OTTO OTEPKA: VICTIM OF THE NEW TEAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP71B00364R000500280003-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 16, 2000
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: April 30, 1969
• Content Type: OPEN

. Approved For Release 2001/07/26 : CIA-RDP71B00T364R000500280003-0
April 30, 1969 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -Extensions of Remarks
gence, that they must no longer cooperate in
this selective sovereignty that the Arab states
exercise in their dealings with Israel.
Sovereignty gives nations the right to exer-
cise power, if they wish, and to suffer the
consequences if that power proves insuffi-
cient to their adventures. The Arabs will have
to learn to live with the consequences of
their adventures. American youngsters whose
hearts bleed for the battered Arab psyche
will learn, when they have reached maturity
themselves, that mature men usually blame
themselves for their reversals, just as Japan
and Germany did-with not such bad results.
Certainly we here should know that the
victory two years ago is today Israel's most
prized possession. It is the key to peace. Let
us hope that our government has not ceased
to recognize that Israel's victory is the key to
peace.
Surely our government perceives the folly
and futility of any course which could trans-
form into a diplomatic disaster a military
triumph in the Near East-not only for Israel
but for the United States and for all the
free world-a triumph which, if wisely used
as the key to peace, will put an end to the
Soviet dream of domination of the Near East.
Israel at 21 would not deserve her majority
If she were so immature as to forsake her
victory. It is a prize that she spent all her
youth in winning. She must hang on to it
until her enemies grow up.
OTTO OTEPKA: VICTIM OF THE
WSV'TEAM
HON. JOHN R. RARICK
OF LOUISIANA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, April 30, 1969
Mr. RARICK. Mr. Speaker, a long-
suppressed report on the misuse of the
CIA to establish an underground govern-
ment within our Government has been
exposed today in the Government Em-
ployees Exchange.
Reportedly the plan of the "new team"
in controlling the CIA operation was to
"reform" the U.S. domestic and foreign
relations. through the use of an "elite"
who looked to the "spirit of the future"
instead of the status quo.
Apparently anyone not on the "new
team" who uncovered its sinister plans
or interfered-knowingly or unknowing-
ly-was considered a threat and a target
for compromise or elimination.
The casualty list from the inter-
meddlers of the "new team" includes
President Diem and his brother of South
Vietnam, President Johnson, and Otto
F. Otepka.
So that our colleagues may have the
opportunity to study this unprecedented
exposure in power and to ponder the
.question, "Who is running our country?"
I include the Government Employees Ex-
change article of April 30 and two ar-
ticles from the April 16 issue:
[From the Government Employees Exchange,
Washington, D.C., Apr. 30, 19691
CIA's VIETNAM HIT L. B. J., OTEPKA
A highly secret and unknown American
involvement in Yemen was the prelude to
major actions by the Central Intelligence
Agency's "New Team" in its November, 1963,
offensive against President Ngo Dinh Diem
of South Vietnam, against Vice President
Lyndon B. Johnson, and against Otto F.
Otepka, the State Department's former top
Security 'Evaluator, a former Ambassador
with close ties to CIA Director, Richard
Helms, revealed to this newspaper on
April 25.
As readers know, the CIA "New Team" was
set up by former Attorney General Robert F.
Kennedy following the Bay of Pigs "fiasco"
by the CIA "Old Team." Mr. Kennedy re-
cruited into the "New Team" many officials
not only from the CIA (such as Richard
Helms) and the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion (such as Cartha "Deke" De Loach) but
also from the Internal Revenue Service and
the National Security Agency. These agen-
cies and their top members were "knowledge-
able" in the exploitation of "wire taps" and
secret informers, the former Ambassador
said.
Allied with the "paragovernment" (see
April 16 issue) of the "New Team" were
secret "cooperating and liaison" groups in
the large foundations, banks and news-
papers, the source added. In that issue,
readers will recall, this newspaper reported
that the "coordinating role" at The New
York Times was in the custody of Harding
Bancroft, its Executive Vice President.
NEW TEAM READY
By August, 1963, the "New Team" was
"ready" for action on a wide variety of
fronts. These included international affairs,
especially the Vietnam War; domestic affairs,
especially preparation for the 1964 Presiden-
tial election; and the "final infiltration" by
"New Team enthusiasts" of the State De-
partment, Agency for International Devel-
opment, the United States Information
Agency and the Pentagon, the source said.
The basic purpose of the "New Team" was
to "reform" United States domestic and for-
eign relations through the use of an "elite
of committed, humanistic pragmatists" who
looked at the "spirit of the future" instead
of the status quo and the "dead letter of
formal and literal law," the source con-
tinued.
"NEW TEAM" TARGETS
In the international field the main target
for "reform" action was Ngo Dinh Nhu, the
brother of President Diem, of South Vietnam.
He had the source said, the same relation-
ship to President Diem that Robert Kennedy
had to President Kennedy.
President Diem had insisted in his deal-
ings with the "New Team" that the war in
Vietnam had to be "run by the Vietnamese."
Even though he used CIA resources, he would
not allow the CIA to become a "paragovern-
ment" in Vietnam. The Diem and Rho al-
liance in Vietnam thus stood in the way of
"americanizing" the war there and using the
War's opportunity to transform South Viet-
nam along the lines of the "New Team" pro-
gram, the source said.
ROBERT WILLIAM KOMER
While relations between President Diem
and the "New Team" were disintegrating, a
final thrust for "americanizing" the Vietnam
War was supplied by Robert William Komer,
a career CIA intelligence officer who, from
1947 through 1960, had won the confidence
of such top CIA officials as William Langer,
Sherman Kent, Robert Amory and William
Bundy.
In February, 1961, Mr. Komer was "trans.
formed" from an "Intelligence" into an "Op-
erations Officer" when he joined the National
Security Council Staff at the request of Mc-
George Bundy, the brother of William Bundy.
Following the "Bay of Pigs," the United
States engaged in a series of "guerilla wars"
throughout the world, including Vietnam,
Loas, Thailand. Most of them has'secret CIA
operations, especially of the "counter-in-
surgency" type.
"MR. KOMER'S WAR"
The most secret, however, of these CIA
wars was "Mr. Komer's war" in Yemen which
was a testing ground for the CIA in the use
of "paramilitary and paradiplomatic tech-
niques, "the former Ambassador revealed.
E 35273
Mr. Komer resorted to a major transforma-
tion of power especially at the Agency for In-
ternational Development in applying "para-
diplomatic" techniques, the source said. Be-
cause the United States and AID could not
intervene directly in Yemen, Mr. Komer set
up "dummy companies" in Europe, the Mid-
dle East and in India which "bought" AID
goods, "repaired" them, and sold them either
back to AID or to other governments. The
transactions provided not only "revenues",
but most of all "cover" for CIA agents, many
of whom were foreign nationals.
