strengthen the Franco regime, because the Spaniards resented outside interfer-

2 -

Mr. Acheson's forthright confession of

MEDICINE . . . By Earl Richert

Cold Remedies

Not Given OK

Federal Agency Still Skeptical of New Pills

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23--The Food and Drug Administration is still skeptical of the antihistamine cold remedies. And it would like people to know that: It has not approved them, But it has permitted their sale because it is convinced the drugs are safe if they are not taken in excess of the dosages recommended on the labels. “Since they were safe,” sald Commissioner Paul B. Dunbar of the Food and Drug Adminis tration, “all we could do was to permit the new drug applications (by manufacturers for per. mission to market) to become effective.”

‘Not Aproved' MR. DUNBAR voluntarily brought up the subject of the antihistamine cold remendies in closed hearings before the House Appropriations Committee, Commissioner Dunbar told the committee that he had expected someone to ask him, “Why did the Food and Drug Administration ever approve these things?” “Well,” he said, “I am right here to tell you that the Food and Drug Administration has not approved them.” He said that under the law he could only prevent the marketing of the cold remedies if théy were found harmful to health. And the Food and Drug Administration had no evidence that they would be harmful if taken according to directions. “Incidentally,” Mr, Dunbar said, “The dosage recommended is only about a quarter or half wirat physicians generally prescribe for hay fever or some allergic condition and even colds.”

Skeptical of Claims

HE sald his agency had notified manufacturers that “we were very definitely skeptical about their claims for treatment of colds in spite of the enthusiastic reports of some physicians.” “We recognized,” sald, “that colds in some instances may be regarded as due to allergies and if they are due to allergies that these products may have a preventive effect,” He said it would take years to accumulate medical experience concerning the drugs and that “perhaps they will be found more useful than now appears likely.” Commissioner Dunbar said his agency had control only over the labeling and that advertising was something else. He thought the Federal Trade Commission, which has jurisdiction over advertising claims, was in the same position as Food and Drug-—that until long-time studies were made, the government was in no position to take any steps, either for or against,

One Case Probed MR. DUNBAR said the law required drug manufacturers to submit convincing evidence of harmiessness but it did not require that they establish in advance of sale that the drug would do the things they claimed for it. He said his agency was now investigating a case in Chicago where a young bride who apparently had taken antihistamine pills was found dead in a hotel. “But there is every indication” Mr. Dunbar said, “that she took within a couple of hours a massive dose, almost two bottles. Well, you could kill yourself with aspirin if you took it like that, That does not prove anything." Fe

What Others Say

YOU can foresee better than others what. joy it would be for us to see this year, the holy

“year, mark the point of departure for a new

orientation of spirits and hearts, of a return of the bewildered to an exact conception of the true foundations of a peace assured in the social domain and in International relations.— Pope Plus XII :

®* ¢ o SOME so-called liberals have adopted . . the fixed idea that any increase in purchasing power of any one..group is good no matter what its effect may be on other groups.~Commerce Secretary Charles Sawyer.

NATIONAL DEFENSE . . . By Bruce Biossat

Big H-Bomb Question

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23—0One of the most momentous decisions in U. 8. history is in the making. The question is: Shall

we produce a hydrogen bomb?

A hydrogen bomb is a special kind of atom bomb. Scientists believe such an explosive could be 1000 timegq more destructive

expected it to do, the boyeott only served.

VH HUH- | SLIPPED ON THAT

BOTTOM STE P

TRUMAN'S PROGRAM . . .

Safety Plan May Stir Rumpus

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23—Quite a fuss may be In the making over President Truman's budget message request for $6 million to start a new industrial safety program. National Safety Council, the big, privatelyfinanced organization for promoting safety in homes and on highways as well as in factories; foresees encroachment on its activities and feels that business can promote safety better and cheaper than the government. U. 8. Chamber of Commerce, while endorsing present safety programs in which the federal government co-operates with the states, feels . that any enlargement of federal functions is unnecessary. Beyond this, the issue is somewhat tangled in labor union politics. Railway brotherhoods

and mine workérs are protected by federal

safety laws, American Federation of Labor and of Industrial Organizations feel there should also be federal factory inspection. Their position is that state safety laws vary so much in standards and are so poorly enforced in some states that U, 8. government supervision and uniformity are necessary.

