Newspaper Page Text
Griffin Daily News
BRUCE BIOSSAT
President's Power of Surprise
WASHINGTON (NEA>
President Nixon’s announced decision to visit Bed China
before next May illustrates perfectly a president's capa
city to change the content of the news and coincidentally,
throw his adversaries off guard.
Says one Nixon-watcher:
"If I were Muskie Heading 1972-Democratic contender).
I’d keep my mouth shut for a while."
What Nixon has done, of course, is to use to the fullest
the president’s power to surprise. And at least one of his
associates thinks he may do it several times more by
election time next year. Says this man:
“He might very well decide to go to Moscow around
July, 1972, (the month of the Democratic national conven
tion). I think he’ll have something of significance, too,
on the SALT talks (arms limitation) I’m sure there will
be other things.”
This source thought a moment, then added, laughing:
"Don't forget, he can go to the moon.”
There is no quick assumption here, however, that
Nixon’s power to command events will be translated
automatically into lasting political benefit which would
enhance his 1972 reelection chances.
Some judgments in town have it that the China thing
could be of fairly short-range advantage, unless it is
clearly shown that direct exchanges with Peking are
closely related to ending the Vietnam war. The tentative
talk about an Asia-wide conference including China and
all Indochina might have to become a much stronger
prospect to be of enduring effect for Nixon. A Nixon
friend’s comment:
“If that doesn’t happen, and if the visit itself turns out
to be just a handshaking tour with expressions of interest
in improving relations, 1 don’t think Nixon’s gain will last.”
The broad conviction among professional politicians and
observers is that the troubled economy is Nixon’s worst
handicap for 1972—and that even the happiest outcome in
Vietnam and Asia generally would not save him if unem
ployment and inflation continue high.
Most of these appraisers think Nixon’s efforts on the
R
K*
WASHINGTON (NEA
Don’t be surprised if some of Hanoi’s top men are on
hand in Peking when President Nixon arrives.
It is known that Chinese Premier Chou En-lai wants to
play a major role in the Vietnam settlement. What
greater coup than to pull a “Kissinger” and bring Mr.
Nixon and the Hanoi men together in private?
It would build Peking’s prestige immeasurably world
wide and in Southeast Asia, where mainland China is
fighting desperately to outmaneuver the Russians.
It would thus help China build its worldwide “third
force” of small and uncommitted nations. And it would
make it a strong voice in world councils.
Peking is in urgent need of an Indochina settlement
one that would reduce the Soviet Union’s ability to ma
neuver in the area.
The Communist Chinese firmly believe Russia is at
tempting to surround China. They note the growing So
viet naval strength in the Indian Ocean—the closer Rus
sian ties with Ceylon, India, the East Pakistan rebels and
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©entry g
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28
Wednesday, July 21,1971
GLOBAL VIEW
Hanoi Could Be Third at Table
By RAY CROMLEY
By BRUCE BIOSSAT
economic front have been painfully sluggish while he con
tinues evidently fascinated with the foreign issues that
have always entranced him.
One would almost think the President had resigned him
self to being a one-term chief executive, and was bent
most heavily on making a record for history in the field
he loves best and thinks most important.
In the summer issue of the magazine Foreign Policy.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, Columbia University specialist on
Communist affairs, runs up a “report card" on Nixon’s
conduct of foreign policy thus far in his presidency. He
gives an -over-all weighted grade” of B.
He rates him B on China and B on Vietnam, but obvi
ously the new initiative looking toward Peking might
ultimately alter that mark upward. Brzezinski accords
Nixon A on the Soviet Union and A— on the Middle East.
Few but the president’s most ardent partisans would
give him even a passing grade on the economy. Nor
would many rate him strong on other domestic matters
like health care, welfare, racial issues.
Close watch on his visible conduct tends to confirm his
priority interest in the foreign sphere. The China visit
excites him.
For the moment, also, he may have disconcerted more
than just his Democratic political rivals. Russia, bulging
its muscles in the Middle East, has to be on edge. So are
some of our friends, including Japan and South Vietnam.
Private word is that Japan was warned months ago the
China move would likely be coming, but Japanese leaders
didn’t believe it. Until recently, it was ruinous politically
to make overtures to Peking.
Yet Nixon, the moderately conservative Republican,
treads where the boldest Democrats feared to go. He, not
some liberal, pushes arms talks with the reviled Kremlin
adversary. He, not the critics shouting “faster.” has
taken 300,000 men out of Vietnam.
Fatalistic Richard Nixon can read polls. They suggest
consistently that he will never be widely popular. But
maybe a place in history as "important foreign policy
president” appeals to him as comforting solace
(NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSOCIATION)
persistent Soviet moves in North Vietnam, Cambodia and
Indonesia.
And mainland China needs an Indochina settlement
that would bring sufficient stability in the South to free
its hands for the festering border crisis with Russia.
In the same vein, note that Moscow during this past
year has been attempting to stabilize its western fron
tier in Europe in part, presumably, to free Russia’s hands
for a possible showdown with China,
Probably, too, it is now in Peking’s interest to have a
divided Indochina of four small states—North and South
Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. China is usually more suc
cessful in working with small governments. It would
have its hands full managing a victorious Hanoi as ruler
of a united Indochina with influence in Burma, north
eastern Thailand and northern Malaysia. A small North
Vietnam on its border is much more comfortable for
mainland China than a strong nation which could fill a
role in Southeast Asia analogous to that which Yugo
slavia has in Eastern Europe.
(NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSOCIATION)
Price suit filed
WASHINGTON (UPI)-The
Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) filed its first case today
against what it said is a
widespread practice of price
fixing by big department stores
at shopping centers.
