South Bend, June 1, 1975
President Ford in Europe
On his first European tour, President Gerald Ford continued the policy of strengthening the North Atlantic Alliance, which had been initiated by his predecessor. The first stop of his tour in Brussels ( May 28 - 31) served the task of invigorating NATO and to assure the European partners that America will stand firm by its obligations to the Alliance. As the Europeans, particularly after the recent experiences in Vietnam, are also in favor of further strengthening the Alliance, both sides were in agreement as they had not been for a long time. For the security of the Mediterranean area, negotiations are being held in Madrid (May 31 - June 1) on retaining American Air Force Bases in Spain. From June 1 - 3 a meeting is planned between Gerald Ford and Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt, at Schloss Fuschl near Salzburg, in order to further advance peace negotiations in the Middle East. While Sadat insists that the territories on the Sinai Peninsula are returned, Israel is not inclined to agree. In an audience in the Vatican on June 3, President Ford will meet with Pope Paul VI to discuss humanitarian questions.
June 5, 1975
President Ford returned in a good mood from Europe, self-assured and in a strengthened position. He was skillfully led by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger through the labyrinth of European politics. Ford also had a good understanding with the heads of governments in Europe. Although tensions between America and Europe still linger on, both sides have come much closer together again by this tour.
[In June 1975 I spent several weeks in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to pursue my research in American literature at the Houghton Library of Harvard University.]
Cambridge, Mass., June 7, 1975
The School Dispute in Boston
In an ironic turnaround of American history, the last rearguard battle of racial segregation is being fought here in Boston, where in the last century the Abolitionist Movement for putting an end to slavery had originated. For the last year, a school dispute has been raging over desegregation. U.S. District Judge W. Arthur Garrity, Jr., pronounced last year that the schools in Boston were intentionally practicing racial segregation. After he had ordered the desegregation of the school system, about 21,000 children had to be bused across town in order to achieve a balanced quota between white and colored children in all schools. There were continuously demonstrations, riots and clashes with the police. But Garrity was not to be dissuaded from his conviction by the poisoned atmosphere. With great courage he stood by his decision: The school system has, in compliance with the law and the constitution, to dismantle the barriers of segregation. In a 90 page report, he now substantiated his ruling on historical grounds. In the question of “forced busing,” concessions could be made because the argument about it would not lead anywhere. But in the end, the school dispute will be solved when there are no white or black schools anymore but just simply schools in Boston.
Boston, June 12, 1975
The Social Change
From John Winthrop, the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century, to Michael S. Dukakis, the present Governor of Massachusetts, a profound social change has occurred. From originally a British colony of Puritan dissidents, a Commonwealth has developed with any conceivable ethnic groups coming from Europe, Africa and Asia. The Irish and Italian immigrations in the 19th and 20th centuries brought a strong Catholic element to Massachusetts. While Winthrop’s main worry was how to protect the colony against raids, Dukakis faces at the moment the difficult problem of how to provide social assistance for those in need.
Cambridge, Mass., June 12, 1975
Commencement Exercises
At this year’s Commencement Exercises, Harvard University conferred 4,396 degrees. Of these, 3,015 were graduate and professional degrees (M.A., Ph.D., M.D., and D.J.), while 1,381 graduating seniors received bachelor’s degrees. That was the largest number of degrees Harvard University conferred at a commencement in its 350 year history. Rain dampened the ceremony on the Harvard Yard, but it did not diminish the good mood of the graduating class and the guests.
Boston, June 15, 1975
Bankruptcy of the Big Cities
A serious problem has arisen on how to finance the big cities in America. Recently New York declared bankruptcy, and Boston seems to be next in line. City governments are losing their source of revenues, as the flight to the suburbs continues. But they still have to finance the social expenditures of the impoverished inner cities. As a result of the financial squeeze, schools, police, fire departments, waste disposal, transportation, simply all the services a municipality has to provide, are affected. To get out of this vicious circle is not easy.
Cambridge, Mass., June 17, 1975
Communism in Italy
The recent regional elections of June 15 and 16 have again evoked fears of a Communist Italy. The Communists won 33.7% of the votes, whereby they come close to the Christian Democrats. They won the majority in the city governments of Rome, Milan, Torino, and Venice. Participation in the national government, if it is not formed by the Communists from the outset, is therefore very likely.
Cambridge, Mass., June 18, 1975
Walter Scheel Warns
In his address to the U.S. Congress, Walter Scheel, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, warned that the Communist ideologies may get hold of Europe, if the social awareness of the West is not sharpened and the problems of enough food, energy and unemployment are solved. Scheel expressed concern about the Communist victory in the Italian elections. He saw the main danger for the political development in Europe in breaking up the moderate or right-center democratic parties. He warned of an increasing radicalization and of a Communist danger in Europe, which is also taken seriously in Washington.
Cambridge, Mass., June 22, 1975
The Earthquake of Las Vegas
When these days the high-rises in Las Vegas began to sway, not only the inhabitants of the casino city were harshly awakened from sleep, but the entire world was again reminded that the atomic age has lost nothing of its horror. In the Nevada desert, about 120 miles from Las Vegas, a hydrogen bomb in the megaton category was ignited 3,000 feet under ground. The power of the detonation was fifty times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It set off a light earthquake, whose tremors were felt within a radius of 200 miles. The power of destruction of such a bomb exceeds comprehension. It is simply a matter of common sense that the SALT negotiations will be continued and that everything is done to avoid the danger of a nuclear war.