Adlai's Proposed H-Bomb Plan Dominates HYDC-HYRC Debate

Adlai E. Stevenson's proposal to ban further hydrogen bomb tests in the United States emerged as the primary issue in a debate last night between the presidents of the Harvard Young Democratic and Young Republican Clubs.

Despite the efforts of William Cotter '58, president of the HYDC, to argue issues with the HYRC head, Don Hodel '57, ranging from farm policy to civil rights, the emphasis of the debate shifted to the two parties' views of the Stevenson suggestion.

In an informal debate before 50 members of the International Relations Club of the Newton College of the Sacred Heart, the two club presidents first concentrated their discussion on the topics of the farm slump, small business failures, the Taft-Hartley Law, and natural resources "giveaways." In the debate on foreign policy and the question period that followed, however, discussion centered around the possibility of stopping H-bomb tests exposions.

Hodel based his defense of Eisenhower's position on nuclear experiments on a basic distrust of any totalitarian state, such as Soviet Russia. He maintained that we could not afford to stop our tests unless America and the USSR arrived at an agreement on "open-skies" inspection.

Cotter, while also mistrusting the Communists, cited the necessity for having the United States take the "first step" to end the armaments race. He stated that such an action on our part would greatly increase our prestige with the peace-loving nations of the world.

Hodel, however, believed that we would lose face internationally and encourage Russia to attack by demonstrating such a "sign of weakness."