ISRAEL ATTACK ON U.S. S. ' LIBERTY' - RESOLUTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP69B00369R000200300046-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 11, 2004
• Sequence Number: 46
• Publication Date: August 3, 1967
• Content Type: OPEN

Approved For Release 2004/05/25 CIA-RDP69B00369R000200300046-1
August 3, 1967 . CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -SENATE
KIRCHER: I have not made any direct at-
tempts. It would seem to me that the fact
that the President is from Texas is acci-
dental. It would seem to me that the Gover-
nor of Texas, just as the governor of any
of the other 50 states should be a big enough
boy to stand on his own two feet and do the
thing that is right, without having to have
a chief executive who just accidentally comes
from his state lean on him. No, I have not
made any direct approaches.
LEVEY: Mr. Kircher, one of the weapons
used effectively in California was a consumer
boycott of products of strike-bound growers
out there. Are you using the same technique
in Texas?
KIRCHER' Yes we are. It is a little difficult
to boycott honeydew melons and other kinds
of sugar melons. But, we are asking anybody
who finds melons that have little labels on
them that say "Starr County, Texas," in any
way, or "La Casita," not to buy them, because
they are helping to Inflict conditions of
poverty on workers every time they do.
FLANNERY: Thank you, gentlemen. Today's
guest on Labor News Conference was Wil-
liam L. Kircher, director of the AFL-CIO's
Department of Organization. Representing
the press were Sam Sharkey, labor specialist
for the Newhouse Newspapers, and Stanley
Levey, labor correspondent for the Scripps-
Howard Newspapers. This is your moderator,
Harry W. Flannery, inviting you to listen
again next week. Labor News Conference is a
public affairs production of the AFL-CIO,
produced in cooperation with the Mutual
Radio Network4
ISRAEL ATTACK ON U.S.S.
"LIBERTY"-RESOLUTION
Mr. TOWER. Mr. President, I ask
unanimous consent to have printed in
the RECORD the text of a resolution ap-
proved by the American Legion Post 52
of Houston subsequent to the Israel at-
tack on the U.S.S. Liberty. The resolution
addresses itself to this incident.
There being no objection, the resolu-
tion was ordered to be printed in the
RECORD, as follows:
Whereas the American Legion has always
championed the rights of our service men
and of their dependents and survivors; and
Whereas Israel's unprovoked attack on the
V.S.S. Liberty in International waters on
June 8 requires strong measures on the part
of our government if our national honor is
to be protected and if justice is to be done
to the seventy odd service men injured In
Israel's attacks and to the next of kin and
dependents of the thirty odd servicemen
killed, and
Whereas this an area where the American
Legion is especially dedicated and qualified
to take leadership and is also the sort of
issue where the American people can and
should be vocal in demanding proper han-
dling of these acts of piracy.
Now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the
American Legion, Post 52, Houston, Texas,
in regular meeting this July 3, 1967 as fol-
lows :
1. We ask this Post to undertake to obtain
copies of all available reports of hearings
heretofore had or hereafter to be had into
the facts; also that we undertake to learn
the names of the service men injured in these
attacks and the next of kin and dependents
of those.who were killed.
2. We ask that our Post register a com-
plaint with the appropriate authorities and
officers in our government demanding proper
steps on the part of our government to, first,
see that adequate indemnities are paid by
Israel to the service men Injured and to the
next of kin and dependents of those who
were killed; and also indemnity for damages
to the U.S.S. Liberty; second, that the Israel
authorities who are to blame for these crimes
on the high seas be brought to account and
dealt with in any proper tribunal where they
are answerable or, in the absence of such
tribunal then through diplomatic channels;
3. That this subject be acted on by our
Department and National conventions and
that the National Convention be called on
to set up a commission or committee whose
sole responsibility will be the adequate in-
vestigation of the entire subject and to fol-
low up our protest and recommendations to
see that justice will be had for our service
men involved and for the next of kin and
dependents of those who were killed in the
attacks; also to see that those Israel officials
or personnel who were responsible for the
attacks be punished in keeping with their
participation and in keeping with the enor-
mity of their criminal acts.
The foregoing is certified as a true copy
of resolution adopted as and when stated.
Certified July 3, 1967.
GLENN TRUPPER, Commander.
