Hooked by | own line not much is heard these days of Senator Joseph Mc- Carthy. His witch-hunting sick- ened most Americans. But re- cently he has had his leg pulled to some effect in the Nether- lands. After the events in Hungary last November, the officials of the Dutch PEN club decided to expel all the Communist members and anyone who would not sign a declaration that they were not Communists. Now PEN is an internationai organization of writers of usually liberal ideas. The Dutch officials claimed to be acting in accordance with its prin- ciples, but many people saw their action as the beginning of-a witch-hunt in the Nether- lands. To expose these officials H. P. L. Wiessing, an eminent Dutch journalist and a leading opponent in’ PEN of the ex- pulsion order, hit upon the idea of writing to McCarthy. The senator fell for Wies- sing’s carefully phrased letter and, sent through Wiessing the following message to the Dutch PEN: “I certainly feel that. you have rendered a_ distinctive service in barring Communists from your organization. I am enclosing herewith a copy of my book McCarthyism, the Fight for America, which you may be interested in reading.” Wiessing immediately _ pub- lished the letter. On reading it many people in the Netherlands were shock- ed to realize that in approving the action of the PEN officials they were treading the Mc- Carthy path. The notorious senator had been used to con- found his imitators. OPEN FORUM Word of appreciation T. BARDAL, Ruskin, B.C.: We feel that a word of ap- preciation is due to you people that make up the Pacific Trib- une staff for the continued im- provement of our paper. There is more variety of interest to the average reader. The new column, Speaking Briefly, could become a valuable con- tribution towards that goal. For further improvements may I suggest that with the B.C. Centennial coming up, a column be devoted to histor- ical events, interesting data pertaining to the many-sided development of the province, pioneering stories and the ac- counts of the struggle of its people for a fuller life. A further suggestion is that a socialist publication should have a special page devoted to important developments in the fields of science, medicine and health, new techniques, discoveries and experiments, arts and education, etc., in the socialist countries. This would constantly bring to the atten- ion of the readers the tremen- dous creative abilities and in- itiative of peoples liberated from the yoke of capitalism. An article now and then is inadequate. A readers’ forum is a great asset to any paper. Most read- ers go for the forum the first thing; the readers’ point of view is invaluable and a great stim- ulant for the discussion of vital topics. Our forum is a sort of a stubby beginning; we need a full page, and to-get readers to contribute I suggest that the editorial board choose a controversial topic once a month and call for comments. 2 Prizewinning letters Each week the Paci- fic Tribune will present a book to the writer of the most interesting, en- tertaining and _ topical letter published on this page. Contributors are urged to keep their let- ters to a reasonable length. The prize-winning let- ter in our last issue was written by George Col- lins, Vancouver, B.C. Further, if someone could be found to contribute a weekly humorous and satirical column of the kind Mel Colby used to write for the old Daily Clarion and later for the Canadian Tribune, it would provide needed humor to ease the ten- sions created by the conflicts of capitalism. Satire can some- times drive home a point bet- ter than any other form. Report ‘all wrong’ THELMA STEVENS, Hil- liers, B.C.: Regarding the Hawthorne report, I say the whole thing is wrong. The real trouble is not one of skin col- or, inferiority or ignorance, as is commonly put forward by people who think they are of superior race, but is strictly economic and is forced upon them by our government, the main reason being to make them a source of cheap labor. What we need is not reports but one law for all, including a clause outlawing racial dis- crimination. Abolish the Department of Indian Affairs; out with this “Indian Affairs’ nonsense. They have no special “af- fairs,’ their needs are the same as ours — food, shelter, and the right to protest, dis- cuss, elect, etc. But let me tell you, there’s one “problem” the great,,white fathers had better get crack- ing on, and that’s jobs at de- cent pay, and the development of Canadian industries we need. And snap it up, white brothers! We all have one in- convenient peculiarity — we have to eat. Sooke strike WOODWORKER, Victoria, B.C.: The entire crew of Sooke Lumber Company pulled a wildcat strike on Tuesday last week in a determined effort to prevent what now appears to be a carefully planned employ- ers’ attempt to break the IWA master agreement and to in- itiate further speedup. The move came after a long © period ‘of unsettled grievances with management and after the company had hired a new shift boss who was to act as boss as well as take a jeep driver’s job and a dryer opera- tor’s, taking two jobs. The crew have stated that they are determined not to go back to work until they win their case. There is a growing recognition amongst union men that the struggle is not just between them and the company but