THE CHINA MAIL,
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1959.
Reporter MICHAEL COPE writes under the dateline Fairbanks, Alaska, the story of life in the Arctic as told by Air Force CAPTAIN JAMES F. SMITH who has just returned from America's floating ice station Charlie where he has been military commander of the drifting floe since last April
Six months in the
DON'T know what made me volunteer for service
on ice-floc Charlie.
Spirit of adventure, I guess. It struck me as better than sitting at a desk.
I flew in with the base founding crew
April 13. of Ice-fle Charlie was then about five miles across. It looked charged, cold - Dething
ice
l now.
let
We landed and set up tenla the wall portable healing sloves going. The tem- Talore was all 30 ezrevs below zero.
First, tents
That
The Cesnak ski-plane fr us there left after lunch, and in feil you we felt pretty konty
We watched it dimpour over the horizon arul resale theme
between 29 was nothing
know Russia, We did not
anch
af
the time that there was an jer fe manner by Russian seler- tlats 100 miles away.
Building
snow
with families. handle, communications equip 40 years of age mxnt to net up, and schedules They seemed to be more stable
in plan. It was Π busy two than the young fellows.
were volunteers, very carefully weeks.
chom.
Then the main body
Servicemen Eleven
and scientists. This was when
AU
came
16
takt
life of Charlie really best.
We soon learned Russians had a base near us and ued to keep track of them. one line They were only
that
the
AL
40
miles away.
Al
my
We spent two weeks building prefabricated to living enuine for everyone feul for the scientists to work I.
und putting
WEAT
fur-lined
I
TAME!
Cummings
London Express Service.
How big a threat
JUST
how great a threat is China to
omething they had eaten the peace of the world?
having bric
will heavy ow
We Lrict to get in touch
We had all been stiven special
Soon Aler we landed clothing before leaving Fairs Charlie we contacted them by banks-thermal weave under-
radio. They told us they had heavily packed flying
and A 38 men on their floe number of husky dogs. At tut A Globemaster supply plane books, nylon down-lined trousers
and
all they were jackets, the U.S.A.F. of
parachute NTK
time they said which parkas and gloves, dropped te two tractors we after with bulldozer blades
Behind me in Fairbanks left and they were to clear a 6,000ft runway-long
my wile and three children weather enough for the big four-crine
Air Jay, a boy, aged 12, Katherine, flurries. from the supply plurs Force base at Fairbanks, Alaskanine, and Susan, stern.
been appointed comunander There were electrical genera Charlie for six months. tors to swable, food stocks to
By June three tons of supplies Murale Thad been airlifted in.
чіх and during the
bave cuultin't months better. I guess that most of the credit for this belongs to the the cooks. A lot depended on men being well feci.
Sutherland's colossus
takes shape
By JOYCE RACKHAM
IN
·NICE
a disused department store in Mentone with
a leaking roof and the curious eerie emptiness of a Hitchcock film set, Graham Sutherland has been showing me his work on the final stages of
but times after that, of several
they did not answer. Eventually we gave up.
#1
Half
been
We used to lave sicals, turkey, or chicken everyY day When the weather was cold we had fresh vegetables mod days, flown in by the supply planes.
From June to October 3. when the ice was too mushy for planes to land, we had frozen and
canned vegetables para- chuled to us.
Keeping warm
We had oil-burning beaters going night and day in the tents and living huts. They burned a lot of oil and every drop had to he airlifted.
Discipline
On the ice-floe I maintained
ari ristiti Servin dise!vilne
at Reveille was time-tables,
от
7 am and the worlt-day went
0,30 richt through until 7 pm, six days a week. Sun- ali the days we tried to get work cleared up in five or six hours.
is
and ANNIES During July
was warmest, the when temperature rose to freezing and we ach barbecues. The
loved JIMYEL tera. Two of the airmen even
23
i2
Today that is a question which harasses us all.
Everywhere else the horizon in brightenings.
is Mao?
the United States, before the end of this ventury.
Some people give themselves nightmares by thinking of the Vast Chinese population.
