National Affairs: Busy Man

Despite the torpor of Washington's midsummer weather, the President of the U.S. reacted with vigor to last week's news. He conferred with John Foster Dulles and top military and diplomatic aides on the renewed Korean truce negotiations. In a shrewd diplomatic gesture, he offered $15 million worth of food to the people of East Germany. Then he turned to some distressed citizens of his own country.

One morning after a hurried breakfast with the Cabinet, the President flew off to Amarillo, Texas for a fast personal inspection of the parched plains and a conference with the governors of six drought-ridden states: Texas' Allan Shivers, Colorado's Dan Thornton, New Mexico's Edwin Mechem, Oklahoma's Johnston Murray, Kansas' Edward Arn, Arkansas' Francis Cherry.

Before he hurried back to Washington, the President promised an audience of 2,800 Texans in the Amarillo Public Auditorium that he would act fast. "I was born and raised . . . almost at the end of the Chisholm Trail," he said. "It is not strange that I have hurried here . . . We are not going to wait until the last cow has starved to death until something is done. Something is going to be done now." The President assured his hearers that he would act promptly on emergency recommendations of Agriculture Secretary Benson and the governors. As he climbed back into his plane, the President had a word of regret for Texas: "I'm sorry I didn't bring any rain."

At his press conference in Washington, Ike Eisenhower stepped nimbly through a maze of questions about everything from German unity (he believes it the key to European peace) to state primaries (he doesn't think he should interfere in them). On the prospects in Korea, he said that no one can foretell exactly how things are going to come out. On the burning question of books overseas: he had asked the Department of State and the International Information Office to work out a program in conformity with his own views; a policy statement would be released later the same day (see below). On atomic information: he thought the time had arrived when the American people must have more information on this subject if they are to act intelligently; the present law is outmoded.