Reflecting the rapid growth of pacifist tendencies, more than thirty candidates for the Senate and House are running this year on “peace platforms” as against a lone peace pioneer in 1960 (William Hefner, who lost on the Democratic ticket, but is trying again). Six are regular Democratic candidates; one, a Republican. Among the two dozen independents on the ballot, the most publicized is Harvard Professor H. Stuart Hughes; the most unexpected, Harry Purvis, prominent NAM member whose name appears in a Long Island district under the Vote for Peace Party. Besides local groups and scores of many-hued pacifist outfits backing them, two special national organizations are providing funds and technical help: the National Committee of 1,000 to Elect Peace Candidates and the Council for Abolishing War. The Council numbers among its protégés a number of regular party candidates—among them Wayne Morse, Jacob Javits, Robert W. Kastenmeier, William Fitts Ryan, Frank Church, Stanley Tupper—known more for leftward than pacifist leanings. There are no pacifists running for the Supreme Soviet.
Algerian golden boy Ben Bella got promise of massive aid and a twenty-one gun salute at the White House a few hours before he left for Cuba and another twenty-one gun salute. He awarded the first Algerian Liberation Medal to Castro and lauded the progress of the Castro regime. He called for U.S. abandonment of Guantanamo and, when he got back home, pronounced that “Algeria and Cuba are walking hand in hand down the revolutionary road.” We hope our quarantine of Cuba is over before the time comes to impose one on Algeria.
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