To conceal these operations and "protect"
them from bona fide AID or other U.S. in-
spectors, the CIA "New Team" infiltrated the
AID security offices, as well as its personnel,
operations and inspections divisions, the for-
mer Ambassador revealed.
Mr. Homer's other great innovation was to
develop and deepen the covert collaboration
between the CIA "New Team" and Harding
Bancroft, the Executive Vice President of The
New York Times, the source revealed.
THE NOVEMBER "STRIKES"
The CIA war in counter-insurgency in
Yemen had convinced the "New Team" that
to carry-out its program before the 1964
Presidential election, it must gain control of
the actions of the South Vietnamese govern-
ment in 1963. Thus, the New Team, largely
on the basis of Mr. Komer's views on the
reasons for both successes and failures in the
Yemen, decided to move against President
Diem in Vietnam. The New Team also moved
against Vice-President Johnson and Otto F.
Otepka.
On November 1, 1963, the New Team de-
stroyed President Diem and his brother who
were "assassinated"; on November 5, 1963 the
"New Team" moved against Otto F. Otepka
who was informed that day that he was dis-
missed as a security officer; and on Novem-
ber 22, 1963, largely on the urging of Robert
F. Kennedy, Don B. Reynolds was appearing
before a Senate Committee to supply evi-
dence which was expected to cast a "deep
shadow" on Vice-President Lyndon B. John-
son, because of his relationships to Robert
"Bobby" Baker, and through Baker, to James
H. Hoffa, the Teamster President whom
Robert Kennedy was prosecuting.
While Don Reynolds was still in the first
phase of his testimony, news was flashed to
the Senate Committee that President John
Kennedy had been assassinated and Vice
President Johnson was now President. Mr.
Reynolds never finished his testimony.
Although one of the "targets" of the New
Team, Lyndon B. Johnson thus escaped im-
mediate destruction, his Presidency was even-
tually "captured" by such New Team mem-
bers as Walt Whiteman Rostow, William
Bundy and Robert William Komer, the source
added.
Thus, the "momentum of the November
1963 strike" of the New Team carried on
through the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson,
including the "Americanization of the Viet-
nam War" and the "dismissal" of Otto F.
Otepka, the source concluded.
[From the Government Employees Exchange,
Apr. 16, 1969]
OTEPKA WAS MAJOR ROADBLOCK IN TAKEOVER
BY A "NEW TEAM": NEW YORK TIMES
LINKED TO CIA PLOT ON OFFL.
The Central Intelligence Agency's "New
Team," including such "outsiders" as Hard-
ing A. Bancroft, now the Executive Vice
President of The New York Times, played a
critical role in the final decision of Attorney
General Robert F. Kennedy to press Secre-
tary of State Dean Rusk to proceed with the
dismissal of Otto F. Otepka as the State De-
partment's top Security Evaluator, a former
Ambassador associated with CIA Director
Richard Helms Informed this newspaper on
April 11.
According to the source, Mr. Bancroft
played a role because of his liaison and co
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E 3528 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -Extensions of Remarks
ordinating work involving the use of the
organization and facilities of The New York
Times on behalf of the CIA and the "New
Team "
Other persons who had a role included Wil-
liam H. Brubeck who had been the recipient
of the 1960 "leak" of Top Secret information
from the State Department to the campaign
headquarters of John Kennedy which con-
tributed Significantly to Mr. Kennedy's nar-
row victory at the election polls. After Mr.
Kennedy's victory, Mr.I3rubeck received com-
plete information about Mr. Otepka's role in
tracing this "leak", the former Ambassador
revealed.
Other members of the "New Team" were
McGeorge Bundy and his brother William
Bundy, who had moved from the Central
Intelligence Agency to become the Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific
Affairs, Including Vietnam.
NEW TEAM"
The "New Tear " at the Central Intelli-
gence Agency was being planned by Attorney
General Robert Kennedy even before the Bay
of Pigs "fiasco" in 1961. In fact, the former
Ambassador said, the Attorney General had
a special group of his own "monitoring" the
Bay of Pigs operation to determine which per-
sons, not yet projected for the "New Team",
would "pass the test".
Although the "Bay of Pigs" was a national
disaster, the source said, Robert Kennedy
exploited it within the Government to ac-
celerate building the "New Team."
NEW TEAM GOALS
The "New Team" goals were set by the
"personality" of Robert Kennedy and the
"philosophy" of President John Kennedy and
Secretary' of Defense Robert McNamara, the
source revealed. The main exponent of this
"philosophy" was Major General Maxwell
Taylor, assisted by McGeorge Bundy and Walt
Whitman Rostov, the former Ambassador
The mission of the "New Team" was to
contest the Soviet penetration of the "Third
World," the so-called nonaligned countries
through "paramilitary, parapolitical and
paradiplomatic" means. To do this, the "New
Team" was to be a "paragovernment", per-
forming for the United States "the same
kind of functions" which the Central Com-
mittee of the Communist Party of the Soviet
Union performed for the Soviet Union, the
former Ambassador revealed.
This required the "New Team" to pene-
trate every department and agency of the
Executive Branch dealing with foreign policy
by inserting "trusted -members" of the "New
Team" into key positions. Among these were
the Offices of Security of the State Depart-
ment, the military services departments, the
United States Information Agency and the
Agency for International Development, the
source added.
"NEW TEAM" MEMBERS
Besides Robert Kennedy and Maxwell Tay-
lor, other members of the "New Team" were
General Marshall S. Carter, who replaced
General Charles B. Cabell as Deputy Director
of the CIA. Very early "recruits" to the "New
Team" were Richard Helms, today the Direc-
tor of the CIA, and Cartha "Deke" Deloach,
the second man in charge of the Federal Bu-
reau of Investigation. Together with Robert
McNamara and Dean Rusk, the "New Team"
acting under the control of Robert Kennedy
began the "infiltration" of the State Depart-
ment and the Defense Departments with
Central Intelligence Agency personnel.
"Counterinsurgency" projects sprung up in
every agency dealing with foreign affairs.
OUTSIDE "INSIDERS 11
Besides key persons officially already in the
Government, the "New Team" selected per-
sons in leading banks, law firms and founda-
tions for the penetration of the "non-gov-
ernmental" apparatus of the United States,
the former Ambassador revealed. Because of
the paramount role of The New York Times
in American life and because of the "black"
assignments which it might be asked to per-
form for the CIA, great care was taken to
select a person who had full access to every
office in The New York Times and yet could
conceal his own operations. This was espe-
cially important because "gray" operations,
involving special background briefings for
such top New York Times representatives as
James Reston and Tom Wicker were already
going on, and top New York Times reporters
were in an especially good position to "un-
cover" the "black" operations.
BANCROPT'S PAST
Harding Bancroft had been originally in-
troduced into the State Department by
Alger Hiss, and, after Mr. Hiss became the
head of the Carnegie Endowment for In-
ternational Peace, Mr. Bancroft served under
Dean Rusk as a member of the Department's
Office of Special Political Affairs, renamed the
Office of United Nations Affairs. Subsequent-
ly, he took the post of General Counsel to
the International Labor Organization in
Geneva and then went to The New York
Times, eventually to be named Executive
Vice President.