But population is nat A source of strength in itself.
be
That
Ja
Look at the United States. The Communists do. They They are so thinly populated admit 1 am guessing and some of the others claim to know, control the whole of China and in relation to their total area
could almost My guess is that the Chinese rule it effectively. What is more, that they Mr Khrushchev has made the are ignorant about us as we they are pushing out to the old described as uninhabited.
and frontiers, and trying to dy up is one reason why America and most conciliatory are about them. Ignorant, wisest
They have Speech of his career. The other surpielous as well.
For a cen• day on the anniversary of the good ground to be. Bolshevik Revolution, the Soviet
tury and more, strangers plun- Proplet Rullic were bileted defed China and grew nich for the first time the prosupet of her expense. The Russians were the British or more pots and pans, ins:end of just as bad as
greater anmamrats.
Americans.
at
two
to
that have been for- ro powerful, and Americans so disputes
le much natural Rotten for
generation. rich, There
and few
people Their claims are often exagger- wraith, ated. But they are claims which share it.
:r the There are 800 million Chinese. could be discovered
that of 50 or 100 But this does not mean Chinese archives
Communist China is 600 million years ago.
strong. It is 800 million weak.
Just look
I do not believe that Com- munist China can be a serious the danger to the security of But perhaps
we should be world in our lifetime. Оп ott alarmed that the Communists condition: that we do not force
They couple of outdoor
rule China at all.
talk Russia and China into aften enough of luming China common kotation, China, back- into a Great Power. And with ed by Russia, could indeed be the Communist system they a danger. can do it. Just look at what the Communists have done in Russia.
That the argument with which is oul.
many people frighten
about themselves
China.
pul ពៀរ display of water- ski-ing but only once.
to
In
It started to freeze up again, and the planes came in with the winter supplies. They includes
of fuel-enough nine tons keep us wan for six months.
about At
worried Brst I the Polar bears that used What we missed most of all climb on the loc island, attract was writing home. We used to ed by the anell of food.
regulerby June we killed nine, et mall from home with the parachute drops, but it during the hard- was only freezing months when planes
send mall out.
On the
his design for the world's largest tapestry-could land that we were able to "Christ in Glory.”
It will hang 75ft, high behind the altar of Coventry Cathedral: in May, it should be on show 1982.
workers
Stitch
Twelve tapestry
in
in re-drawing, changing tone and emphasis, and simplifying lines.
of buse we had a couple di
Looking
A wave
Occasionally, the Royal Cana- patrol planes dian Air Force hams and they bok at us. We liked that, and used to swoop down and have a
1 marvellous morale-
we would wave to them boosting job. I used to let
But it is good to be ixck on He stood in front of une sec-
then use the Service sets to get the mainland again. tinn showing the feet of Christ In touch with hams in P, back, I thing our biggest joy which will appear 3tt. high, - Indiana, and Newark. New WOR in the library. Every
anked by a lion and a bull. are
Jersey.
palim anet every paradrop ing it layer by layer as Suther
They passed on messages and brought us 30 or 40 of the latest laud delivers each new
This trip represents a month's
books. twa-ranged for wives and sweet- work. He hopes to have from which they take tracings.
thirds of them finished by the hearts to talk to their menfolk
on Charlie. end of next year.
We found the best people for WETE married "In Aubuss
caunotice island duty They
Twenty-eight of the men show me more than a foot of the men. tapestry on the loom at a time on Charlie were between 25 and
Aubusson, France.
Too small
sirita
It is worked on a wooden roller, and will all be in one piece," he
said.
trust
nt
Sutherland's studios in Eux- Band and Mentone are both to small for his present work and the mayor of Mentone arranged for the store to be lent to him.
Ou
hang he wall ne
"I About the colours: the next photostat coples of
is re- layer of the Lopestry-more than their judgment, which
Generations markable. then 35:1. families have beent working quite there, und I It is
marvellous." incongruously mounted by a huge comic plaster chicken "Remove the bird bu don't touch the strip, please!" n notice written by Sutherland in French.
7. high and more long.
commands
sur-
And them
Convert
Will the visitor to Coventry be
"Recently this place was dazzled by the monumental
a municipal dance, used for These were the decorations," he explained, and untied a tattere:1 paper chain from a pillar.