POWERLINE REGULATION
Mr. TYDINGS. Mr. President, it is be-
coming increasingly apparent to all re-
sponsible public officials and citizens gen-
erally that we need to have Federal leg-
islation which will empower the Fed-
eral Power Commission to exercise con-
trol over extra-high-voltage electrical
transmission lines that are interstate in
character. A case in point which illus-
trates the need for this legislation Is the
proposal by the Potomac Edison Co. of
Hagerstown, Md., to construct a 500,000-
volt electric transmission line through
the Antietam and South Mountain Bat-
tlefield areas of southern Washington
and Frederick Counties, Md. The location
of this line is opposed by the Washington
County Planning and Zoning Committee,
the Washington County Board of Com-
missioners, the Department of Interior,
My colleague from Maryland [Mr.
BREWSTER] and myself; and various Civil
War roundtables. It has been editorial-
ized against in the Hagerstown Daily
Mail; the Hagerstown Morning Herald;
the Washington Post; and Life magazine.
The Maryland Legislative Council has
voted to ask its Senate Judiciary Commit-
tee to look into the matter, and the chair-
man of that committee, Delegate Thomas
Hunter Lowe, has asked Potomac Edison
not to proceed with its plans for the new
powerline until the committee has com-
pleted its investigation.
The Department of Interior has a task
force of experts which is considering
alternate routings of the line and has
publicly announced that they will report
shortly after mid-July.
In spite of this very formidable opposi-
tion from public officials and private
groups, Mr. President, we read with great
dismay that on July 7, 1967, the Potomac
Edison Co. filed a condemnation suit
against one of the property owners on
the proposed right-of-way of the 500,000-
volt powerline.
Again, Mr. President, this illustrates
the urgent need to pass the legislation-
S. 1834 and S. 1835-introduced by the
Senator from Montana [Mr. METCALF],
and which I have cosponsored, to au-
thorize Federal Power Commission juris-
diction over interstate high-voltage-elec-
S 10789
trio transmission lines and would require
that, before issuing a certificate of ne-
cessity to a power company, the Com-
mission would consider the impact of the
line upon esthetic, historic, and scenic
values.
I invite attention of Senators to the
excellent column written by Mr. Phil
Ebersole, Daily Mail government affairs
editor of the Hagerstown Daily Mail, and
published on July 7, 1967. This excellent
column points up the need to preserve
historic and scenic values from destruc-
tion by electric transmission lines. I ask
unanimous consent that the article and
editorial be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the article
and editorial were ordered to be printed
in the RECORD, as follows:
POTOMAC EDISON FILES SUIT To CONDEMN
FOR RIGHT-OF-WAY
The Potomac Edison Company filed a con-
demnation suit for a right-of-way for its
500,000 volt power line against George A.
Coblentz and Helen E. Coblentz, and Roy H.
Coblentz, of Knoxville, Rt. 2.
George A. Coblentz and Helen E. Coblentz
own a half interest and Roy H. Coblentz
owns a half interest in a Sandy Hook tract
of land that PE proposes to put the power
line across.
Potomac Edison asks for a right-of-way
of 100 feet in either direction for the 500,000
volt line and asks permission to cut all un-
derbrush on the right-of-way, according to
legal papers filed at the Washington County
Courthouse. The papers say the towers will
be 122 feet high, give or take 10 feet.
INSIDE ANTIETAM'S SECOND BATTLE: POWER
LINES, PLEASE Go AWAY
(By Phil Ebersole)
Out of the uproar over the Potomac Edi-
son power line in southern Washington
County, one conclusion is fairly plain:
It would be better for Washington County
if the power line were relocated north of
Sharpsburg or south of Harpers Ferry.
Potomac Edison is no villian. The 500,000
volt power lines it wants to build are a na-
tional necessity. The power lines have to go
somewhere, they are sure to be unpopular
wherever they go, and there is nothing on
paper to indicate to PE that it should go
elsewhere.
The responsibility for providing proper
guidelines for locating the power lines is a
responsibility, not of Potomac Edison, but of
the county, state and federal governments.
Potomac Edison has acted in good faith in
following the guidelines it has been given.
HISTORIC AREA
New guidelines are being developed by the
Washington County Planning and Zoning
Commission, which has sought the advice of
the Washington County Historical Society
and the Hagerstown Civil War Round Table .
in mapping the historic sites of Washington
County.
In trying this approach, the Planning and
Zoning Commission, in my opinion, is in
the right church, but the wrong pew.
Washington County is saturated with his-
toric sites, someone like the late E. Russell
Hicks could tell the history of practically
any square yard of Washington County.