An FTC spokesman said the
practice costs consumers mil
lions of dollars by eliminating
price competition at many
shopping centers throughout the
nation.
It is done, the spokesman
said, by big department stores
agreeing to lease shopping
center space only in return for
the power to approve or
disapprove other prospective
tenants. The large stores then
screen out discount stores, the
spokesman said.
“This allows them to main
tain higher prices,” he added.
“The consumer’s choice is cut
back considerably.”
The initial case involved
Tysons Corner regional shop
ping center in the northern
Virginia suburbs of Washington,
D.C., and three big chain
department stores. All four
firms were accused of violating
the antitrust laws and were
given an opportunity to sign
consent orders under which the
allegedly illegal practices would
end.
The chains were May Depart
ment Stores Co., Los Angeles, a
leading chain with annual sales
of more than $1 billion
operating in the Washington
area as The Hecht Co.; City
Stores Co., New York, with
annual sales of more than S3BO
million, operating in Washing
ton as Lansburgh’s; and
Woodward and Lothrop, Inc., a
large local chain with annual
HONG KONG LUCY
MANILA (UPI) — Typhoon
Lucy aimed 120-mile per hour
winds at Hong Kong today after
lashing the northern Philippines
with torrents of rain and high
winds.
Floods spawned by the
typhoon caused a landslide in
the Philippines northern-most
island of Luzon, killing three
persons.
‘Who lost China’
officers called
By JOHN HALL
WASHINGTON (UPI) -John
Stewart Service and John Paton
Davies Jr., two former foreign
service officers who fell victim
to the McCarthy era hunt for
“who lost China,” emerged
from a quarter-century of
obscurity today as witnesses
before the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee.
Davies and Service were
called to testify privately
before the committee as the
national debate over the
shifting U.S. policy toward
China continued.
The two men were in China
during the critical period of
World War II when Chiang Kai-
Mills’ tax ideas
may draw fire
By MICHAEL L. POSNER
WASHINGTON (UPI) -Rep.
Wilbur D. Mills, D-Ark., whose
personal diplomacy has the
White House publicly feuding
with him, is considering more
trade moves—including impor
tant tax proposals—likely to
draw new fire from the Nixon
administration.
Sources close to Mills say he
may launch an attack on
administration trade policies as
a result of the continuing
deterioration in the vital U.S.
trade balance, where imports
are outrunning exports.
One informant said Mills may
propose that the United States
go to the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade and recom
mend that international trade
policy body agree to let the
United States impose border
taxes on imported goods to help
the U.S. trade posture.
Mills, chairman of the House
Ways and Means Committee,
holds control over trade,
welfare, tax, health, revenue
sharing and other key pro
grams President Nixon wants
to get through Congress.
But the White House ap
parently did not help the fate of
Nixon’s programs Tuesday
when a key trade spokesman
enraged Mills by belittling his
role in the Italian decision to
restrict sales of shoes to the
United States.
sales of more than $126 million.
Although the case involves
only three stores at Tysons
Comer, the FTC spokesman
said the practice is “prevalent
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shek’s Kuomintang forces and
Mao Tse-tung’s Communists
struggled for control of the
nation. Both were young foreign
service officers on Gen. Joseph
“Vinegar Joe” Stillwell’s staff
in 1944 and 1945. Their cables
back to the State Department
portrayed Chiang’s government
as a corrupt, decrepit regime
that commanded support of
only a fraction of the Chinese
people. Service’s talks with
Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai,
in which the two leaders
expressed their hope for
cooperation with Americans in
defeating the Japanese inva
ders, represent some of the last
friendly contacts between China
Peter G. Peterson, Nixon’s
assistant for international econ
omic policy, volunteered a
statement to White House
newsmen that was critical of
Mills’ role.
Mills, according to Peterson,
suggested the Italians might be
ready to reach agreement, but
“beyond this I am not aware of
any role played by Wilbur
Mills.”
He said “I would find it
difficult to believe that Wilbur
Mills has stated that he played
a major role in these negotia
tions or their outcome.”
Normally an even-tempered
man, Mills was furious at
Peterson’s statement, and im
mediately got him on the
telephone to deliver a strong
blast.
Later in the day, the White
House acknowledged that “Mr.
Mills did have some role” in
the Italian decision.
WATCHFUL WIFE
ADUNGTON, England (UPI)
—For 34 years Harry Stringer,
56, worked awkward shifts in
his railroad job and his wife
Elsie had to put up with it. So
when the time came for the
railroad to give Stringer a gold
watch for 40 years service, he
asked if it could be a woman’s
for his wife. British Rail
agreed. Said Mrs. Stringer: “It
was a wonderful thought.”
throughout the country.” He
said the FTC was considering
similar action involving other
stores at other shopping cen
ters.
and the United States until
White House adviser Henry
Kissinger’s recent trip to
Peking.
Sen. J. William Fulbright, D-
Ark., Chairman of the Foreign
Relations Committee, already
had decided to call Davies and
Service as witnesses before
President Nixon’s announce
ment Thursday night that he
soon would visit Peking for
talks with Mao and Chou.
Fulbright believes the mistake
in foreign policy that resulted
in the Vietnam war was not
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made by the Johnson and
Kennedy administrations but
resulted from the postwar
decisions in which the United
States ignored advice from
Service, Davies and other
professional “China hands” and
threw its lot in with Chiang
against the Communists.
Committee sources said Ful
bright had discussed having
Service and Davies in open
session but decided against it
for the time being.
Service and Davies were
drummed out of the diplomatic
corps along with other exper
ienced China experts during the
domestic political repercussions
that followed the Communist
takeover of China in 1949. The
charges against them con
cerned not their loyalty but
their judgment.