Safety Inspections INTERSTATE Commerce Commission now administers federal safety codes. ICC's Bureau of Safety inspects safety appliances, signals and hours of service. From this summary, it can be seen that the federal government is already in” the safety business quite extensively. There are two bills now before Congress to extend these programs to factory inspection. In one a new Bureau of Accident Prevention would be set up in the

SIDE GLLANCES

By Talburt

—

By Peter Edson

Department of Labor to do the whole safety job. This is the AFL-CIO bill It would create an Accident Prevention Board for each industry, It would be made up of

labor and management representatives, with a

public chairman. These boards would be empowered to make rules for elimination of unsafe conditions. This is the bill the National Safety Council, U. 8. Chamber of Commerce and other such organizations are afraid of.

Different Approach

THE other bill, which the Truman administration is backing, takes a slightly different approach. It has been introduced in the House by Rep. Andy Jacobs of Indiana, in the upper chamber by Sen. Olin D, Johnston of South Carolina. The bill would provide only federal grants in aid to the states for enforcement of their separate safety laws, : The actual factory inspection job would thus be done by the state departments of labor. Grant to any state could be up to three-fourths of its own expenditures to promote safety, on the basis of poplilation, number of workers and hazards in its industries.

Favors State System WILLIAM L. CONNOLLY, director of the Bureau of Labor Standards in the Department of Labor, favors this system of handling factory safety inspection by the states. As to the need for greater safety promotion, Mr. Connolly cites the 2 million industrial accidents and 19.000 deaths every year. Direct costs in lost wages and damages have been estimated at $4.5 billion a year, with indirect costs four times as great.

Ei i 3 g ih

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tion of war had been made, and the nation had been called to arms for that . There is neither legal nor moral justification for sacri ficing these lives. It is In violation of plain principles of free government.” .

WHAT DO WE NEED IN 19507 ‘Safer Streets’

By Dr. R. N. Harger, State Toxicologist.

If human life and limb are worth anything then one of the greatest needs of Indianapolis is increased safety on our streets. . Definite progress along this line was made 1049, but our annual toll of death and injury is still shamefully high, At least half of these tragedies can be avoided if we will only adopt the vigor ous measures which have worked in places like Providence, Kansas City and Dallas ~to mention only a few of the safer cities. The gains made during 1949, a reduction of 20 per cent in traffic deaths and 17 per cent in persons injured, were largely due to a step-up of 28 per cent in. police traffic enforcement plus support by- the courts, prosecutors, newspapers and

Dr. Harger

We still have too many drivers who feel that speed limits, stop signs and traffic signals are not meant for them. The drunken driver, too, is still a very serious menace. The only way to reach some of these reckless, and even ruthless drivers, is vigorous and sustained enforcement, including penalties which are sufficient to induce such drivers to respect the rights of others using the streets. Adequate enforcement of this type for Indianapolis will require a doubling of our present staff of motorcycle policemen. Much credit is due to those we now have, who literally risk their lives and limbs in a rather thankless task. We must do something to protect the pedestrian from thoughtless motorists and also from the suicidal habits of the pedestrain himself, . Unless we do this, we should frankly tell the pedestrian that he must never cross the street, if a motorist is in sight. Other cities have shown that this pedestrian problem can be largely solved. Our frightful traffic toil is a disease which can be mostly prevented by measures which have been repeatedly shown to work.

YESTERDAY'S TREASURES

Across fhe year of yesterdays Sweet thoughts of you I find, Deep in my mind they linger still, And with love they're intertwined; I like to bring them out to see The happy moments that we knew, I treasure them, then store them back; Sweet memories of you. } —Mary Jane Lukens, Knightstown.

By Galbraith FOREIGN AFFAIRS . . . By Ludwell Denny

New German Crisis

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23--The crisis made in Germany has forced the State Department belatedly to recall U. 8. High Commissioner McCloy to Washington for a week's consultation, There is no evidence yet, however, that the administration here is ready to reverse its weak policy. Few foreign crises ever have received so little governmental

than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They think attention or publicity as this

an H-bomb could wipe out from 50 to 100 square miles of a city, In other words, possibly

“half of a great center lke

Chicago. * . . WHEN the first atom bomb was announced, the world felt the zenith in destructive possibilities had been reached. To Jearn that this weapon might be outstripped 1000 times is certain to astound us all. Those who must decide whether to make this bomb are confronted with a terrible tholoce. The economic aspect isn't critical Scientists estimate they can produce the H-bomb for an initial cost of $200 million. The project would take two to four years and would require sizable amounts of many materials In heavy ofvillan use. But apparently the impact on normal business and industry wouldn't be too se vere. . CE I BASICALLY, the decision is a moral, political and military choice. Where will we stand in the world's eyes if we undertake to produce this .colossal weapon of destruction? There is danger that more than a few nations would con-

FROM the military view, however, the question is whether America can take the risk of not producing the Hbomb when its potential enemies may be doing so. Government guesses on Russian

theory of the hydrogen bomb has been well known for years and the Russians may already be working on it, Scientists, members of the Atomic Energy Commission and presidential advisers are divided in their counsel. One distinguished scientist associated with the first A-bomb has advised the President not to make an H-bomb, Other men think the country’s security demands that we go ahead.

. "0 RETIRING AEC Chairman

‘make another exhaustive ef-

fort to get an atomic control nt with the Soviet Union before undertaking the H-bomb. This, it is felt, would strengthen our moral standing in the world, It would be new proof

OPE. YS UY WEA SERWIOL, BIC. T. 08. AO W & PAY. 00),

“It looks a lot like rain tonight—| wonder if your father thinks

more of his new car wit

to start the H-bomb project

the automatic drive than he does of that beautiful new dress of yours!"

can

stumping the experts. But he

one. Of course this neglect is not due to any sinister Ameriinfluences, but rather to a series of natural if unfortupate tauses. These include: Soviet success in China and initiative elsewhere in the Far East, and failure of American policy there, have resulted in unusual concentration of official and public attention on that important than on Europe.

3 » » OUR Allies have not been in position for basic policy deci-

STALIN has contrived a puppet police state in East Germany. He has used not only Reds, but ex-Nazis. He has organized a totalitarian German army under crack German Generals, subject to Russian commisars. To the rear a Soviet marshal has been made dictator of Poland and the dismembered German provinces. So Stalin will be ready soon for the “withdrawal of foreign troops” which Germans demand, and for which the Allies are not prepared.

area rather

on - alm a week - by - week >

MEANWHILE, with Stalin tightening’ his grip on East Germany and ready to profit by a phony “unification” of a “free” Germany, the Bonn government has béen casting off Allied controls. When the Western Allies in setting up that new regime passed over most of their authority. to it, they “reserved”

to electronics New churc] cheaper but ° . In St. A Church in V organ was in by five feet. only 1200 cu old type or same volume 14.000 cubic But the ne make their s ears of the ¢ The old ty cost about $: cost $8500, huge tubes ei inches in di

paper tubes inch in diam

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LAWYERS look critical socialization. Some of tI nightmarish when the ls come regula ment, with up by law. I am not fear inspire Bar Associa! and line up the fight ag they did jus The docts betters allies who not on have the leg up the best | They can plenty of ar

‘Very Hi THE FE Board whicl fingers on t reported toc “very high” The board body knew, | was in an ex This came f spring and were signs o the horizon. The liquid piled up cas accounts wh move easily new labor-sa if the same maintained, stability. When a |

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