'Harry Lime'
whim-
Sutherland apologises sically for being fussy. "Since I set some paintings alight by mistake in England I have had
scale of the tapestry?
"I don't think so." he said. "The cathedral has a great deal of atmosphere and the dotalis will show themselves gradually there."
Sutherland revealed a variety of influences which were in his mind as he designed 11: The and Byzantine epoch Buddhas, Agures in the Valley of the aslight fire complex," he said. Kings in Egypt. "But I never We visited the store at dusk intended the tapestry 40 be during one of the Rivlera's worst strictly traditional," he adds. storms of the year. Rain patter-
Although a Roman Catholle Sutherland's reltglous works have been for Protestant Catholic church
ed on the glass roof and dripped through to the grimy led door, convert,
Sutherland, a connoisseur
atmospheres, pointed 10 the churches; the coloured lights round the vacant has never commissioned him. bandstand, stacked chairs and
tired-looking carnival animals sectarian beller is essential in
hanging in drunken round the rooms.
aitliudes
But he does not consider
the production of a greal re ligious picture.
דיי
don't think it is always an artist to be especially religious to achieve
"Absolutely Harry Lime. Per- fect for a manhunt scene!" he necessary for Bald delightedly.
Re-drawing
"Now I'll show you some-
it."
Sutherland showed me some foot-high squares of tapestry sent from Aubusson to show how his signature will be work-
thing even better," he chuckled. ed in with the design.
And he dashed to an Anic- room, reappeared
to march
His attitude to this is typical- ly modest. "Frankly, I dizin't want it in at all. The balance proudly round the store with the of the design is more important headless torso of a shop window than my name. But I was per- Agure over his swulder.
sunded at Aubusson that room
It takes some adjustment to should be made for it!” work bere after ny studio where
I am at home,” he explained.
"I have
the feeling 1
Turning from Jld work, Sutherland Inuker with
am unabashed admiration at the almost in the street bere,” he camera equipment belag used
said as the traie rumbled by by my photographer,
on both sides of the store.
"It's marvellous-It makes ine
On the Photostat, enlarged to feel as though I'm silt using
the size of the tapestry from Bint and arrows"!
his original painting, hitherland
-- Landen Käprezz-Esraice).
A
And we managed to put a fim show on every night. The madn thing was
mon to keep the
of occupied; there was plenty work in just running the base.
-London Express Servick).
Just Fancy That!
Cambridge student, Peter six-foot 13-STONE, Watts, dressed up as a woman and dined with two hundred girl students at Girton College Hall for a 10s. bet. He was undetected.
-London Express Service).
The first
Nasser ' In the United
Even now we have the absurd position that the Government The worth?
which obviously and Indisput- ably rules the whole of China is Khrushclicy and de Gaulle kept out of the United Nations. have exelianged friendly mess. Yet that organisation is loaded opes. Even Dr Adenauer has with the representatives of dirta- of them shown sims of being willing to torial Stales, many compromise, Peace for the world Communist. seems just round the corner.
will at this be But what worth if the Chinese are set on the path of conquest? What lies behind their advance on Indian territory? Are the Chinese Com munist leaders, like Stalin, stil end self- blind with obstinacy
The Americans refuse confidence?
These are fearful questions. to "recogilse" Communist The more fearful because no- body knows the answer. Liter- China, And the ally nobody at all. Soviet policy Chinese natur- is difflealt enough to understand. ally enough "A mystery wrapped within an enigma." Churchill once called is the preludo it. But it is plain sailing com- pared with the Chinese.
Guesswork
knows.
The danger
But the danger would bo from Russia, not from China.
Nations. Mao Tse-tung This is as silly at the man who saw a giraffe at the 200 and sounds frightening enough. But
"There ain't said:
no such look
al again
what the Not that we should seek to animal."