During the Eisenhower administration,
Harding Bancroft worked closely with Dean
Rusk, President of the Rockefeller Foun-
dation, maintaining close liaison with John
Foster Dulles and with Allen Dulles, the
Director of the Central Intelligency Agency.
BANCROPT'S COVER
Because Mr, Bancroft's liaison role at The
New' York Times required meeting with top
CIA and State Department officials, especially
on matters of "Personnel", it was decided
to provide him with "cover" by designating
him a "member" of the newly created State
Department Advisory Committee on Inter-
national Organization Affairs, whose task was
to recommend the "best qualified Americans"
for those international organization posi-
tions in which they could make Important
contributions.
Although the Advisory Committee eventu-
ally prepared a "Report", which was itself
controversial in its original draft form, the
basic role of the Committee was to provide
a "cover" for the "New Team," the source
revealed.
"ROADBLOCK" OTEPKA
One of the major "roadblocks" to the
"infiltration" of the State Department by the
Central Intelligence Agency New Team was
Otto F. Otepka, its top Security Evaluator,
Mr. Otepka had already "annoyed" the Cen-
tral Intelligence Agency by his "uncovering"
the activities of the Central Intelligence
Agency in using "double agents" in the War-
sawn "sex and spy" scandals. Subsequently,
Mr. Otepka "annoyed" Robert,"Kennedy and
Dean Rusk by Insisting, in December 1960,
that Walt Whitman Rostow would need a
"full field FBI investigation" before he could
he "cleared" for employment in the State De-
partment. Mr. Rostow had just completed in
December a "secret" mission in Moscow for
President-elect John Kennedy. The mission
was "cleared" by CIA Director Allen Dulles.
Previously, Mr. Rostow had established the
CIA channels at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Harvard University professors maintained
their own CIA "black" ties with Washington
through the Institute, the former Ambas-
sador asserted.
[From the Government Employees Exchange,
Apr. 16, 1969]
AID MANIPULATED JOB RECORDS AND RATINGS
Following the revelations in this news-
paper on February 21, 1968 about the "Ant-
werp sex and kickback scandal" and the
resignation of five officials of the Agency for
International Development, this newspaper
April 30, 1969
received documentary evidence on April 11
of this year that three senior A.I.D. officials
have since then been engaged in selectivity
manipulating the personnel records of for-
eign service employees of that Agency. The
records involved affect the promotion and
"selection out" of foreign service personnel.
As readers will recall, the revelations about
the "Antwerp sex and kickback scandal"
were widely publicized a year ago by Sen
ators and by Congressman. According to the
accounts, a top A.I.D. official, having a "sex-
ual affair" with a "seductive secretary" of
the Belgian firm of J & M Andriaenessens, al-
lowed the foreign company to overcharge the
U.S. government by more than $250,000 for
repairs on excess property.
Subsequently, this top official and a top
A.I.D. inspector became involved in "rivalry
for the sexual lures of the secretary", the
press reported. Trips were taken by the young
lady, with other beauties, and the A.I.D.
staff to Rome, Paris, Nice, where the "sweet
life" of France and Italy was fully enjoyed.
The case, uncovered in the end by Congres-
sional staff investigators, finally involved the
Belgian police and prosecutor's office.
The five A.I.D. Officials who resigned be-
cause of the einbarassinent of the scandal
included Herbert J. Waters, who prior to his
employment at A.I.D. had served as the Sen-
atorial election campaign manager in 1954
and 1960 of Hubert H. Humphrey. Others
who resigned included Paul H. Scordas, a
career Army Colonel hired after retirement
as a Foreign Service Reserve Officer, Class 2;
and Jack K. Wall, who was the Director of
the Excess Property program for A.I.D. in
Europe. Mr. Wall was hidicted on December
9, 1968 and is awaiting trial.
The three A.I.D. officers now revealed by
documentary evidence as having carried out
a selective alteration of the restricted files
and folders of foreign service personnel are
H. Rex Lee, formerly the Governor of Ameri-
can Samoa and currently t Commissioner of
the Federal Communications Commission,
who was the Assistant Administrator for Ad-
ministration of A.I.D. during the "Antwerp
sex and kickback scandal"; Edward F. Ten-
nant, currently the Acting Assistant Admin-
istrator for Administration and Governor
Lee's successor at A.I.D.; and Joseph S.
Toner, who was the Director of Personnel
Administration for A.I.D. when the "Ant-
werp sex and kickback scandal" developed.
Mr. Toner is still in the same job.
According to information received by this
newspaper, one of the persons rated by Paul
Scordas wrote to Governor Lee personally
complaining about the rating he had re-
ceived. The complaining employee, James A.
Gibson, was on very good personal terms with
persons associated with supporters of Hubert
H. Humphrey, especially Herbert J. Waters,
this newspaper was informed.
At the end of this article there is published
the complete text of a memorandum, dated
November 12, 1968, from Mr. Toner to Mr.
Tennant concerning the dispostion of the
Performance Evaluation Report and the De-
velopment Appraisal Report written by Paul
Scordas on James Gibson. Information avail-
able to this newspaper indicates that no
other employee rated by Paul Scordas had
his reports reviewed by Governor Lee.
In his memorandum of November 12 to
Mr. Tennant, Mr. Toner refers to a letter of
October 12, 1968 written by Governor Lee.
Readers of The Exchange will be interested
to note that the Congressional Record reveals
that fully one month earlier, on September
13, Governor Lee had already been confirmed
by the Senate for his new post as a Com-
missioner of the Federal Communications
Commission. Governor Lee took the oath of
his new office on October 24, 1968.
In addition to receiving documentary evi-
dence of selective treatment given. to certain
A.I.D. persons with good connections, this
newspaper was further informed that James
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 30, 1969 yM vCONGRESSIONAL RECORI~. - xtensoris o-YZemarsw E 3529
M. Kearns, a Schedule C political appointee
and currently the Deputy Assistant Admin-
istrator for Administration, is being sharply
criticized by A.I.D. personnel allegedly for
permitting the re-writing and re-defining of
job descriptions and titles to permit the
"mass hiring" of retired military personnel
who will be employed in the near future as
"Foreign Service Reserve Officers", displacing
the career civil service and career foreign
service personnel entitled to first considera-
tion under a Reduction in Force program.
According to the reports, Mr. Kearns is be-
ing assisted in this project.by Lester T. David,
a Colonel on active duty with the Air Force
who is nominally a consultant with A.I.D.
but is actually in charge of the Agency's
Government Property Resources Office. Re-
tired military personnel already promised po-
sitions by Colonel David and Mr. Kearns in-
clude former .A.I.D. personnel recently dis-
missed in the Reduction in Force program
because they did not have sufficient seniority.
