Yale University - Banner / Pot Pourri Yearbook (New Haven, CT)

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This picture was shot during the height of the Vecchione-Bozell debate on the subject of Communist infiltration into the PCA. NATIONAL POLITICS . . . As might be expected from their background, most Yalemen declare themselves to be Republicans. Exactly half of the survey group swore alle- giance to the GOP, while only UZ, were declared Democrats. The inde- pendents, those who eschewed any ac- tive party afiiliation Csee closing sec- tionj piled up 302, of the vote, while the socialists accounted for a handful of 329. Whileione pollee espoused Communism, the fact that he was a fraternity member, came from a family having an income of over 350,000 per year, and attended a fashionable east- ern prep school throws some doubt upon the seriousness with which he an- swered this question. Communist senti- ment among undergraduates is ex- tremely hard to estimate, but certainly would fall considerably below V75 ac- cording to the leaders of most under- graduate political organizations. Nonetheless readers may be surprised at the degree of left-wing political activity Csee next sectionsj. r The intensity of these party affilia- tions may be tested by cross tabulation, and the following results were ob- tained. Of those declared Republicans, ll'Zy were actually dues-paying party members, and only 4712, of those pro- fessing themselves to be conservative said they would not consider running for public oHice. Among the Demo- crats, l4'7b were party members, and 49727 of liberals indicated lack of in- terest in public lifej The percentage of Socialists was so small that the de- gree of party membership could not be determined with any accuracy. On matters of public policy, opinion settled down fairly consistently along the lines which might be deduced from the above, except that the brand of

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ernment in your time?U only a fourth answered in the affirmative. The unleashing of atomic energy provoked no particularly provocative reactions among the group tested. By a vote of 9 to l they agreed that the United States should have used the atomic bomb, and by about the same margin voted against the release of de- tails of atomic bomb manufacture to all nations. The continued manufac- ture of such bombs by this country was endorsed by a four to one margin. WAR AND PACIFISM . . . Following the First VVorld VVar, nearly four out of five college students proclaimed themselves unwilling ever again to go to war, regardless of the reasons, they simply said that they would not serve. According to an article written for the NYale Daily News of September 24, l924, Admiral Schoheld stated: A pacifist leader was able to estab- lish a regular fno more war day' re- cently, and hundreds of people even paraded in cities throughout the coun- try . . . and mobs shrieked 'no more Warlf' Although four out of five Yalemen today actually expect war with Russia, or think it is not Uunlikelyf' Qsee foreign affairsj, there seems almost no propensity in this generation to repeat the pacifist hysteria of the early l92Ols. When asked, 'flf this country were again involved in War would you refuse to serve in the armed forces?', the reply was negative by a ten to one margin, and the reader may discount for the joker element as far as he Wishes. On the perennial tariff question, Yalemen are, apparently, confirmed free traders, favoring low tariffs or free trade over high tariffs by a re- sounding vote of 22 to l. ..l SQN 'lOverwhelming1y favored the Marshall Plan in the amounts originally requested by its ex- ponents . . . While backing its wartime use, Yalemen favored exclusive U. S. possession of Atom bomb secrets . . .

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l'Republicanism', espoused was pre- dominantly of a left-wing, or 'fliberal variety. Uncontrolled free enterprise, for example, mustered only a scant 792 as 'fthe healthiest economic system for American, less, indeed, than did gov- ernment control of major industries CSZQD. Individually owned enter- prise plus government control of monopoly received the support of four out of Eve answers, while government control of the entire economy received only a dribble of 329. In the Held of labor legislation and tax policy, Yale undergraduates showed general approval of the Taft- Hartley policy and the Truman tax policy. Only lOC7O favored repeal of the-Taft-Hartley Act, while remaining opinion remained divided between leaving it as it is and amendment. In the latter category, however, were found many Q68'Z,j who favored greater restrictions on labor, so that the endorsement of the line of policy laid down by the Republicans in Con- gress is stronger than that indicated in sentiment concerning the bill itself. These views hinge on the expressed at- titude of 621, of those voting that labor unions today are too strong , while only 67, said- that unions were too- weak. Those contented with the status quo accounted for the remainder. Tax policy, however, is the one point on which the majority of Yale under- graduates differed widely from the policy esquosed by the Republican leadership in Congress. Only 2X5 of those voting favored reduction of in- come taxes at this time, while H70 actually favored raising taxes. Below is Eliot Roosevelt in a meeting at the Yale Daily News. 29