1960-05-19 — Page 6

Gaitskell

and

Pearl White

just as good at cliff-

hanging!

PEARL WHITE

ON THAT CUFF

IN 1923 J

by DOUGLAS CLARK

ARE we witnessing the final break-up of the

Labour Party? Is it doomed at last?

Inflexibly disarma- So are most in the Com-

Gaitskell is Of course, during its past nine sagging years in opposition opposed to unilatéral the question has been asked ment by Britain. before. Through all that time of his followers the party's harrowing, adven- mons. The alternative choices ture packed, miraculously that would face them are there- charmed life has recalled the fore plain. perils of Pearl White.

Picture Miss White at the end

THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1960,

The folly that leaves us dependent on America

FROM Moscow comes the strange story of

Francis Gary Powers, the American pilot whose plane was shot down by a Russian rocket. It is a story which should cause the deepest anxiety in Britain.

How did it ever come about that an American plane was allowed to fly over Russian territory on almost the very eve of this week's Summit con- ference?

Surely this, above all, was the moment when every possible step should have been taken to avoid raising International ten- sion.

Yet instead, tension was raised. to steaming point by this utterly unnecessary and stupidly pro- vocative flight.

The blame

Who is responsible? It would who resign be quite wrong to blame Presi- The President is no fool. He is a great man, honestly seeking

The first choice would be Remember her? The heroine for Mr. Gaitskell and all of those silent cinema serials? "Shadow" Ministers of a typical instalment. She is think like him to right out on a limb: bound from the Labour Front hand and foot to the branch of Bench,

preci- a tree projecting over a pice, Below, a swirling torrent and the snapping jaws of hungry crocodiles are waiting. The branch begins to crack...

The odds

Always we left White in a delicate dition,

Always somehow came through.

dent Eisenhower,

реже,

by JOHN JUNOR

also be remembered that other equally far-fetched Russian claims have been substantiated in the past.

Remember the saket" which landed on the moon in Septemn- ber 1959. It arrived there i minute 23 seconds later than the From this mighty exodus— The inescapable conclusion is Russians predicted it would, after and make no mistake. party that in this affair, as in so many travelling a quarter of a million lenders at Westminster are others, the fault lies with Eisen- miles. already hinting it could happen|hower's military advisers in the

there would be few survivors. American Peitagon,

Possibly Mr Greenwood would still have his feet up on the Pearl Clerks Table. But who else?

con. It would only remain for the i

pacifist rump to find a seat for Mr Michael Foot so that he she could take on the party leader- ship and responsibility for the new policy.

It has been the same with the Labour Party-so far. From the Bevan revolt to Clause Four it has repeatedly surmounted fear- ful odds.

But now, facing the most desperate internal crisis in all Its history. can it really do so again?

now

Is there anyone

who would confidently predict that with one bound Labour will once more be free?

Elected

Mr Gaitekell and the partia- mentary party could ignore the decision of the conference al- together.

All the indications are that these military experts have not kept pace with politice

They live in the age of Stalin and John Foster Dulles, They, still think that Ruskin is at my minute liable to start an aggressive war, “

Bure

We rejoice

No doubt there are people like The other missible choice if

them in Britain too. But in the party conference

goes Britain there is one big pacifist?

difference. Here they have no power. In America they have.

This power of the American generals must be ended. And to Its ending, every possible pres

must be exercised by They could argue that Britain.

The people of this country re- they are the elected voice

the alliance joice in

with of Labour. That the British America. They want it to con- Even Mr Galtskell him- voter put them in the Com- tinue for all time. self is sald to be admittting mons. That they are But if ft 1 indeed to endure, candidly behind the scenes responsible only to

him. then must be on the basis of that the party's plight over That they are not and American power residing in the hands of the properly elected never can be the mouthpiece representatives of the American of a non-parliamentary cau- people. Not in the trigger-happy fingers of a handful of American generals,

defence is extremely grave.

And no wonder.

Plain

The stampede towards paci- fism is on; and every moment the pace is quickening. Mr Gait- skell hopes to get a new official deferice policy formulated in about two months. Will it really come soon enough to achieve

10

cus,

Those are the choices. Which ever were preferred, it would shatter the

Labour Party into fragments.

Its day would be done.

Wait for it

What hope, then, car there be

anything? Will it arrive in time that Labour will survive is

stop other great unions present crids? tumbling eagerly after the shop and engineering workers?

On the contrary, there is every reason to suppose that a ban- the-bomb resolution would com- mand a massive majority vote at the Labour next autumn.

On the face of H, very little. This time it looks all up with Pearl White. Everything points to a good square meal for the crocodiles.

Let it not be thought, how- ever, that the military experts in the Pentagon should be the only cause for our anxiety.

Remember

There is another implication of the shooting down of the Ameri- can plane. A grave one indeed for Britain,

It has been stated that the

plane was flying at a height of

G0,000 feet.

Yet, according to the Russians, it was shot down by a single

Party Conference Still, you can never be rocket.

quite certain.

