4
i
Monday, February 26, 1962
The Daily Nebraskan
Page 3
From Grain
to Missile Silos
Are Nebraskans Genuinely Isolationistic
Editor's Note: The fol
lowing story by s e n 1 o r
journalism ' student Hal
Brown won first place in
the news division of the
William Randolph Hearst
Foundation Contest. A few
months ago he won first
place with' a story in the
sports section of the Hearst
, contest. This winning story
As a depth report on Ne
braska and isolationism.
- By HAL BROWN
"We just never give much
thought to the missile site.
We realize it's there, but
we don't think about; it. We
just go about our b u s i-
ness.
That was
Roy Carl
son, a ga
rage owner
in Mead,
(pop
u 1 a tion,
428). Yet
not a mile
from the
spot in Hal Brown
which these calm words
were spoken was the scaf
folding for a silo unlike any
other silo in this farm
community.
For this sflo would hold
not silage, but an Atlas
missile with a deadly nose
cone destined for an enemy
target.
These two scenes elo
quently illustrate one of the
strangest contrasts in Ne
braska's history. One, the
quiet, calm main street ap
proach paints a word pic
ture of the detached view
point, sometimes called is
olationism, for which the
Midwest has become noted.
The second, that deadly
silo, presents physical evi
dence that this same part
of mid-America has in fact
become the front line of de
fense for the western world.
It was cold that day on
Mead's main street. Bit
terly cold, in fact. .Nebras
ka was nearing the end of
two months of near-Arctic
Activities Mart
-
Groups Named
The organizations partici
pating on city campus in the
second semester AWS activ
ities mart Wednesday are
AUF, Alpha Phi Omega, ACE,
Builders, Cornhusker, Daily
Nebraskan, IWA, Union, Red
Cross, -Tassels, UNSEA,
YWCA, and Campus Publica
tions. Those that will be partici
pating on ag campus are Ag
Union, Ag YMCA, Ag YWCA,
Block and Bridle Club, Build
ers, Daily Nebraskan, 4-H
Club, Home Economics Club,
IWA, Union, Red Cross, Ro
deo Association, Tassels, and
VHEA.
This is the first time AWS
has sponsored a second se
mester activities mart. The
mart will be located on city
campus in the Union party
rooms from 3-5:30 p.m. and
on ag campus in the Ag Union
from 12-3 p.m.
Delegates Named
For Model UN
Five University students
have been chosen to represent
Nebraska at the Model UN
which will be held at St. Louis,
March 29-31.
The students are: Ted Mun
ster, acting chairman, H. P.
Tipnis, Marguerite Plum, Joel
Lundak and James Moore.
These representatives will act
as Nationalist China. at the
meeting.
Geology Grant
Shell Companies Foundation
has given the department of
geology at the University a
$2,764 grant to support Its
annual fellowship.
NEBRASKAN
WANT ADS
potior
Clarified adi for the Daily
Nebraskan must be entered two
days In advance and must be
paid for in advance Corrections
will be made if errori are
brought to our attention within
48 hour.
LOST
Square (olden wrlit watch, black nylon
band, loot on FrtHajr In Stout Hull or
on way to 17 R. Reward. 1718 R.
432-OOM. '
In Union, pair of lunirtnane S3 reward.
OR 7-7081, Bob Petereon.
loot. Poet Vera. Ion alio rule. Loat la
vicinity of Bancroft or Student Union.
Reward. Phone 477417J.
PERSONAL
If yes !set your wallet, don't lnae your
head HI Put a want ad In The Dally
Nebraahan. Many I lout wallet ha
found Ita way home through the NE
BRASKAN CLASSIFIEDS.
Let me live you the bualnixn! Becauee
I've had It for 38 yeara now I'm wllllm
to ve It to yon. 1 have 25.000 World
War 1 uniform a henalni smartly In
tnr warrhocM ready to wtar. Prefer
buyer with food bank reference and
a aenae of 'humor.
OH K.C. up en fourth floor
Can I knock upon your doort
When your work and play are through
Come and eee me on floor J.
(And bring Matilda with you)
Proud Fox, Chiffon the name ,
ior signal running ou
i . smoke
weather. On at least 16
days during December and
January, the thermometer
had dropped to zero or "be
low. On the farms around
Mead where the ordinary
kind of silo is the rule,
work had all but halted.
Frigid temperatures and,
biting winds had chased the
farmers indoors, or at least
to protected repair work
around the farmyard. But
at the missile site, work
had continued without a
slowdown. In fact, Stra
tegic Air Command spokes
men at home base south of
Omaha announced that no
slowdowns in the massive
missile program had been
caused by weather. They
pointed out that there had
been some brief stoppages,
but none of these could be
laid to the chilling temper
atures that had brought
much of Nebraska to a halt
Elsewhere In this state,
often called isolationist,
some schools had closed.