rather is part of a much larger struggle in which Sooke Lake Lumber is carrying the ball for the operators, and the men are carrying the ball for the union in its struggle to resist the employers’ offensive on working cofditions. Jehovah’s« Witnesses, T LE are comforting philosophy our doom,ethey alone will survive the torments of Ar- mageddon to reap the re- wards of their righteous- ness. While the rest of us try to make this the best of all worlds, they are no longer so secure in their private knowledge that the best of all worlds is not of this earth. Who knows, it may be Venus. Like the Jehovah’s Wit- nesses, this movement has what might be called a cos- mic approach. It has the same comforting philosophy that sets the saved apart from the damned. But where the Jehovah’s Wit- nesses is an ox-cart lumber- ing out of the past, heavy with the visions of the 7 Apocalypse, the new. move- Hal Griffin about to face a challenge. No longer can they lay sole claim to the that however recklessly the rest of us plunge toward it seems, a @ ment zooms. through the future like a flying saucer and its visions are the pro- jections of our own atomic age. 3 503 os The prophet of the new movement, if he may be called that, is a former test pilot named George Van Tassell. Not surprisingly, he comes from California, where he owns a small air- port in the Yucca Valley. It was there that he and his wife claim to have met the men in a flying saucer from Venus. Last week Van Tassell was in this city to recount his experiences for mem- bers of the Vancouver Fly- ing Saucers Club. What interested me was less the story he told than the conclusions he drew from it. As a matter of fact, his story of there being “ten million visitors from other planets on earth” — Venus- ,ians living among us to make sure we don’t blow up the earth with our atomic experiments — was vaguely familiar. Then I recalled a _ science-fiction story with this very theme. (I like science-fiction, but I usually end by laying down the book in disgust. Science-fiction writers can people the cosmos with weird beings and strange civilisations but their im- agination fall short of pro- jecting anything more ad- vanced than a_ capitalist social system.) Since his encounter with the Venusians in the desert, Van Tassell has become a self - appointed missionary with a cause. He has writ- ten books and articles on his: experiences and travel- led up and down the con- tinent contacting people who share his belief in fly- ing saucers and beings from outer space. Whether they share his conclusions is another mat- ter, but there is little doubt that he has a _ potentially large following among those who retreat before the harsh realities of our times and find solace in illusion. Van Tassell’s reasoning is not too consistent. He claims that the Venusians among us are here to make sure that we don’t destroy our- selves with our H-bomb ex- plosions. Then he predicts that the world will be des- troyed around the year 1965. Presumably the Venusians are also clairvoyant and have no real hope of halting us in our folly. For Van Tassell and his adherents this impending ~ destruction poses no prob- lem. Those who have fol- lowed the golden rule will be evacuated by the Venus- ians in their spaceships. The, rest of us, I guess, will have to accomplish our salvation, as men have al- ways done, by our own ef- forts. Speaking } briefly AMERICANISM | Two years ago, David Well: man, on a vote of staff am students at Hutchins Junid High School, Detroit, won tht Americanism Medal of tb? American Legion’s local orga! isation. Now his 14-year-0" sister Vickie (pictured) a) been -voted this year’s winn®? of the medal. The award is give for tt student who conspicuously &* hibits the “qualities necessaly to the preservation and prote’ tion of our country.” Qualities cited for Vickie cluded ‘“‘courage, leadership, honor, service and scholarship: | But only now have the reat’ tionaries who dominated Legion realised who David a0 Vickie Wellman are. | Their father is Saul Well man, sentenced to jail und@ the Smith Act as Michig@ state president of the US Communist party. og seg 5g FORCE OF HABIT With all the attacks in Mt big business press on Commu ists the printers are bound develop a conditioned refle* Not long ago in a U.S, Com munity Chest Drive this 4? peared in the write-up ont campaign: “Give heartily ‘4 your local Communist Ches® This might not be a bad ide’ bes x. % 2 x 2 EQUALS ? The 1956 annual report Weyerhauser Timber Comp?” figures it this way: Sales $324,12980 Wages—Salaries 79,4066 Employees el i Now, divide the wages nf salaries by the employees # give the average wage? Don’t kid yourself, you! forgotten that directors of company get salaries. ut 53 xt DON’T EVER FORGE BONN, Germany (AP)—2 walls of the new West Germ#! ; Armored Training School a plastered with the menacifl silouettes of Russian tanks. - Across the turrets and 8%). are blazoned the words: “V® ever forget this.” re The tanks are the type * Red Army used to crush $ Hungarian revolt. Thousat of them are massed in ie Germany and other satel! countries. | — (And never, never forget Ly tanks of this type sma. through German’ lines. 0? eastern front and led the % viet armies all the way Berlin.) "APRIL 13, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE !