 It's time for the Lawn Jean Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour, brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. A presentation of the Lawn Jean Wittner Watch Company, maker of Lawn Jean, the world's most honored watch, and Wittner, distinguished companion to the world-honored Lawn Jean. Good evening, this is Frank Knight. May I introduce our co-editors for this edition of the Lawn Jean Chronoscope? Mr. William Bradford Huey, author and analyst, and Dr. William Peterson, author and economist. Our distinguished guest for this evening is the Honorable James E. Van Zandt, United States Congressman from Pennsylvania. Mr. Van Zandt, many of our viewers, of course, know you as a distinguished citizen-soldier of this country, as a man who has interested himself in veterans affairs, and as a member of Congress. Now, sir, I believe that you have been on active duty in Korea, you have served this country in three wars, and you have rather vigorous opinions on the conduct of the war in Korea. First of all, sir, what is your principal criticism of the way that we have conducted our war in Korea? Of course, as a civilian sailor, as I should say, and being somewhat indoctrinated in military after some 36 years, it's my opinion that we should fight the war to win in Korea rather than try to settle it at the diplomatic table, which is impossible when you're dealing with Russia. Well, now, you have associated with the men in the line in Korea. Do they feel the same way? Definitely so. You talked to the average soldier in the front lines in Korea. He'll ask you, well, what are we fighting for? Why are the holding us back? Those boys would like to go for it and win that war. Do they feel that our policies are more or less being dictated from Moscow? Not exactly from Moscow, but they think that they are being dictated by probably other members of the United Nations. Well, Mr. Van Zandt, would you extend your will to win so far as to include the atomic bomb? Very definitely, Dr. Peterson. I've always been a firm believer that we should use the atomic bomb, not only in Korea, but north of the Alu River in Manchuria. Well, sir, now, you are something of an authority on atomic weapons since you are a veteran member of the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy, and your recommending use of the bomb in Korea brings up this point. Does that mean that you believe that it could be effectively used as a weapon in the Korean data? Yes. I think that there are several targets in northern Korea that we could use. That is, we could destroy them with the atomic bomb. We could destroy them and contaminate them. And then, of course, there are targets in Manchuria that should be destroyed. And as a member of Congress and as an American citizen, you are willing for us to take the risk involved in using the atomic weapons on Manchurian targets. I'm not so much alarmed about the risk. I'm looking to the benefits. And I think that the use of the atomic bomb will permit us to completely paralyze the red China lines of communications. In other words, destroy their concentration of manpower, their concentration of food, and their concentration of material of war in general. Well, many of our viewers tonight, sir, all over the country are, of course, hopeful that something will come of the peace negotiations in Korea. From your experience there, sir, and from your listening point in Congress, do you think that there is real grounds for hope that there will be peace in Korea? Well, Mr. Yui, naturally, I'm like every American when I say that I have high hopes that something will result from the peace talks. But I doubt it very much. In my opinion, today we are the victims of Russia's game of psychological warfare that's being played through red China. And I think that they are bluffing us as they have in the past and taking advantage of the time element to build up their forces and re-establish their base of supplies. Well, since you are on the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy, you are in a position to give our viewers the latest information in that particular field. First of all, sir, what is the significance of all of these tests that are being held in Nevada? These tests that are being held at what we call Desert Rock, Nevada are primarily for the purpose of indoctrinating not only officials of government but writers for newspapers and so forth, as well as our military. I think primarily they are being tested for the purpose of indoctrinating our military. Mr. Van Zanten, good many of our viewers and the nation as a whole are indeed very concerned about the question of security. Do you think that the AEC has been overly secretive in its handling of the atomic energy program? Well, Dr. Peterson, in the beginning we had some very unfortunate incidents regarding security. Close fuchs, for example? Exactly, and I think that Russia and the atomic bomb that she has, or the type of bomb that she has, can be traced definitely to the information that Dr. Klaus Fuchs passed on to them. As a result of such incidents, the Congress of the United States through the Joint Congressional Committee prodded the Atomic Energy Commission to a point to where they really tightened up. Now I think after living with this atomic energy effort for the past dozen years, and the fact that almost daily additional groups of people are becoming acquainted with the atomic energy field, that the time has arrived for us to declassify some of the information. Now I do not mean by that going down into the secret field. I think we should keep that information secret, but there's a lot of information on the outer edges that I think we can declassify and make known to the American people. By making known, then you seem to imply that big business and the public utilities can get in on this information and make it commercially feasible and open new vistas for business. Well, Dr. Peterson, we have been in this effort now for about 12 years, and we have