Consider the dilemma that

The oily thing to do is wait would prosent for Mr Gaitskell, for the next harrowing instal- And for the party at West ment. minster.

-{London Express Service).

EMERGENCY WARD

It may be said that the Rus- sian claim is propaganda. It is true it could be and may be.

It would suit the Russians to exaggerate the power of their

#

That was not plece of Russian propaganda. Nor was the rocket which hurtled 8,000 miles through the stratosphere

and landed within a mile and quarter of Its target in the Pacific.

Why then should we dis- believe the Russians now?

Yet if we accept the Russian claim consider its implication for Britain.

At this moment the only striking force this country has available as an independent de- terrent is the V bomber.

Now ask your neighbour this question: IF AN AMERICAN PLANE FLYING AT 60,000 OWN BY A SINGLE ROCKET, FEET CAN BE BROUGHT

BOMBER EVER HAVE OF WHAT CHANCE COULD A V

REACHING MOSCOW?

Different?

A smake-screen of propaganda is already going up to suggest that there is a very great dir- ference between a V bomber end the plane that was shot down

RED

IN CANADA

RED SPIES [IN M.S.A.

Red

Red Spies

Red Spieg Finlan

BRITISH

COMMUNITSInd Scarl

RED

RED SPILS

IN GERMANY

FRENCH

COMMUN

SPIES

RED

ITALIAN COMMUNISTS RED SPIES

RED SPIES ACENTS IN AFRICA

RED

(AGENTS IN

THE MIDDLE,

EAST

Red, spies

in

fghan

RED SPIES

AMERI

RED SUBS

ON PATROL

Cummings

INDIA

"Incredible! Uncivilised!! Immoral!!! The Yanks are actually spying!

London Expreta Service

It is said that the V'bomber sending an aircraft on a fight scientists and technicians as to Sad indeed is the comparison dom. In just over three years of

has special devices that could repel rockels.

Maybe it has. But even if it is true that for the moment such devices are effective, how long are they likely to remain so?

The truth is harsh and uni- pleasant. But it is also inescap- able.

It is not only an American Plane which has been blown to bits. So has the British Government's defence policy.

For it is now beyond dispute that if Britain were attacked to

morrow she would have no power to rolaliate in any way.

In other words, for

the pre- servation of peace, Britain is

now utterly dependent on the Americans. Which means that in practice, and until things have changed, she is dependent on the generals in the Pentagon- the

into Russian territory only 15 believe them incapable of pro- days before the Summit con- during a solid fuel rocket that ference was due to begin. will work?

Yet this is the moment and For the decision to- abandon these are the elroumstances rockets, the Prime Minister must

held in which the British Govern. himself be

completely ment has decided not only to responsibic, abandon Blue Streak but also ›

to opt out of the rocket race altogether.

It has done so in the full THE SECRET

Knowledge that without an in- dependent deterrent Britain crises to be an independent country.

It is argued, of course, that Blue Streak was a failure.

OF THE

Maybe it was: 'But is that any reason for giving up rockets PHARAOH'S altogether and for all time?

What about solid fuel rockets? Has the Government so title

defensive weapons. But It should same men who are charged with faith in the ingenuity of British TOES

CAIRO.

mighty

WHEN The

Pharaoh Rameses conf-

missioned ́s sculptor to make à 30° Ft. #atue of him, little did he know of the use to which it would be put 3,000 years later.

Calro detectives noticed that Hashem Abdul Alim, a baker, went every hour from sun- rise to midnight to the statue of Pharaoh Rameses at the big square outside Cairo's central railway station, and caressed its big toes.

Puzzled, the detectives kept a close watch on Hashern, and dis- covered that each time he went to the statue, eight persons went to it after he left and caresséd its toes also.

HASHISH

Every hour Hashem, touched the Pharaoh's toes, und every hour eight persons, no mare, no less, but different ones every tid, followed his example,

So the detectives walked to the state us soon as Hashem

•Wad made a visit

They discovered eight pieces of hashish between the toes. The detectives left the dope Where it was and waiti tu eight pembon wallbed" sophinately to the statue art: crested Its

between Mr Macmillan and a office Mr Macmillan has reached predecessor who came to power the point of surrendering It com Just 20 years ago Sir Winston pletely. Churchill.

4

The prayer must be that, late In five years of blood and as the hour is, he may still re- sweat and tall and tears Chur- deem himself. chill saved this country's free- -London Express' Service),

Mid Week Selection by Friell

"Those shots were they outside or in here?”

DISTANT EARLY WARNING

'The first thing they'd better-do at the Summit is

to arrange for an Internationally recognised signal to

The given by zpỳ "planes.

ing brings 'em out in spots quicker than an assurance, from the States like: "Don't beifrig

Ye will come 15 Your

pound notes? lying where the

Now Hatun da invali ewall- ing trial.

non Ixpress Service,

rip for gy

Jika Her running ground like that.”