Some towns had practically
shut down because of gas
shortages, and normal
construction had often come
to a frozen halt. But over
the state near many little
towns like Mead, work
went on in the effort that
was fortifying this as the
center of our national de
fense. Those few who drove
the lonely highways on cold
nights may have seen the
lights at the missile com
plexes and wondered:
Is this Nebraska? Is this
the Midwest where we have
approached any business
but our own with caution?-
They asked a question
that has been argued in
Nebraska for decades:
Is this state an isolation
ist? Perfectly proper is an
other question:
If it is isolationist, is
that bad? '
You will not find agree
ment on the answers to
either question.
Lecture Cancelled
The University of Nebras
ka Research Council has
announced that Professor
Gerald E. Bentley of Prince
ton University is ill and will
not be able to keep his ap
pointment here for the
Montgomery Lecture series.
Professor Bentley was to
have lectured on the Shake
spearean theater.
Campus Library
Ranks Nationally
The University's Love Me
morial Library has been
named by Daniel P. Bergen
of the University of Notre
Dame as "one of the opinion
leading university libraries."
He said that it ranked with
those libraries of Princeton
and Harvard.
"The lesser university li
braries seek to emulate these
building and organizational
models," he said. The three li
braries are subject to a great
deal of discussion and imita
tion. According to director Frank
Lundy, and Kathryn Renfro,
head of technical services,
new librarians are awed by
the breadth of their responsi
bilities here at Nebraska.
They are given a gradual
introduction to their split du
ties and a full orientation.
W all makt mistake . . .
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A Berkshire Typewriter Paper
EATON PAPEI COKPORATIod
Some historians say Ne
braska never was isolation
ist. They point to the role
played by the Mississippi
.Valley in the early shaping
of America's dealings with
foreign powers. Parts of
this great section of mid
America have existed un
der five flags, they point
out. They also refer to the
large number of immigrants .
who settled in Nebraska.
But at least one historian
says this immigration was
a factor in making this
state isolationist. Richard
W. Van Alstyne, writing in
the Mississippi Valley His
torical Review, says:
"After the Revolution,
New England isolationism
which I take to be indis
tinguishable from national
ism, seems to have focused
on animosity toward the
British as competitors and
oppressors on the high seas.
"Isolationism in the Mis
issippi Valley must have
drawn heavily on the New
England inheritance, but
the remoteness of the in
terior from the seas is be
lieved to have emphasized
cultural as well as political
separation from Europe.
"Furthermore, political
animosities which link iso
lationism with Anglophobia
(dislike for the English)
were reinforced in the Mis
sissippi Valley by the in
troduction of non-English
emigrant strains, in whom
inherited prejudices from
the Old World were poured
into the new mold of Amer
ican nationalism."
Other historians, such as
Dr. James C. Olson, chair
man of the University of
Nebraska history depart
ment, says Nebraska is and
always has been isolation
ist. Olson, who defines an iso
lationist as one "who be
lieves in unilateral action,
and wants to work out his
own destiny without refer
ence to outside force s,"
points to the voting records
AUF Fall Drive
Just Under Goal
The All University Fund
Fund (AUF) Fall Drive and
Pancake Feed collected $3,
911.47 according to Stevie
Dort, publicity chairman.
A goal of $4,000 had been
set for collections from Uni
versity students and Lincoln
people.
All classifications were
short of their goals except
Selleck Quadrangle which ex
ceeded its goal of $300 by
$52.10. Fraternity collections
totaled $701.55.
Campus organizations con
tributed $267.95, while Ag
campus organized houses
gave $286.10.
City organized houses, in
cluding the girl's dorm, gave
$90.61, and the Independent
Women's , Association added
$31.00.
Sororities contributed
$1085.32, while Ag campus in
dependents gave $151.99.
AUF Financial Director
Grant Gregory, commenting
on the Fall Drive said,
"Although all the goals were
not surpassed, I feel the drive
wasr a success in that the ap
proximate god of $4,000 was
nearly met by $3,911.47 in
grand total." r
The next AUF activity is the
Faculty Spring Drive which
will be held April 2-14. The
goal for this drive is $1,000. ;
--IF
in
0)iTTSmU, MASS.
of Nebraska Congressmen
to back up his stand.
Beginning with the late
Senator George W. Norris
who in his latter years was
not considered an Isolation
ist by most, Nebraska Con
gressmen have generally
opposed war, mutual secur
ity, and foreign aid, this
group of historians points
tout. They add, however,
that the Nebraska Con
cessional delegations have
generally supported the
Trade Agreements Act of
1934 and the extensions of
the act. ,
An examination of the
voting record of Nebraska's
Congressmen does back up
this viewpoint. While in
some instances votes have
been split on bills generally
considered internationalist
in nature, in the majority
of cases, Nebraska repre
sentatives in Washington
have voted against foreign
entanglements.