spent about $12.5 billion of the taxpayer's money. Now if we're to continue this great effort, we're going to saddle upon the shoulders of the American taxpayer many more billions of dollars. I would much rather see public interest, public concerns, or free enterprise, whatever you wish to call them, move into this effort and assume some of this burden and thereby take it off of the shoulders of the taxpayers of the country. Well, sir, since you have been so closely associated with the atomic energy program and since you are a rather vigorous Republican spokesman, I'm sure that our viewers would appreciate your generalizing as to what kind of management the Atomic Energy Commission has given this vast program. Do you feel that we've gotten our money's worth for that $12 billion? In the beginning of the Atomic Energy Commission, I think money was wasted, but I think it was necessary because we were exploring a field that we did not know where we were going. But in late years, I think that the Atomic Energy Commission has tightened up considerably, and I'd like to take a little credit for the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. They tightened up at our prodding, and I think that today the American people are getting a hundred cents in return for the dollar that they spend. Is that the function of your committee? Are you a watchdog committee? Very definitely so. The law provides that we shall be kept fully informed of everything that goes on in the Atomic Energy field, and we try to do that very thing. Well, moving on, sir, you, of course, have also been interested in the various fights over the reorganization of the armed forces, and the Eisenhower administration now has some program for reorganizing the armed forces. Just where do you stand in that effort, sir? Well, Mr. Huey, I imagine you have reference to the Rockefeller Report. I have very hurriedly glanced over the report, and I have noticed where they are giving a lot of power to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I look at that allocation of power with a lot of suspicion because I'm fearful that someday we may wake up and find ourselves with a German general staff idea, and I'm opposed to it. You're opposed to all the efforts that lead to centralizing power in the armed services? Definitely so. Does that mean that you have been opposed to the unification effort? No, I have not been opposed to the unification effort. I believe in unification, but at the same time, I believe that in unification, we should have the conventional type of a national defense, an Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps ready to strike, ready to fight any kind of a war that may be started on any place in the face of the earth. Well, now, sir, I'm sure that our viewers would not want you to leave tonight without making some remark about veterans' legislation, since many of them recall that you have been head of at least one of the large veterans' organizations. Now, sir, what program does the Eisenhower administration have regarding veterans? Are they going to cut veterans' benefits? Are they going to try to save money at the expense of veterans? Well, Mr. Huey, of course, it was my privilege to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and I have been an active veteran now since 1919. And as a member of the Congress, I always try to approach the subject of veteran benefits, not alone as a veteran, but as a representative of the people in my congressional district. To date, there has been several speeches made on the floor of Congress designed to cut veteran benefits, and an effort has been made to cut them. But in my opinion, I think that when this Congress, this session of Congress, will have adjourned, that there will have been no drastic or radical cuts applied to veteran benefits. Mr. Van Zandt, don't you feel that with 20 million XGIs, 20 million veterans, and one million more veterans coming into the veteran classification every year, that here we have potentially a very powerful lobby for good or for evil? Well, Dr. Peterson, I think that the veterans of this country are, we'll say, alert to the extent that they do not want to wreck the Treasury of the United States through the payment of benefits to the veteran. And for that reason, I think that you'll find them today exploring this entire field of veteran activities. And they will come up sooner or later with a program that will fit in to the economy of our country today. Or in other words, I think that some of the water, if there is any, is in veteran benefits today will be squeezed out. And those men and women who serve their country and who are entitled to these benefits will receive them. And those who are not will not receive them. Well, Mr. Van Zandt, I'm certain that our viewers have appreciated these rather frank expressions of your assertion. Thank you for being with us. The opinions that you've heard our speakers express tonight have been entirely their own. The editorial board for this edition of the Lawn Jean Chronoscope was Mr. William Bradford Huey and Dr. William Peterson. Our distinguished guest was the Honorable James E. Van Zandt, United States Congressman from Pennsylvania. 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Premier product of the Lawn Jean Wittner Watch Company, since 1866, maker of watches of the highest character. We invite you to join us every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening at this same time for the Lawn Jean Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour. Broadcast on behalf of Lawn Jean, the world's most honored watch, and Wittner, distinguished companion to the world-honored Lawn Jean. This is Frank Knight, reminding you that Lawn Jean and Wittner watches are sold and serviced from coast to coast by more than 4,000 leading jewelers who proudly display this emblem, Agency for Lawn Jean Wittner Watches. Sunday nights, Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town on the CBS television network.