European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 the stars and stripes Pentagon silent about effect of Mcnamara Wall by Bob i1orton Washington a the Pentagon is remaining close mouthed on How North Vietnam was Able to infiltrate 80,000 to 100,000 troops into South Viet Nam this year despite a $1 Bil lion obstacle system below the Doz. Defense officials have apparently chosen to ignore All questions about the effectiveness of the anti infiltration setup announced last sept. 7 by Roberts. Mcnamara then Secretary of defense. Mcnamara ordered official sat the time not to discuss operational details which might help the enemy learn How to overcome the system. But the defense department has extended this cloak of secrecy to cover such questions Ashow much tax Money has been and will be spent on the bar Rier and whether the system is having any discernible effect on infiltration. Past present and future spending figures on the project code named Dye Marker muscle Shoals have been stamped classified. Cost Esti mates were deleted by Penta gon censors from recently re leased testimony by defense of Licals who appeared earlier his year before the Senate armed services committee. More than once however sen. Stuart Symington d-mo., after being Given a breakdown of the Cost referred to the bar Rier As a billion Dollar Maginot line Richard fryklund a Penta gon spokesman told a reporter the Money figures Are being kept secret to prevent North Vietnam from knowing the scope of the Barrier. Although the Pentagon Hassid the Barrier would be in stalled Only in South Vietnam Ese territory below the demilitarized zone a High laotian government source in Vientiane said Jan. 23 its electronic Fea Tures were being extended into Laos. The system sometimes referred to As Mcnamara s Wall includes a series affront line Strong Points linked with strips of barbed wire minefields and air sown seismic de vices that sound an alarm when troops or vehicles move into the area. Military officers who Are cautiously willing to discuss the project say the electronic de vices set off signals in ec121 aircraft enabling the special electronics plane to order bomb ers to the scene. It s a warning system that Sall one officer said. He added that the same de vices used in the Barrier played a key role in the defense of Khe Sanh. Exactly How Many troops have infiltrated directly across the Doz and the Barrier this year and How Many were sent Over adjacent laotian trails Are not known. The Pentagon acknowledge that heavy movement continues in both areas and the Matte has raised serious concern administration official at preliminary peace talks with Hanoi in Paris. Top ranking military m e have never been enthusiastic about the Barrier idea remembering that Static or passive de lenses such As the French magi not and German Siegfried lines of world War ii proved to be big failures. Some officers also feared that Dye. Marker muscle s to a 1 a would be used As an excuse for stopping the bombing of North , bombing has now been limited Asp Art of president Johnson s move to get peace talks started but whether the establishment of the Barrier was a Factor in this decision is no known. The project was conceived by Pentagon civilian planners about three years Pentagon declined to answer More than a dozen questions from a reporter asking among other things for any cos figures As Well As any evidence that the Barrier is limiting in filtration. The Pentagon also declined today Why the project was never examined by systems analysis the vaunted Cost effectiveness study Branch in the defense department. Possible peek a boots Ming Nong a Jasel grandson of Premie Thanom Kitti Fachorn of Thailand takes a close look at polished shoes of a color bearer at the White House before a Cere Mony honouring his Grandfather. The boy s father capt. Supa Gaja Seni is the naval attache of the thai embassy. Up credit bureaus prodded privacy for borrowers by John Cunniff new York a prodded by Public criticism and the Prospect of legislation the nation credit bureaus Are working on a plan to protect the privacy of those whose financial Histo Ries they a few Days Industry sources say an advisory com Mittee will be named to set standards for the larger credit bureaus most of which Are members of the associate credit bureaus of America. These bureaus maintain file son a person s economic status and credit history for use by members in deciding whether to sell him goods or decision of whether to Grant or deny credit has become increasingly critical for in most areas of the nation credit is away of life. Among the questions to reconsidered by the bureaus should an individual be shown his credit report should information in the files be Given on request to government agencies what information should be put in files How Long should derogatory information be maintained abuses of privacy Are conceded by some in the Industry. Individual credit bureaus have taken action to improve stand Ards and guard privacy but this is the first nationwide Effort. The action follows hearings Bya special House subcommittee headed by rep. Cornelius Galla Gher . Following an agreement on guidelines the credit bureaus will submit their thinking to the of the Industry s stand apparently has already been agreed upon following a meet ing just concluded in Chicago. Many of those attending it was Learned feel an individual should be permitted to see his file. This already is Standard procedure for some credit bureaus. Others decline to show a per son the information in his file but will discuss specific de tails. Less agreement was reached on some other areas. One of credit Bureau and the credit seeker. Here is an extreme Case an individual denied credit Ina Large Eastern City inquired at the credit Bureau for the reason Why. He was told that a court suit was recorded against this was a technicality involving health insurance he answered and it was settled Long bring in said. Certainly i am not guilt until i prove my innocence am i the credit Bureau insist Don its Point of View and the frustrated individual Hung up cases such As this very Likely will be eliminated under the up coming guidelines and Legisla Tion. Retailers Are simply to eager for sales too conscious of image too wary of restrictive Laws not to upgrade and modernize credit files. By Ray Moseley Vatican City up -. Vatican has adopted the that it is possible but notjsj8" for Catholic 0, orders in count a Hete the masons Are St Catholic informed Vas sources said. Y Cathe sources gave this cation of the Vatican s because of some de a new attitude an longer applying in every communicating Soili the order of fee Edasol since then Thev has been periodically Challenge in various parts of the world the. Confusion apparently arises from the fact the new1 attitude remains almost a Pri vate matter within the Power Ful congregation for the Doc Trine of the Faith according to Well informed sources. They said the new attitude became known several months ago when a scandinavian Bishop wrote to the congregation the former holy office to ask if a Catholic could join the masons without incurring Auto Matic excommunication. The congregation replied tothe Bishop with a private letter the sources said. The reply stated that tithe masonic organization in a particular country is not anti Catholic or atheistic it is pos sible but not advisable for Catholic to join the sources said. They said the congregation regards masonic membership for catholics As inadvisable be cause of the secret nature of the masonic lodges. Another hand the congregation takes a favourable View of the charitable activities of Many masonic lodges they said. The sources said the effect of is letter was to make Catholic Nayia and a few other places. However in Italy France Spain and latin America where masonic orders Are regarded Cythe Church As anti Catholic the old condemnation remains in effect they sources said the Congre gation s private letter to scandinavian Bishop is Buu Only official document , and no instructions we been sent to Bishops else Neie the most controversial concern the release of information to other than credit Gran tors. Some bureaus believe the have a patriotic obligations to work with government Agen cies such As the Federal Bureau of investigation. An Industry source who asked to re main unidentified put it this Way it is a serious philosophical question that is not completely resolved. Do we have a moral obligation to the country Well we re trying to face this ques Tion now and it s a Damn serious one another guideline will establish standards for the Type of information to be placed in files for example if a credit by prfilc"o5im wm7i Stu we Lin 1w n or ii a Mph 933$, we swim a att asses ass ii of a sum ass is Swasas Gas fee its Fink a Sik re to of our Pian ,.pm i col James a Campbell Usa. I. Edl Reh Elmer d. Frank .,.,. A .0 just on Henry s. Epstein i la. .,., circulation of and for the it Arrow forc. _.ft., european Cort mind unit Tolm Dally _. P175i inter1"""T to