Perhaps George Norris,
who in his later years was '
considered by many to be
somewhat of an interna
tionalist, best makes the
point. In World War I days
he was one of six who
voted against entry into the
war. Twenty years later he
was considered by many to
be in agreement with Pres
ident Franklin , Delano
Roosevelt on many inter
nationalist points. However,
an historian even at that
time quotes him as say
ing: "In spite of world ten
sions even greater than at
the start of World War I,
the U.S. should have no in
terest in so-called collective
security. Our business is in
America." '
Today, historians who say
Nebraska is less isolation
ist than in the past point
to (1) the Cuban refugees
who have been accepted
Into Nebraska, (2) develop
ment by the state of sur
vival rations such as the
Nebraskit and he milk bar,
(3) the University of Ne
CampjjL&QakndwL
Inter-Varsity Christian Fel
lowship, will be held tomor
row in 332 Union at 7:30.
There will be a group discus
sion on the Book of Acts.
ft it &
Orchesis tryouts will be
held in Grant Memorial Gym
at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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Si WW 7,
braska's cooperation in
founding and maintaining a
university in Turkey, and
(4) the foreign student pro
grams that are gaining
momentum on many of the
state's campuses.
None of this answers to
tally the question of
whether we are isolationist,
or not. Nor does it tell us
whether isolationism, as
such, is good or bad. But
it explains why this part
of the country has been
called "the isolationist Mid
west." And with that tag our
steadily growing inportance
as a defense center makes
us another paradox in na
tional history. That the
Midwest is the front line of
defense for the western
world is easily established.
There is physical evidence.
It started, probably dur
ing World War II when
temporary air bases and
training centers were set up
in Nebraska. However,
these were temporary and
they were several steps
removed from the front
lines.
Nebraska moved into the
front lines of the cold war
after World War II when
Offuitt Air Base near" Oma
ha was selected as h e a d
quarters for SAC in the
spring of 1948.
From a total assigned
strength of 1,100 men, SAC
headquarters has grown to
a strength of more than 10,
000 in the past 14 years.
What once was an army
outpost is now headquar
ters for one of America's
biggest businesses with a
payroll topping 224,000 men
and women, scattered on 70
bases on four continents.
It is from this building
and its almost unbelievable
underground control centers
that retaliatory weapons
would be fired if the United
States should be attacked.
For all its reputation, its
red phone to the President,
and its second-by-second
Builders Spring mass meet
ing will be from 7 to 8 p.m.
in 232, 234 and 235, Union.
V -ft
The Lincoln Chapter of the
National Cystic Fibrosis Re
search Foundation will meet
at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the
board room of the National
Bank of Commerce.
Up front is I FILTER -BLETvTdI and only Winston has it!
Rich, golden tobaccos specially selected and specially
processed for full flavor in filter smong.
Wlmt-.Balni. N. C
world-wide c o n t a c t, the
building itself is not con
spicuous.' It seems to nestle
down in the middle of Ne
braska farmland and cattle
feeding country.
The Offutt base was
joined by the Lincoln Air
Base later, as LAFB be
came one of the larger
SAC bases from which
first line bombers flew.
And then came the period
of the missile.
This, to a degree,
changed the focus of world
wide attention on Nebras
ka. As SAC spokesmen ex
plain, their headquarters
were located in the Mid
west, originally as part of
the dispersal from Washing
ton, D.C. and because of
the central location. Geo
graphically Offutt Base be
came the center of the
world for retaliatory pur
poses. ' -
However, the s p e e d of
missiles, many times faster
than manned bombers, has
eliminated some of the ad
v vantage of the central lo
cation, they 'explain. The
warning time on an attack
has been drastically cut,
they point out, with inter
continental 'ballistic mis
siles traveling several
thousand miles an hour.
Even so, the red phone
is still in Nebraska, and In
or near many small Ne
braska towns, such as
Mead, those deadly silos
are under construction.
Have Nebraskans re
sented the monsters being
installed in their back
yards? Generally not, say SAC
spokesmen. In fact, they
continue, the reception has
been good. In only a few
instances have their been
problems.
Men working on the mis
sile sites have found a wel
come in nearby towns.
As for the presence of the
missile itself, there seems
to have been little change
in attitude by the people.
If Mead is typical, most
residents of small commu
nities feel the installation
Our MODELS
are in demand
BE PREPARED TO EARN BY
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En(oy fkilh which enhance buiinen or fe
cial contact and everyday living ew well.
TRAIN to ADVANCE in the profitable
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ndncy C hi Ids Modeling School
20 year expmencm in modeling
?
has had little or no Influ
ence on their lives. Most
take the attitude that It It
there, so what? They admit
that little thought is gives
to the fact that their town
may have become a prime
target area.
Most of those interviewed
felt the missile work had
done little to increase their
interest in world affairs.
There has been no sudden
interest, they explain, in
fall-out shelters, for in
stance. From Mead to the other
little towns with their
strange silos, to SAC with
its red phone, the questions
about isolationism may
still be unanswered. But
over the same route there
could be no question that
the M i d w e s t, sometimes
called Isolationist, was the
center of defense for the
western world.
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