They would return to"these positions as new
employees following "re-organization" of the
Government Property Resources Office, this
newspaper was informed.
Included among those for whom positions
will be created in the "re-organization" are
persons who were returned from Frankfurt
and Antwerp after being "relieved" of duty
in connection with the "sex and kickback"
scandals there.
There follows below the full verbatim text
of the memorandum of November 12, from
Mr. Toner to Mr. Tennant:
... "NOVEMBER 12, 1968.
"To: AA/A, Mr. Edward F. Tennant.
"From.: A/PM, Joseph S. Toner.
"Subject: Performance Evaluation.
"Report;, James A. Gibson.
"Pursuant to instruction in Mr. Lee's
memorandum of October 12, 1968, we are
taking the following action:
"1, The Performance Evaluation Report
prepared by Mr. Scordas will be removed
from Mr. Gibson's restricted file and will be
placed in a newly created folder which will
not be for relase under any circumstances.
"2. The memorandum from Mr. Lee to me
dated October 12, 1968, will be placed in Mr.
Gibson's restricted file as it spells out the
circumstances surrounding the preparation
of the Scordas Performance Evaluation Re-
port.
"S. The Development Appraisal Report pre-
pared by Mr. Scordas has been reviewed also
and found to be equally damaging and thus
has been removed from Mr. Gibson's re-
stricted file.
"(cc: Mr. J. A. Gibson, Transportation Of-
ficer, Antwerp, Belg.; Mr. J. J. Jacobson, OIC,
AID/EPRO-4 Frankfurt. Restricted file of
Mr. J. A, Gibson.) "
UNWANTED BIRTHS AND POVERTY
IN THE UNITED STATES
HON. ALBERT H. QUIE
OF MINNESOTA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, April 30, 1969
Mr. QUIE. Mr. Speaker, pity the poor
.unwanted child. Pity any unwanted child.
y the unwanted poor child.
t f .is,abundantly clear that the child
born into poverty circumstances has sev-
eral strikes against him at the outset.
His chances for success in life are much
lower than the chances for the middle-
or upper-class child.
It is_ encouraging to see the tremen-
dous interest shown in recent years in
helping the underprivileged child and his
family overcome these odds. ' The new
Federal programs confirm the desire of
this Nation to give everyone an oppor-
tunity to raise himself from poverty
situations.
In most deliberations of solutions to the
poverty problem, very little attention has
been given to family size and its relation
to poverty. Dr. E. Sherman Adams, senior
vice president of the First National City
Bank of New York, has written an article
on this subject for the Conference Board
Record, in which he presents some statis-
tics on poverty and family size. He dis-
pels the impression that poor families
are large because of choice. He refers
to a study of married women in 1960
which showed that lower income families
wanted smaller families than higher in-
come couples.
Mr. Speaker, the article treats a sub-
ject which should be given greater atten-
tion in our efforts to solve the poverty
problem. I commend it to my colleagues
and include it at this point in the RECORD:
UNWANTED BIRTHS AND POVERTY IN THE
UNITED STATES
(By E. Sherman Adams)
(NOTE.-Dr. Adams has had a varied career
as an economist, educator, writer, lecturer,
and banker. He is presently a senior vice
president at First National City Bank, New
York. The views expressed by the author are
his own,, and are based on his independent re-
search.)
"A vicious circle of poverty and fertility is
at work ... Because they [the poor] do not
limit the size of their families, the expense
of raising unwanted children on inadequate
incomes drives them deeper into poverty. The
results are families without hope and chil-
dren without future." (National Advisory
Commission on Rural Poverty.)'
Most Americans are not yet aware that un-
wanted births are a major factor perpetuat-
ing poverty in this country. Moreover, this is
an evil which, if we decide to, we can cure-
and at small cost.
Reports, speeches, books, articles and TV
panels discuss at length other aspects of pov-
erty-squalid housing, decayed neighbor-
hoods, hunger and disease, unemployment,
social barriers, and inferior schools. And
many billions of dollars are expended an-
nually on programs to alleviate these prob-
lems.
In sharp contrast, you rarely hear any ref-
erence to the high birth rate among the poor.
Seldom does a writer or speaker mention that
this intensifies and prolongs poverty in both
urban and rural America. And the govern-
ment spends the merest pittance on family
planning services.
One recently published book includes 19
essays on various aspects of poverty in this
country. Yciu would search in vain to find a
single reference to the birth rate or birth
control. This is not unusual; it is typical.
Even the voluminous report of the National
Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders con-
tains only one brief paragraph on the sub-
ject. One of the three sentences in that para-
graph does state that broader provision of
family planning services could make "a sig-
nificant contribution" to breaking the cycle
of want and dependency, but the rest of this
174,000-word report deals with other matters.
IN THE UNDERDEVELOPED COUNTRIES-AND HERE
Considerable attention has been given in
recent years to the alarming implications of
the population explosion in underdeveloped
nations, and there is increasing recognition
that rapid population growth breeds destitu-
tion, disease and ignorance in those coun-
tries. But few realize that the same process is
at work in our own disadvantaged areas.
Footnotes at end of article.
Not long ago, an assemblage of distin-
guished intellectuals gathered at Arden
House, New York, and spent four days dis-
cussing "The Population Dilemma" both in
the U.S. and elsewhere. But the published
report on this convocation hardly even hints
that unwanted births among the needy are
one of the basic causes of chronic poverty
in this country.
Actually, the linkages between fertility and
want in the United States are very much the
same as in Latin American, Asian and Afri-
can countries. They are more obvious in those
nations primarily because a much larger pro-
portion of the people are poor, their depriva-
tion is greater, and large numbers of poverty-
stricken children are much more in evidence
than in this country.
In South American cities, for example, the
visitor is always conscious of the surround-
ing barrios swarming with ragged waifs. But
in the United States, poverty is less visible.
Many of us rarely see the squalor of slum
areas; we keep to the superhighways that
bypass them. Most Americans have never
visited any of the South's miserable To-
bacco Roads.
And there are some who, in their concern
about the underdeveloped countries, com-
pletely dismiss the problem in this country.
An eminent Stanford professor of demog-
raphy recently cited the overall population
growth rate of about 1.2% in the U.S. and
observed: "Surely our affluent society has
the resources to cope with this level of
growth." 2 The critical problem however, is
not among the affluent, but among the poor.
This is not a question of the overall growth
rate for the nation as a whole; it is a prob_
lem of literally hundreds of thousands of
unwanted babies born each year to poor
families who become trapped in a subcul-.
ture of despair.
Economists see plainly that in other parts
of the world the disastrous famines pre-
dicted by Malthus may materialize, but they
are confident that in this country, popula-
tion will not outrun the food supply-at
least not in the immediate future. The
urgent problem here is admittedly not fam-
ine; it is the role of the high birth rate in
perpetuating poverty. And this is something
which is not discussed at all in economics
textbooks.