It does not therefore follow that every-
thing with a long history is worthy of preser-
vation or restoration in its original state. Fox
Deceived -Farm, for example, has a long his-
tory. If someone is, willing to take the trou-
ble to erect a small marker at Fox Deceived
Farm noting this, it would be very nice, but
it is hard to see why the Planning and Zon-
ing Commission would want to get involved
with Fox Deceived Farm.
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 S 10790
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-11- SENATE August 3, 19677
they can to keep out the power lines and valuable testimony to the Subcommittee,,
anything else that would spoil this area on Migratory Labor on July 13. In sup-
Or take the Hager House, as a second ex-
ample. Hager House is an outstanding ex-
ample of historic restoration. But the value
of the historic restoration is not spoiled by
the railroad tracks that run behind it or the
factory located near by. The value of Hager
House, to that extent, is independent of its
tion and collective bargaining, he stated: 1
Farm industries will have more labor
peace, not less, once farm workers are or-
ganized and there are bona fide guarantees
which workers can rely on. Farm workers
live and work in an economic jungle today.
Once they have the right to join unions and
work under negotiated contracts, there will
be a civilizing atmosphere good for both
employer and employee.
I wish here to highlight only a few
of the important issues presented in his
statement. In discussing the precedents
in this field, Mr. Reuther presented evi-
dence which shows that there was no
substantial argument for ever dropping
the farmworkers from our collective- 1
bargaining laws. Rather than on any
grounds of philosophy, the exclusion was
made because of political expediency
COMPLIMENT TO VETERANS HOS-
PITAL IN LISBON, TEX.
Mr. TOWER. Mr. President, a Sena-
a
su
- -
ington County is different, I minx paving
100 foot towers pass by.the Antietam Bat- it should be. We do want to know what
tlefleld is bad in a way that having the tow- needs attention.
ers pass by Hager House or Fox Deceived Nevertheless, it is refreshing to glimpse
Farm would not be. the other side of reality when a consti-
The southern part of Washington. County tuent is courteous enough to write about
is of national, not merely local, historic im- how well things are going. I was fortu-
portance. It adjoins Harpers Ferry and con-
nate enough to receive such a letter re-
tains the Antietam Battlefield. Harpers cently from Mr. p ri B. Callaway, a Vice
Ferry was the scene of John Brown's Raid.
The Battle of Antietam was the occasion for president of Transcontinental Bus Sys-
the Emancipation Proclamation. Harpers tem, Inc. '
Ferry.and Antietam comprise the story of the To him I'extend my thanks, and to the
abolition of slavery In America-probably administir'ator and personnel of the vet-
the most important event in American his- erans ;3 ospital in Lisbon-whose out-
tory besides the American Revolution itself. Stalliiing service was the subject of his
portentAntietam tourist and Harpers attractions. Ferry are According now to i thhe e letter-I express my congratulations and
Department of the Interior, they will some- al rreeiation on behalf of the people of
day be joined by an Antietam Heritage Trail Texas.
and an improved C & 0 Canal, which will ; I ask unanimous consent that the text
provide facilities for the boater, the fisher of Mr. Callaway's letter be printed in
man, the hiker and the bicyclist. the RECORD.
Overlooking Harpers Ferry Is Marylaikd There being no objection, the letter
Heights, donated to the U.S. Government by ordered to be printed in the RECORD,
the Washington County Historical Society, was follows:
and Fort Duncan, which is in the hands of
private developers. Nearby Is the John Brgwn TRANSCONTINENTAL SYSTEM, July INC 1967.
Farm, also in the hands of a private dgvel- Dallas, y
oper. i Senator JOHN TowER,
Just as the C & 0 Canal runs along1l the Washington, D.C.
county's western boundary, the Appalachian DEAR SENATOR TowER: I recently had an
Trail runs along its eastern boundary, li'ik- experience which I would like to call to your
tag Harpers Ferry to Gathland State Park attention.
and Washington Monument State Park. For something in excess of sixty years,
An this is in one of the most beautiful''here was working for my wife's family an
natural settings in the eastern United States. om--golored man who originally came to the
attractive than the areas family Rs-. n orphan boy who had run away
r
h
port of legislation to extend to the farm-;
workers the rights of union representa- 1
and public apathy.
Turning to the farm employers who
fear that once legally organized, the
workers might inflict crippling strikes
during prime picking time, he noted that
the majority of union contracts, includ-
ing all those negotiated last year by the
farmworkers union in Delano, Calif.,!
contained no-strike clauses, barring any,
such action for the life of the contract.
