Storm Warning

Storm W arning Like a giant organ swelling Over something from Gounod; Like a saturation, shelling < . . . Like a real nor’easter blow. Like a Grecian peroration; Like a deluge from above; Like a stripper’s slow gyration Teasing off a leather glove. Watch ’em shudder! Hear ’em bellow! As the liberals detect Ronald Reagan is the fellow All us kookies may elect. -W. H. von DREELE

been there. I want to see new places, want my children to see them with me. From everything I’ve read, we and the Russians are a lot alike in many respects.’ ““Phats true, a. friend. said.- Its. particularly noticeable in laughter. At the circus or the Moscow Puppet Show, the Americans and Russians laugh exactly at the same moment over the same situation.’ “ ‘Really?’ she said, her face alight with delight. ‘That’s important in a lot of things, isn’t it? In- cluding marriage.’ ”’ Any reader to whom this trend of thought ir- resistibly conjures up the unhilarious spectre of Lee Harvey Oswald (married Marina Nikolaevna Pru- sakova, Minsk, April 30, 1961) may be presumed to have missed Mrs. Kennedy’s meaning. What that meaning is we would not venture to guess, unless it is that there is none—that, having uttered this arresting series of remarks Mrs. Kennedy was satis- fied merely to have had something to say. That in itself is cause for wonder. All that Mrs. Kennedy need ever say are two words: “No com- ment.” That might not bring a normal life for herself and her children but it would be an unmistakable sign to the press that that is in fact what she wants. But the interview habit isn’t one that any Kennedy gives up easily, and we look forward to the ex- clusives, surely not far off, with Caroline and John- John. Especially the one about the day Uncle Bobby told them about the rats. At the Bar of the Congress The hearings are now concluded. Accusers, accused, investigators and bystanders have had their say. There are confusing details, some points may have — to be resolved by or with the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department. But the record is now sufficiently full to permit and to demand what might be termed a political judgment. First things first. The trigger of Thomas Dodd’s long and bitter ordeal was the vindictiveness of former members of his personal staff in the wake of an office scandal. The underlying cause was his firm, persistent and active anti-Communism. The > combination of the two factors made Dodd ineluctably attractive to Drew Pearson’s coprophiliac journalis- tic taste. A chance for scandal-tinged character-as- sassination that would simultaneously be a heavy blow at anti-Communism! Irresistible! We would have wished for a rather more heroic performance on Dodd’s part, and a more elegant discrimination in the uses to which he put the funds presented to him by his supporters and admirers. | But it is nonsense to contend that he had no right — to apply the money raised at the testimonial ban- |

WD

About the Author

W. H. von Dreele

Storm W arning Like a giant organ swelling Over something from Gounod; Like a saturation, shelling < . . . Like a real nor’easter blow. Like a Grecian peroration; Like a deluge from above; Like a stripper’s slow gyration Teasing off a leather glove. Watch ’em shudder! Hear ’em bellow! As the liberals detect Ronald Reagan is the fellow All us kookies may elect. -W. H. von DREELE

been there. I want to see new places, want my children to see them with me. From everything I’ve read, we and the Russians are a lot alike in many respects.’ ““Phats true, a. friend. said.- Its. particularly noticeable in laughter. At the circus or the Moscow Puppet Show, the Americans and Russians laugh exactly at the same moment over the same situation.’ “ ‘Really?’ she said, her face alight with delight. ‘That’s important in a lot of things, isn’t it? In- cluding marriage.’ ”’ Any reader to whom this trend of thought ir- resistibly conjures up the unhilarious spectre of Lee Harvey Oswald (married Marina Nikolaevna Pru- sakova, Minsk, April 30, 1961) may be presumed to have missed Mrs. Kennedy’s meaning. What that meaning is we would not venture to guess, unless it is that there is none—that, having uttered this arresting series of remarks Mrs. Kennedy was satis- fied merely to have had something to say. That in itself is cause for wonder. All that Mrs. Kennedy need ever say are two words: “No com- ment.” That might not bring a normal life for herself and her children but it would be an unmistakable sign to the press that that is in fact what she wants. But the interview habit isn’t one that any Kennedy gives up easily, and we look forward to the ex- clusives, surely not far off, with Caroline and John- John. Especially the one about the day Uncle Bobby told them about the rats. At the Bar of the Congress The hearings are now concluded. Accusers, accused, investigators and bystanders have had their say. There are confusing details, some points may have — to be resolved by or with the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department. But the record is now sufficiently full to permit and to demand what might be termed a political judgment. First things first. The trigger of Thomas Dodd’s long and bitter ordeal was the vindictiveness of former members of his personal staff in the wake of an office scandal. The underlying cause was his firm, persistent and active anti-Communism. The > combination of the two factors made Dodd ineluctably attractive to Drew Pearson’s coprophiliac journalis- tic taste. A chance for scandal-tinged character-as- sassination that would simultaneously be a heavy blow at anti-Communism! Irresistible! We would have wished for a rather more heroic performance on Dodd’s part, and a more elegant discrimination in the uses to which he put the funds presented to him by his supporters and admirers. | But it is nonsense to contend that he had no right — to apply the money raised at the testimonial ban- |