AND THE POOR GET CHILDREN
There can be no doubt about the serious-
ness of this poverty-fertility circle. In the
first place, there is ample data to document
the saying that the rich get richer and the
poor get children. Chicago's poor, for in-
stance, have a birth rate on a par with In-
dia's. For the nation, the fertility rate-de-
fined as the number of children born per
1,000 women in the 15-44 age group-is 55 %
greater among the poor than among the
nonpoor. It inevitably follows that there is
a much higher proportion of large families
among the poor.
A recent Census Bureau report shows that
38% of all poor families with children, white
and nonwhite, have four or more children,
contrasted with only 17% of all nonpoor
families. Indeed, among the poor, 24% have
five or more children contrasted with only
7% of all nonpoor families.
And, of course, in a high percentage of
needy families, the mother today is still of
child-bearing age and will have more chil-
dren. Many of the poverty-stricken families
which presently have fewer than four chil-
dren will eventually have four or five or six
or more, unless they receive family planning
assistance.
To put it somewhat differently, less than
10% of all families with only one or two chil-
dren are poor, whereas 35% of all families
with five or more children are poor. And
again, the prospect today is that many of the
poor families who now have only one or two
children will eventually be in the five-or-
more category.
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E 3530 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - Extensions of Remarks
According to Census Bureau statistics based
on criteria established by the Social Secur-
ity Administration, approximately 26 million
persons in the United States today subsist in
poverty. This figure is calculated on the basis
of minimum nutritional standards and esti-
mated minimum incomes required by
various-sized families.
Some contend that this formula exag-
gerates the number of persons who really
should be classed as being poor, and there
would seem to be some validity in certain of
these criticisms. On the other hand, one can
hardly shrug off Census Bureau figures which
show that the 26 million persons classified as
poor have an average of only 70, cents per
day for food for each member of the family.
Moreover, there are almost a million more
persons whose incomes would be below the
poverty line if they were not receiving wel-
fare.
In any event, the Census Bureau data are
the best available, and even though the 26
million figure is debatable, percentage break-
downs based on these data are undoubtedly
representative for very low-income families
and individuals, however defined.
One such breakdown shows that of the 26
million poor persons in this country, 101/2
million, or 41%, are children under 18, and
most of these poor children are in large fam-
ilies. Of all children who are poor, 63% are
in families which already have four or more
children, and 45 % are in families with five or
more. And the plight of many of these chil-
dren will become progressively worse as more
unwanted babies arrive.
It is clear that a very high proportion of
all poor persons are poor primarily because
they were born to poverty. This obviously ap-
plies to virtually all of the 41 % who are chil-
dren. It also applies to millions of poor adults
who were reared in poverty. Millions who are
born poor are doomed to 11fe-long poverty.
To be sure, some who are born to poverty
are eventually able to improve their economic
status. But many do not, and this is particu-
larly true for those who grow up in large
families. These account for a large percentage
of the 151/2 million adults who are poor. In
their case, poverty and unwanted births have
led to continuing poverty.
It is plain that if the birth rate were no
higher among the poor than among the non-
poor, there would be far fewer poor persons.
For one thing, of course, this high natality is
responsible for the fact that so many of
these persons were born. But there is much
more to it than that. Children in large poor
families have far less chance of ever escaping
from the cycle of want than those in smaller
families.
HANDICAPPED CHILDREN
Research shows conclusively that children
In large poor families receive less attention
from their parents, are less healthy, and are
relatively less stable and confident than chil-
dren in smaller families. In school, they show
appreciably lower levels of mental develop-
ment and therefore have less chance of ever
raising themselves from poverty. A higher
percentage of them become school dropouts,
and some who do sit through high school
receive, not diplomas, but "certificates"
which are evidence that the recipients never
attained eighth grade reading level.
In many instances, truancy and juvenile
delinquency are side effects which further re-
duce the child's chances for economic bet-
terment. All of these factors have psycholog-
ical consequences which Increase the odds
that by the time the child reaches adulthood,
he will be virtually beyond redemption.
A high percentage of these children will
eventually join the ranks of the unemployed.
Many will have no qualifications for holding
a job. A substantial proportion will go on
relief, which has become an inherited way of
life in an increasing number of localities-
a family tradition. Among their number will
be some alcoholics, dope addicts, and crim-
inals.
Planned Parenthood, Federation tells a case
in point. A court In Brooklyn sent for the
father of three juvenile delinquents in
trouble with the law. The father told the
policeman he could not come; he was too
busy taking care of his eight other small
children-and his wife was,in the hospital
giving birth to their 12th. The family was
on relief.
Many unwanted children suffer from deep
emotional problems. A prominent child psy-
chiatrist writes that a deficiency in maternal
care can lead to serious disturbances in men-
tal health and development; unwanted chil-
dren are subject to such a deficiency. He
feels more planned parenthood is needed to
prevent this emotional crippling. Unwanted
births are, in this sense, 4 public health
hazard of the over-population problem.
And as these children In large families
grow up, the vicious cycle of fertility and
poverty is repeated, Most of them marry
young and immediately start having off-
spring at a rapid rate, thus insuring a large
new generation of seriously disadvantaged
children.
The more children poor families have, the
poorer many of them become and the less
chance they have of escaping from the bond-
age of poverty. One obvious reason is be-
cause each additional child means another
mouth to feed and another body to clothe.
Resources per child are reduced by every
birth even if the family's income does not
decline.
But in many cases, income actually de-
clines. In 1988, 35% of all poor children were
in households headed by women, the poorest
of all the groups among the poor. The main
source of income of most of these families
is what the mother can earn and the more
children she has, the less chance she has
to work. Census data show that the average
income of female-headed households is high-
est for those with only one child and that it
declines sharply in direct proportion to the
number of additional children.
A major reason why so many women and
chldren are in this trap is desertion by the
father, and a principal reason why many
husbands abandon their families is because
they have so many unwanted children. Cen-
sus data indicate that poor female-headed
households contain more children, on the
average, than male-headed families. The
Commission on Rural Poverty asserts:
"Unwanted pregnancies can, and often do,
wreck any chance for a better life for either
parents or children . . . The resulting stress
and disorganization of family life are often
too much for the father. Ili thousands of
cases he gives up and deserts the family." 8
A report by a member of a team of doctors
who conducted a study in the Delta counties
of Mississippi states:
"The homes visited were usually occupied
by mothers, worn and tired and looking
much older than their actual ages. Their
children would range in number from four
to ten. Most often there was no father. Ques-
tioned as to his absence the responses would
be 'we are separated' or, simply, 'I don't know
where he is.' " 4
FERTILITY AND UNEMPLOYMENT
The high birth rate among the poor is also
a major cause of their high rate of unem-
ployment and underemployment. The great
majority of disadvantaged youths cannot
find employment except In unskilled jobs,
Progress in industrial technology has been
rapidly reducing the percentage of unskilled
jobs in the U.B. economy. This is as true on
the farm as in the city. In the span of only
seven years, 1959-1966, unskilled jobs as a
percentage of total civilian jobs declined
from 30% to 23%. The lower rungs of the
economic ladder are being lopped off.