Finally, speaking for the UAW and
IUD, Mr. Reuther concluded by asserting
that they of the American labor move-
ment are very willing to take up the task
of organizing farmworkers. Recalling,
their past record of having encouraged:
farmworker unions for years, and of hav-
ing given money for their struggle, he
pledged backing for the continuance of
mo
It is muc
e around Gettysburg Battlefield, from home n he was about nine years this battle.
Historic significance, a beautiful landscape old. Recently th old man became ill and Mr. President, I ask unanimous con
and varied recreational opportunities com- inasmuch as he had` Nerved n World War se that Mr. Iuask unanimous be
bine to make southern Washington County I, we took him to the s' Hospital in er's statement
a potential tourist attraction of national Lisbon, Texas, for exaThe hospital printed in the RECORD.
importance-a major economic asset to the staff gave him an immd careful ex- There being no objection, the state-
ve conclusion e t .. s ordere to be printed in the
p
t h
li
:
h
f
e ..w.
-- -------- REwnu, as
o s
a
o
capable of giving pleasure and inspiration t
to thousands. and immediately admitted him 13kt the hOS- STATEMENT OF WALTER P. REUTHER, PRESIDENT,
POWERLINE EFFECT pital. INDUSTRIAL UNION DEPARTMENT, AFL-CIO,
He was in the hospital approxima 1q two AND PRESIDENT, UNITED AUTOMOBILE, AERO-
To be sure, all these thins will still be mply
g months and all of my family were si SPACE, AND AGRICULTURE IMPLEMENT WORK-
i
i
ti
i
ne
n
there even if the 500,000 volt power l
s amazed at the careful and consc
ous ERs BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON MIGRA-
built as planned. attention which he received. Differen mem-
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and bers of the family made it a practic to go TORY LABOR, SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR
different people react differently to the same out to see him at regular intervals, and I AND PUBLIC WELFARE, ON S. 8, JULY 13, 1967
thing. John Frye believes the towers will do not believe any one of us was ever t the Mr. Chairman and members of the Senate
spoil the appearance of Pleasant Valley. Bon- hospital when some one associated wi h the Subcommittee on Migratory Labor, on behalf
nerd J. Morgan doesn't believe they will. hospital staff did not come by to adm nister of the 1.6 million members of the UAW and
Robert Lagemann says the power line won't to him in some way. He finally died a few the 7 million members of the industrial
make any difference to tourists at Antietam days ago, but only after he had received as Union Department, I am here to ask that
Battlefield. Stewart Udall says it will. excellent care as any patient could h e pos- Congress give America's farm workers the
Even if everyone Agrees that the power sibly received in any hospital. same right to vote for union representation
ain for wages
ht to bar
i
h
,
g
g
e same r
lines would look nicer elsewhere, there is The staff of the Veterans' Hospit in Lis- and t
still the problem of weighing this against bon seemed to me to be so dedi ted and hours and working conditions as millions of
ir work t I felt other American wage earners have.
the cost of locating the lines elsewhere. More
th
i
t
e
n
ious
so conscien
will be known about this when the Interior. I wished to call this to your per nal atten- Farm workers are the poorest of the work-
Department's electric power experts complete tion. If all the Veterans' Hospita around the ing poor. They work short seasons when
their study of the feasibility of alternate country operate anything like the Veterans' they work, and they work for miserably low
routes, Potomac Edison even so may feel it Hospital In Lisbon, we are I eed fortunate. wages. Their hours are long and their work-
ing conditions are unspeakably bad. Only
asked to compare the proverbial ap-
in
b
i
g
s
e
Respectfully yours
, pies and peaches-things which are too un- CPL B. CALLAWAY. this year for the very first time did the fed-
alike for comparison. ? eral minimum wage law cover farm workers
In this case, however, I think the burden on the very largest factory farms at $1.00 an
of proof is on Potomac Edison. The beauty FARMWORKERS NEED COLLECTIVE - hour. Farm workers have but minimal ef-,
of a landscape is like any other natural re- BARGAINING fective coverage under Social Security.
source. It cannot be added to; it can only This Subcommittee has done yeoman work
be taken away from. Potomac Edison, in Mr. WILL AMS of New Jersey. Mr. In calling attention to the wants and needs
time, can absorb a moderately increased cost. President, Mr. Walter P. Reuther, pres- of farm workers. Your solid and intensive
The landscape will never absorb the power
line; the subtraction will be permanent. ident of the Industrial Union Depart- investigation of farm worker problems has
For this reason ason I believe the county, state ment of the AFL-CIO and president of helped Congress and the nation realize how
and federal governments should do what the United Auto Workers, submitted much remains to be done before farm workers
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