Communists have done in divide Russin
China. from Russin. They tather we should get Russia to have
made join with us and the other Russia a Great advanced nations in helping to develop Ctuna, India, bach the Power, one of other centres of world poverty, the greatest. But where diel The Chinese are a proud and they start Independent people, The Chineso from? From Communists
ready nothing? From threaten or even to fight. They a backward are frightening as dragons were impoverished pea- frightening to men in the Middle
Ages.
think that this
10 attacking them.
the
All
soine,
urc preparing
-by. A.J.P.
TAYLOR
I do not think they country of
for world sants?"
Not at all. They started from war or even for a great wor of Nobody
Western defence. Thetr frontier push a level that was highly indus- visitors do not know, Western into Indian territory looks trialised in a patchy way. diplomats might as well be con- alarming.
fur remember Aned in Wormwood Scrubs all they are allowed to know at history. Peking. It is very doubtful whe- has ther even Mr Khrushchev any cleare idea than the rest of
US.
Bul Le
D bit of
need to Chinese
The Russin of 1014, before World War I and before anyone hau heard of the Bolsheviks, more The Communists are the first was already producing
really iron and steel than France. She Government that has
had a big coal production. The Pullloy engineering shops in. St Petersburg
the among biggest and the most advanced in the world.
ruled China for
do not
hundred
years.
Government
authorlly. And
almost
E The first willk resi the first to
Perhaps the Chinese even know themselves. To them is still the world outside China what it was in the old days of
and a strange the mandarins: hostile plac
inhabited by "foreign devils."
Are
rule the whole of China.
The old empire never recover- ed from the Taiping Rebellion in
Do they fear us? Or plan 1800. There has not been even a
conquer us?
they pretence of a united Govern- ment of China since the fall of strong or weak? We
guess at the the empire in 1910. Chiang Kai- can only answers. The difference between shek, so much admired by 2. D. me and other "authorities" on Roosevelt, never controlled more international affairs is that I than a fraction of China.
JAK GOES FENCING
LE CUB DUMAS
METHOD BARTAGNAN,
ALISONED COUP DE SY
"But, monsieur, fewer than three would be an insult to a true Musketeer 1”
were
Russia suffered great devasta- tion in two world whis bad in a great revolution.
Bui she had
something to
are
to
But this is not the Age of Dragons. It is the Age of Nuclear Power.
(London Express Service).
TALKING
POINTS
Shaking hands as a mark
build on. She had technicians, of faith and confidence was apart of the symbolism of rallways. Roman Law.
skilled working-class,
4
Creat network of
Even so, it took the Bolsheviks 20 years to pull Russia together.
In 1830 Russia was just getting
up into the ranks of the Great
-EDWARD GIBBON.
Women commend #
Powers once more. Stronger modest man than France, weaker than Ger- not. many.
Worse off
Yet another 20 years have
passed.
but like him
-THOMAS FULLER.
Of all the traps and pit- falls in life, self-disesteem
has And now Russia greater industrial resources than is the deadliest and the any single country in Europe. hardest to overcome. Yet still a long way behind the United States.
The Soviet rulets have done wonderful things. But let us keep
-MAXWELL MALTZ.
There is a magic in the of schoolboy friendships.
-DISILAELI.
No man was ever great of proportion, Bensc They cannot work miracles and by imitation. they have not claimed to do so.
-JOHNSON,
Starting with a great deal of economic equipment and under- standing, they have taught us up in 40 years. And perhaps) they will catch up the Ameri-memory cans in 50, though I doubt it.
But where to the parallel with China? Compared to other countries, China is for worse off then Russia was in 1914.
She is considerably more backward from an industrial point of view than India, Commentets may pull Ching up.) But they have a long way to
go.
The
Take any test of econòmJe power
density
coal, steel, electricity,
of Jalkways-and the
Chinese are
far away behind
Britain, though wt дато
less then
Lenih of their
popilation,
They talk of catching us up.
MET
I play the violin To get money To get bread
To get strength To play the violin.
-STREET MUSICIAN IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE.
The twenties are
better
the
That la their highesi, ambition.
than the teens, the thirtien
batter
They are not so foolish as to twenties, and the forties
wedpose that they will toh are just dandy.
up
Boviet Russia, lei
aloon
EMILY KIMBOROUGH.