Footnotes at end of article.
April 30, "1969
Meanwhile, because of the high birth rate
among the poor, there has been a corre-
spondingly rapid increase in the number of
unskilled youths.
This imbalance between supply and de-
mand in this part of the labor market is a
basic reason for the high rate of subemploy-
ment among disadvantaged youths. In all
probability, it has also t'nded to hold down
wages in unskilled occupations.
This situation will become progressively
worse over the years ah"rd, even under con-
ditions of sustained general prosperity. In
New York City, for instance, over half the
ghetto unemployed were formerly employed,
if at all, as laborers, but less than 1% of
the new job openings expected to become
available in the city between 1965 and 1975
will fall into this non killed classification.
The underprivileged are being left ever
farther behind by rising national educa-
tional norms. It is estimated that during the
1960's alone, about 7% million youngsters
will have left school without a high school
diploma. In a study on Effects of Family
Planning on Poverty in the United -States,
Dr. Harold L. Sheppard, an authority in the
field of industrial sociology, states:
"One of the results of continued high fer-
tility rates among impoverished families is
that a disproportionate number of youths
entering the labor force from such families
cannot be adequately employed in an econ-
omy such as that in the United States of
the 1970's and beyond."'
Increased efforts will undoubtedly be made
to improve the education and training of
the disadvantaged, but this is a herculean
task that will require many years to accom-
plish. If natality among the poor remains as
high as it is now, the efforts of educators.
business and government to alleviate poverty
will continue to be largely cancelled out by
unwanted births.
A HALF MILLION UNWANTED BIRTHS A YEAR
The number of unwanted births among
the poor and near-poor is much larger than
is generally supposed. Even if one were to
assume that the poor want as many offspring
as the nonpoor-which they do not-then
the number of unwanted births among the
poor would be the number in excess of what
would have been produced at the fertility
rate desired by the nonpoor. On this basis,
it has been calculated by the Natality Sta-
tistics Branch of the ITS. Public Health
Service that in 1966, the 8.2 million poor
and near poor women of reproductive age
had 451,000 unwanted births which might
have been avoided. Another estimate places
the number of unwanted births at 545,000.
One reason for the lack of public concern
about this whole problem is the widespread
assumption that the poor have large fam-
ilies because they want them, or perhaps do
not care how many children they have. This
upper-class notion is utter nonsense. Its fal-
sity has been repeatedly proven by careful
research.
On authoritative report prepared by three
eminent experts in this field was based on
interviews with a repersentative national
sample of married women in 1960. The sudy
showed that lower-income couples wanted
somewhat smaller families than higher-in-
come couples. On the average, nonwhite poor
couples wanted even fewer children than
whites.
Similarly, a study in 1961 by a Princeton
research team showed that most blue collar
wives want fewer children than white col-
lar wives. A survey by a prominent sociolo-
gist among Chicago families substantiated
the preference of nonwhites for smaller fam-
ilies than whites. Further corroboration was
provided in a 1965 survey by the Florida
State Health Department,
An official of the Southern Regional Coun-
cil who surveyed conditions in Mississippi
reports:
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returned, to school-many moving to the
junior college level.
Tile'military has absorbed 1,329.
The cost of. training these young men-
early dropouts, products of _ broken homes
or-slum environments, is now $5,276, down
.nearly 50 per cent from the first-year cost
into which also included costs of recondition-
ing a demilitarized army base, establishing a
.new-type training program, and purchasing
equipment.
In addition to the nearly 7,000 employed
through the State Employment Service, it is
estimated that another 2,000 Corpsmen found
work without using the Employment Service,
In other words, 9,000 or more young men
were pulled out of a hopeless, degrading
environment, learned how to become prod-
uctive citizens, and are now earning their
own way in self-respect and dignity.
While there may have been some mistakes,
it was a new venture for all concerned, a pilot
program in which there was much learning
to be done by Litton as well as agency people.
But there has been progress. The surrounding
community, too, has benefited economically:
$4 million annually into the economy for
food ($1,430,000), rent ($1,190,000), taxes
($1,000,000), utilities ($376,000), clothing
($245,000), transportation ($179,000), medi-
cal. ($120,000), insurance ($120,000), savings
($106,000).
The &dministration says it will open new
trainin enters within the cities, and that
200 or will be accommodated in place of
the 2,000 now being helped.
This statistic Is enough to tell the whole
The program is being mercilessly slashed,
will be replaced with a token substitute, And
1,700 boys now being readied for useful roles
in society will be tossed back to old haunts,
idleness, a dead end.
This story repeats in all the other Centers.
It is to be hoped that Congressmen sympa-
thetic to the needs of the underprivileged in
urban ,communities will prevail upon the
White House to reconsider and revoke the
closure order.
Perhaps it is not too late to change the
executive decision. The Times-Star urges
all to let their feelings be known to their
elected representatives. Perhaps this incipi-
ent wrong can yet be righted before it re-
sults in throwing gasoline on the coming
"long, hot summer."
MRS. OTEPKA RECALLS ORDEAL
HON. JOHN M. ASHBROOK
Or OHIO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, April 29, 1969
Mr. ASHBROOK. Mr. Speaker, much
has been written concerning the long and
trying case of Otto F. Otepka, the State
Department security officer who gave,
without authorization, gave information
to a Senate subcommittee to correct false
testimony against himself rendered by
one of his superiors. Putting "loyalty to
the highest moral principles and to coun-
above loyalty to persons, party, or
verrinieit 4epartment," as the Code of
Ethics for Government. Service. _directs,
Mr. Otepka never faltered in his battle
of over 5 years with the State Depart-
ment.
As in the case of other men who have
successfully overcome monumental ob-
stacles, Otto Otepka's courage was
matched by the resolute dedication of
his wife Edith, Drawing on that religious
strength which has been the hallmark
of this Nation's greatness, Mrs. Otepka,
like her husband, refused to yield an
inch in the face of a vicious campaign,
which must have hit an all-time low in
Federal Government relations.
Vera Glaser, writing for the North
American Newspaper Alliance, recently
reviewed the key part played by Mrs.
Otepka in the historic case. This excel-
lent interview should be a source of en-
couragement to those beset by seemingly
insurmountable troubles whose only sus-
tenance at times is the force of moral
conviction.
The article, "Mrs. Otepka Recalls Or-
deal," from the Washington Star of
April 27, 1969, and written by Vera
Glaser, insert in the RECORD at this
point:
MRS. OTEPKA RECALLS ORDEAL
(By Vera Glaser)
Mrs. Otto F. Otepka is a quiet-spoken
school teacher who is married to one of the
most controversial figures in public life
today.
Her dark hair is turning gray, but her steely
resolve has helped her husband weather a
five-and-a-half year, headline-studded battle
to keep his job as a State Department secu-
rity officer.
In an exclusive interview, her voice trem-
bling with emotion, Mrs. Otepka compared
their ordeal to "something that might have
happened in 4tussia or Nazi Germany. My
husband only told the truth, but we were
forced to act like criminals."
VINDICATION
When President Nixon recently named
Otepka to the Subversive Activities Control
Board, some hailed it as complete vindica-
tion. The nomination may run into trouble
in the Senate because, among other things of
a recent news story linking Otepka to the
ultra-right John Birch Society.
Otepka's tough security evaluations of
State employes in the early '60s ran afoul of
the late Robert Kennedy, then Attorney Gen-
eral, and Secretary of State Dean Rusk.
Otepka was charged with passing confidential
documents to a Senate subcommittee.
During that period, Mrs. Otepka recalled,
"We were harassed. Men watched our house
with binoculars. Otto was locked out of his
office. They tapped his phone and we were
afraid to use our home phone for fear that
was' bugged, too. I had to go down to the
shopping center when I wanted to talk to
Otto." _
Sitting in the living room of their neat-as-
a-pin home-in suburban Silver Spring, Mrs.
Otepka stroked her two enormous cats, Inky
and Barney, recalling the highlights of a
case that has made her husband the symbol
of the clash between "liberals" and "con-
servatives" on how the national security
should be protected within the government.
For . her, "the Otepka case" began on a
summer evening in 1963 when her husband
came home and said his superiors had lied to
the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee,
then probing State's security practices.
"Otto couldn't have lived with himself if
he hadn't given those documents to the com-
mittee," she said, describing his action as
necessary to verify his own testimony and re-
fute that of his superiors.
She learned how very serious her husband's
situation was the following September when
she switched on a radio news.report to hear,
"State Department security officer charged
with passing documents to the Senate!"
"You expected them to say, 'to Russia,' "
she said, noting that 13 charges were leveled
at Otpeka at the time. Ten were dropped after
.his superiors confessed to tapping Otepka's
phone, scrutinizing his office trash, and.com-
miting perjury before the committee.
E 3475
"Otto has never been accused of lying or
being unfair," his wife said.
The former Edith Simon, Mrs. Otepka was
born on a Maryland farm and reared as a
Christian Scientist, but now belongs to Grace
Episcopal Church. She met Otepka, a Chi-
cagoan of Czech extraction, shortly after she
began teaching in the District of Columbia
schools. He held a minor government job
while studying law at night.
91st Psalm
After their marriage, they lived modestly,
stayed out of debt, and planned for the col-
lege education of their one daughter Joanne,
now 23. In 1957 Mrs. Otepka quit teaching.
In 1965, as her husband's troubles with the
State Department dragged on, she went back
to work and they mortgaged their home.
The couple decided early that keeping busy
would help them weather the storm. He
bought a boat and took up fishing. She stud-
ied art and did church work.
"I kept reading the 91st Psalm," Mrs. Ote-
pka recalled, "especially the part about 'His
truth shall be thy shield and buckler.' Last
summer I painted the bedrooms and bath-
room. It's healthy to be busy. I can't stand
self-pity."
Otepka spent long hours in his basement
office organizing material on his case which
fills several file cabinets. The walls are hung
with mementos and State Department cita-
tions for outstanding work, one signed by
former Secretary of State Dulles.
Mrs. Otepka maintains her husband's re-
solve never wavered but friends say they both
showed signs of strain. At times the Otepkas
seemed to wonder if it was worth-while to
give up years of potentially productive ac-
tivity to pursue the fight. Once Mrs. Otepka
wrote her husband a "chin up" note which
he has saved.
Occasionally they laughed about their
troubles. "We'd say, 'Why watch television?'
We've got our own show," Mrs. Otepka rem-
inisced.
In February 1966, three years after he had
been charged, Otepka crossed the path of
Richard Nixon, who had not yet decided to
run for the Presidency. "Stay in there," he
told Otepka, "and some day the worm will
turn,"
"It's true Otto was blocking some Kennedy
Administration appointments," Mrs, Otepka
said. His job was to follow the security rules
laid down by the intelligence agencies. When
word came back to us that Bobby had in-
quired about the possibility of having Otto
charged with violation of the espionage act,
that did it. We knew then we'd fight it out."
CITIZENSHIP AND' THE STUDENT'S
ROLE IN THE UNITED STATES
HON., EARL B. RUTH
OF NORTH CAROLINA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, April 29, 1969
Mr. RUTH. Mr. Speaker, we are con-
stantly beseiged by news stories telling
us something is wrong with the youth of
today. These stories seldom tell us how
many of these young people are growing
to be useful citizens.
A young man in the Eighth Congres-
sional District of North Carolina suffered
a tragic swimming accident 3 years ago
at the exciting age of 17.
For many days Sidney White was not
expected to live and even now he is com-
pletely paralyzed from the waist down.
Nevertheless, by his own courage and
fortitude he has refused to accept the
verdict of his doctors that he would never
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E 3476 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - Extensions of Remarks
again be able to sit or, stand. Today he
does both, thouhgh he is mostly confined
to ~. whealohair.
But Sidney, the only child of Mr. and
Mrs. Cecil White of Rockingham, N.C.,
is not content to mark his growth in
physical progress alone. He has been ac-
cepted by St. Andrews College of Laurin-
burg, N.C., with a goal of becoming a high
school English teacher.
To prove his capabilities for this voca-
tion, Sidney recently won first in the
Civitan Essay Contest for area No. 6-
the North Carolina District West, A dis-
trict victory would place him in compe-
tition for international honors.
I amt pleased and honored to be able to
present his essay for all to read:
CITIZENSHIP AND THE STUDENTS' ROLE IN THE
UNITED STATES
(By Sidney O. White)
The youth of today knows clearly what
he is opposed to, yet finds difficulty in stat-
ing clearly what he favors. It seems that
everyone can find something. to criticize,
something 'toward which he or she can
casually and with little effort direct a dis-
couraging statement. On the other hand,
only the sincere and energetiE person will
take a positive stand. It requires effort to
be for something. When one says openly, "I
am for this and I will work to see that it
happens", he assumes the responsibility of
being committed. If such a statement is
made in earnest, a hand but often rewarding
road Iles ahead. The energy with which that
person will strive will usually be in direct
proportion to the willingness of the person to
stand firmly upon his principles. There is a
trend in the United States toward standing
against everything and for nothing. People
are failing to project the proper image.
Wherever you go, whatever you say, you
project an image to whomever you meet. Few
people are aware of this projection; if they
were, they would probably be more conscious
of their behavior, for their impression repre-
sents what type of citizens they are. No
matter how a person conducts himself, and
no matter how mischievous he is, that person
wants to be recognized. His behavior in itself
is evidence of this need. By misbehaving this
person is drawing attention to himself. He is
doing this in an effort to impress his peers.
