The Charlotte News

Wednesday, November 19, 1958

THREE EDITORIALS

Site Ed. Note: The front page reports from Havana that the U.S. Embassy had announced this date that unidentified warplanes during the week had twice bombed offices and warehouses of the U.S. Government-owned Nicaro Nickel mines on the northeastern coast of Cuba, with heavy damage reported. There had been no casualties among American personnel and the bombings themselves had not been concentrated, according to an Embassy spokesman. The first attack had occurred on Sunday and the second in the early morning on Tuesday. The mines were located in Oriente Province, the main stronghold of Fidel Castro's rebellion against El Presidente Fulgencio Batista's Government. Rebels had long been operating in the area of the mines and at times had temporarily occupied it. The Embassy said that it had no information on the identity of the attacking planes. There was an unconfirmed report that Government planes might have bombed the area if rebels were about at that time. Most communications with the rebel stronghold in the province were still cut off and there was only radio contact with Nicaro and other strategic areas. Sketchy reports received by the Embassy had said that one plane had bombed the Nicaro offices on Sunday and another plane the previous day had attacked the warehouses where about $500,000 worth of machinery had been stored. The Embassy did not know how many bombs had been dropped.

Also in Havana, it was reported via a rebel broadcast this date that 50 Government soldiers had been killed in a clash in the western part of Oriente Province.

In Berlin, it was reported that the Western Big Three this date had gotten set to cope with the impending transfer to the East German Communists Russia's control over allied supply lines to West Berlin. The Soviet withdrawal from the four-power occupation of Berlin was considered a certainty. The Russian action was expected to touch off the most serious Berlin crisis since the 1948-49 blockade. The U.S., Britain and France were reliably reported to have prepared steps to take if the East Germans began controlling allied military truck convoys or trains. The East Germans already regulated civilian traffic from West Germany. Western officials declined to say what allied soldiers would do if checkpoints presently manned by Russians were turned over to representatives of the East German regime, which the allies refused to recognize. But experts in Berlin believed that the allies would react by formally refusing to accept East German controls, by protesting strongly against unilateral Russian withdrawal from the four-power occupation agreements formed after World War II, and if left no choice, would yield to East German controls while making it clear that it did not constitute recognition of the Communist regime. East Germans manning checkpoints would be regarded simply as agents of the Russians. An alternative would be for the allies to attempt an airlift similar to that which had broken the Soviet blockade in 1949. At that time, however, the allies had to supply the 2.2 million people of West Berlin. With civilian traffic not involved on this occasion, an airlift would only have to supply the approximately 10,000 Western troops and civilian officials and families. There was no assurance that the Communists would let another allied airlift proceed without harassment from their fighter planes. But it appeared unlikely that they would precipitate a war by seriously interfering with it. The Russians continued to participate in air safety controls during the 1948-49 blockade. While the allies waited for the next Russian move, a U.S. Army truck convoy had returned without incident from West Germany on Tuesday night. The Russians had stopped three trucks the prior Friday but the American soldiers had orders not to permit Soviet inspection of covered cargoes. Traveling west on Tuesday, the convoy's cargo had been uncovered, with the two trucks and a jeep returning empty.

In Geneva, it was reported that the Western powers had called on the Communists this date to study the instruments of surprise attack and techniques useful in lessening the danger of such incidents.

In Paris, it was reported that the U.S. Army's missile chief had told NATO parliament members this date that a defense against intercontinental nuclear missiles was possible and was under accelerated development in the U.S.

In Jerusalem, it was reported that the missing wife of Britain's air attaché to Israel had been found this date shot to death, 150 yards from the Syrian-Israeli border.

In Washington, the Justice Department said this date that the training of special U.S. deputy marshals in connection with the Little Rock school desegregation crisis the previous year had come to an end. All of the special marshals had been removed from the Federal payroll, according to a spokesman. An unspecified number had been trained for possible use in the event of trouble should Little Rock's Central High School be reopened on an integrated basis as in the 1957-58 school year when nine students had initially matriculated among the total student body of 2,000. Currently, Central, along with the three other high schools in Little Rock, including the only black high school, had been closed by Governor Orval Faubus pursuant to a new state law permitting the closure rather than submit to court-ordered integration, as had been ordered to continue at Central by the Supreme Court on September 12. Presumably, the special marshals who had been trained could be returned if there were any need for their services.

The President was planning to leave for Augusta, Ga., the following day, a little earlier than had originally been planned, to arrive in time to get in a round of golf before dark.

In Charlevoux, Mich., it was reported that two men had been found alive this date in the waters of Lake Michigan, but it was feared that 33 others from a freighter which had gone down in the cold, storm-tossed lake late the previous day had perished. Unofficial accounts indicated that 18 bodies had been recovered. Some veteran seamen expressed amazement that even two persons had survived overnight in the 50-degree water amid gale-force winds which had caused mountainous waves on the Great Lakes, with an air temperature at 40. The 615-foot freighter had gone down off Gull Island at the top of Lake Michigan in 60 mph winds. Split apart, it apparently had exploded when in-rushing water had hit its hot boilers. A German motor ship which had battled for more than an hour to cover the 3 miles to the sinking site, had found no survivors and no lifeboats, nothing except a tank which came from deep inside the freighter, indicating an explosion. A seaplane had reported sighting eight bodies on a raft, but had been unable to say whether there was any life. Rescue craft, with waves still running high and 30 mph winds, were reported to have difficulty getting into shallow water where the bodies were reported sighted. The freighter was returning home empty at the time of its sinking.

In Elizabeth, N.J., a 20-year old young woman who did not scare easily had foiled an elaborate bank robbery plan the previous day. She had been working quietly when the would-be robber, an unemployed travel agent, approached her and handed her a note demanding all of her cash and threatening harm to her mother and brother if she sounded an alarm. The woman had quietly read the note, handed the man $4,000 and pulled an equally quiet police alarm. The man was met at the door of the bank by two patrolmen, and he said: "I'm the man. Don't hurt me." With a minimum of fuss, he was taken into custody. Based on what he had told police, he was married and the father of five children, was heavily in debt and wanted to borrow money but realized he could not without collateral. He learned of the young woman's identity and called her mother on the telephone, telling her that he represented a television show, and she would win a prize if she answered his questions. She then proceeded to tell all about her family and confirmed that the young woman at the bank was her daughter. The man then composed a note which he thought would make his scheme a success at the bank. When he presented it to the young woman, it had indicated that her named brother and mother were being held and would be shot unless she followed instructions. The note instructed her to put all of the bills she had which were large and small in his bag and "act naturally. I am desperate and if I get out of here alive, I promise you your mother and brother will call you unharmed in 15 minutes. Their life and mine are in your hands. Don't make any mistakes and act naturally with your next customers." The young woman, apparently unmoved by either the robber or his note, quietly returned to counting the money, while tripping the silent alarm. The man and his family occupied a $115 per month apartment in Jersey City. He was charged with robbery.

In Lincoln, Neb., not in the newspaper this date, testimony had ended on Tuesday in 15-year old Caril Ann Fugate's trial for aiding and abetting the first-degree murder of 17-year old Robert Jensen, killed by Charles Starkweather on January 27 in nearby Bennet, Neb., for which the latter had been convicted the previous May and sentenced to death. Final summations by counsel would be provided this date and the instructions by the court the following morning, with the case set to go to the jury on Thursday afternoon. They were not selling postcards of the hanging and the circus was not in town. What would be your verdict?

In New York, it was reported that a possible strike against the nation's four major television-radio networks had been deferred again this date by a performers' union.

On the editorial page, Joseph Alsop, writing from Amman, Jordan, finds that events in the country had a way of resembling one of the episodes of the old serials, such as "Perils of Pauline", with the heroine or hero always emerging from direct danger in a glow of triumph at the close of each episode. But even such an unreal piece of melodrama as that of young King Hussein's escape from a recent attack by Syrian MIG fighters could also be full of genuine political significance.