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Show J (Sckind the JJeacfined Americans might be surprised - to learn that Washington now is seriously considering an unexpected unex-pected new Soviet proposal for US-Soviet rivalry in the race for space. There was disbelief at first when the Soviets first proposed that the U. S., having trouble keeping up with the Russians, "might team up with Moscow and pool their efforts." Khrushchev Khrush-chev has repeated the offer that was first taken as a joke. Now, however, a subcommittee subcommit-tee of the Senate Foreign Relations Rela-tions Committee is studying the possibility and is expected to recommend a limited, trial pooling pool-ing of U.S.-Soviet space information, infor-mation, through a new supervised super-vised exchange of technical information in-formation on outer space, rockets., rock-ets., ect., that would go further than sharing data under the International In-ternational Geophysical Year. ice rivalry far worse than when the Sovie Sputniks were origi-nally origi-nally launched. All of this Army-Navy-Air Force rivalry, which no one can "deny, can even be seen reflected in the Army-Navy football classic clas-sic during the Thanksgiving holidays. hol-idays. The Army-Navy and lately the Army-Air Force grid clash remind us of the friendlier, constructive con-structive way in which inter-service inter-service rivalry might be waged. But it is also a reminder that far more wasteful, destructive and costlier rivalry is being waged off the playing fields. As in sports we hear that good "healthful competition between the services is fine, except when carried to excess. Whenever we hear the spectators cheer, "We want a touchdown!" we could recall the public outcry for more U.S. rocket missile successes in the space weapons race with the Russians. The Army football has even gotten up an Army Rocket Chant," reminding us that it still asserts its role in rocketry, despite de-spite a White House edict favoring favor-ing the Air Force in that field. Players are "benched" in the real life rivalry in the Pentagon just as they are in football. The Army missile genius, Col .Nick-erson, .Nick-erson, still is "benched" in the Caribbean for first warning that we were losing the space missile race. And the outspoken Admiral Admi-ral Rickover is still in the Navy doghouse for his maverick criti- Joint research laboratory teams might also be formed. In addition, efforts are being stepped up in the UN to reach East-West agreement for an additional ad-ditional exchange of information through the UN, with the Soviet Union and the rest of the world. The recent NATO Parliamentarians Parliamen-tarians meeting has urged that "Barriers for a freer trade of technical data between East and West as well as the NATO countries coun-tries themselves be removed." And at a recent convention, the American Rocket Society also urged that more efforts be cisms, despite his public popularity. popu-larity. When we hear of an "end run" In football, we might remember that the military heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines Ma-rines all say they are prepared to bypass the administration and budget bureau and appeal directly di-rectly to Congress and the public pub-lic for more funds they say they need. The "scrimmage" will come when each service begins active lobbying for extra funds. There are "cheerleaders" and "pep rallies" in real life rivalry just as there are in football; the pro-Pentagon, pro -Administration "spokesmen" who assure the public we still are ahead of Moscow, Mos-cow, even when a new Soviet space feat warns we are not. made to encourage a freer exchange ex-change of technical information with the Russians, just as we are how stepping up trade, cultural and other exchanges since Chairman Chair-man Khrushchev's visit to the U.S. The whole idea has the Pentagon Penta-gon in a frenzy. The Army, Navy and Air Force are hardly anxious to exchange information with each other, let alone the Russians. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover also fears a big exchange program would lead to Soviet espionage infiltration of our programs. pro-grams. Hoover already fears that Soviet cultural exchanges enable Moscow to establish new espionage activities in the US. But the real fear is that if the US should launch a big new Dro- gram of broad technical data exchange, many smaller countries coun-tries with which we are allied may also follow suit. Soon nations na-tions receiving U.S. military aid would find Reds infiltrating our overseas defense program, missile mis-sile bases, etc. It is reliably reported that the Budget Bureau, struggling with rising space military costs, is most interested in "exploring" the possibility of an increased U.S.-Soviet exchange of space-atomic space-atomic data. For such a pooling, if properly policed by capable scientists can, it is argued, save both the U. S. and Sovie Union large sums of money spent on projects that the other may have accomplished and wish to use to "bargain" for additional technological information. infor-mation. An early end to U. S.Soviet S.-Soviet space rivalry is not expected ex-pected of course. But it certainly is being studied. Ironically, this comes just as President Eisenhower has had to "knock heads together" in the Pentagon again in a new round of inter service rivalry coming up over the new military budget. bud-get. The decision by the President and Budget Bureau to hold military mili-tary spending at $41 billion has caused a new wave of inter-serv-1 "Touchdowns are cheered by the country whenever the U.S. follows a spectacular Soviet space feat with one of our own. But we are reminded that it is only the final score that counts in football or the space race. When disputes occur on the gridiron, the teams turn to referees, refe-rees, just as we are urged to name a space missiles "Czar." Traditionally, a President attending at-tending an Army-Navy classic shows neutrality sitting one-half one-half period on each team's side. This is a reminder that presidential presi-dential neutrality doesn't solve Pentagon rivalry. There are demands de-mands that Ike must decide and "knock heads together" and end rivalry. But Ike doesn't attend the Army-Navy game. There is the clock we watch during a game, even as we might wonder how much time we have' left in the race for space missiles supremacy. There is "grandstanding" "grand-standing" and "fumbling" as in the celebrated case of the publicized pub-licized Vanguard failuref ollow-ing ollow-ing the Sputnik successes. The "Statue of Liberty Pass" in real life is the call to patriotism to trust the Pentagon to win the race. And, of course we will hear much from the "Monday morning morn-ing quarterbacks" during an election year. |