People are striving for citizenship. The means
which they employ are usually a reflection
of their standards. Before one can know a
proper means toward recognition, he must
first set a goal and contrive a method to
achieve it.
The first step toward setting a goal is
knowing what citizenship is. Citizenship is
simply conduct. It is the attitude with which
you approach and overcome a problem. It
would seem that citizenship boils down to a
matter of attitude, so the initial step toward
becoming a good citizen is to assume the
correct frame of mind. Be a positive thinker,
and remember to project a good image. Do
this and you cannot go too far astray.
The .youth of today must realize his re-
sponsibility In becoming a mature, produc-
tive citizen. He must become aware of the
image which he is projecting. Once this
awakening takes place there will be no limit
to the potential of our citizens. Within youth
lies the energy which is needed to thrust
this nation onward. How this energy is di-
rected will determine how our history will
be written. Will we progress, or will we re-
gress? We must all labor to be good citizens
in order to insure progress, and we must
place our youth clearly in the forefront of
the struggle. The future is the estate in-
herited by youth; and as Americans, our
heritage is proud. Let us see that it remains
proud for posterity!
As a student, your role in the United
States should be clear. You are tomorrow's
America. Take your positive stand and work
for a better United States, never forgetting
the past, and always looking ahead. Profit
by your nation's mistakes, rather than dwell-
ing upon them. Be a citizen of America-not
just a member of its government! Love her
as a mother, for she has given you freedom-
a gift often valued above life itself.
11
THERE IS RESPONSI#3ILITY IN
MOTION PICTURE DISTRIBUTING
OF ORK
HON. BERTThow L. PODELL
IN THE HOUSE PRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, 29, 1969
Mr. PODELL. peaker, these days
we hear much ois evil in our na-
tional life, incluthe arts are
being utilized tupt. Such is not
always the case, e following illus-
tration will show. \
Mr. Sheldon Trom rg, president of
Boxofftce Attractions, c., of this Capi-
tal City, has set a diffe ent tone by the
pictures he chooses to hkndle, the man-
ner in which he presents them, and the
example he sets within h own indus-
try. It is one of his majo aims to see
to it that first-class ente inment is
made available to young pedpple. By the
life he leads in business an . otherwise,
he has brought great credit to his fam-
ily and industry.
A graduate of Columbia Tpiversity,
he is president of his own entrise in
Washington, and acts as a mo ion pic-
ture reviewer for the Wasshilgtonian
magazine. He has. spoken before a good
many other groups involved in the mo-
tion picture industry on the subject of
the speech which I am including Mere for
reprinting in the RECORD. This 1address
is a first-rate exposition of thi situa-
tion our film business and thea rs face
now, and an outline of what th y must
do to remain relevant in the fu ure.
The speech was given on the casion
of the 50th anniversary of the ational
Association of the Theater Ow ers of
America in Detroit, Mich. A fir l note
is in order here. Mr. Tromber is the
son of the family which has perated
Tromberg's Department Sto in Ben-
sonhurst, at West 10th S t and Ave-
nue 0, Brooklyn, N.Y or the past 40
years. He is a credo these people, who
have been an institution in their neigh-
borhood for all these years.
The speech follows:
MOVIES: THE THIaD ACT OF THE 20TH
CENTURY
(By Sheldon Trombert)
Who will write the 3rd act of the motion
picture industry in the 20th century?
We see a new generation of Americans at-
tuned to the visual arts: They have seen the
light! Have we seen the light?
They are a new breed Artistotoleans.
They tell us that images, of whatever sort,
have a cathartic effect.
They tell us that what they see visually
allows the human mind to release Impulses
and aggressions.
The 1st act of the 20th century began with
a movie show at Koster and Bals and, then
to the opening of the first movie theater in
Los Angeles.
Axrril 29, 1969
Immigrant Americans learned the English
language through subtitles on films.
Movies were the mass entertainment. They
harnessed the dreams and hopes of the work-
ing classes.
People were concerned with structure, plot,
content and spectacle. Tiny ware Platoists.
The first act ended with a revolt.
The flaming youth of the 1920's and 1930's
revolted against the deadly, dull lives of their
-ffarents. The.yyyy demonstrated for greater free-
dom of speech and personal relations.
Motion pictu a reflected their preoccupa-
tion with pettin&partiee, new dances and
fast cars.
Film going became a necessity as an outlet
for the entertainment and awakening learn-
ing processes.
The 2nd act of the 20th century began on
the street corner apple carts of our major
cities. Depression-bound and depression-
minded, America's film audiences were
"treated" to gala screen achievements-
color-sound-and star- 31
All these ingredients were guaranteed to
mask and relieve their ;:repression. It was
soporific cinema sluiced and spliced for mass
consumption, and bought with gusto.
The 2nd act ended with the influence of
European film-makers-jut as the 1st act
began with the influence of European immi-
grant audiences.
America's experiences during the 2nd
World War brought on a new wave of realism.
The film, "The Best Years of Our Lives"
brought down the curtain on the 2nd act,
the act that began with The Jazz Singer."
And now, we have, generically speaking,
films everywhere! Television, homes, hotels,
ships at sea, planes in the sky, trains on the
rails, submarines beneath the oceans, space-
ships in the outer world, hospitals, country
clubs, schools, prisons and theatres.
And, it's still the cinema that remains the
mother religion-4t is still cinemas that set
the patterns and create customers for film
everywhere.
Movies have become the outlets for rebel-
lion. Once again, the battle is aimed against
the traditionally structured society.
America's movie goers are "tuning out" the
story and "tuning in" on their environment.
They are "groovy". They are visceral. They
don't hear the dialogue-.their receptors are
tuned to the changing ecenes, the shapes
and motions, the sounds and lights that are
flashed on the screen.
They are concerned with the totality of
images, They want to experience and feel
what they are seeing, rather than intellec-
tualize.
They are boxofi'ice existentialists.
As Karl Baedeker put it, "There is a need
for 'a balance between the world inside us
and the world outside us. It is a reciprocal
process: Both worlds form a single one".
Motion picture courses are the hotest elec-
tive subjects on our college campuses-with
a present enrollment of about 60,000 and
with the thousands growing monthly, the
young are polemicizing; they practice the art
of controversy.
They believe that man snakes his own way
in the World and leads his own life thru
conflicts, seeking identity- thru blunders.
This new generation of indigenous Ameri-
cans have their own films rising from an un-
derground. There are films fractionalized to
satisfy every sub-culture in American so-
ciety.
Who will be the film leaders In the 3rd
act? How will they react to the 3rd act?
Will they give us giant cartoon-sized
films, filled with stupefying trivia, marked
for the fast buck?
Will they give us narcotic fantasies render-
ing our lives relatively simple?
Will they pursue the idea that great art
evokes great emotions?
Will they bureaucratize, pasturizes, homo-
genize and alphabatize movies as if brand-
Approved For Release 2001/07/26 : CIA-RDP71B00364R000500280003-0