Letters

"A Fine Choice"

To THE EDITOR: If it had to be, John Dickey is a fine choice. I know what he has done at the State Department during the past year: a magnificent job of putting over the foreign policy story to the common man, through representatives of the common man.

Almost single-handedly he swung the oldliners at State into his camp in the interests of broadening the democratic base of the Nation's understanding of what we were trying to do in our foreign relationships. He insisted that business, labor, agriculture be represented at San Francisco over the objections of the oldliners who feared, who were frightened. So effective was his work that recalcitrants came away convinced that Dickey's public liaison job deserved first-run praise and commendation. As a matter of downright fact, those private groups actually wrote into the United Nations Charter some of its finest clauses dealing with human rights—which they could not have done had they not been in attendance, had they not been so well informed by John Dickey and his people of the progress of conference meetings.

When we need so urgently the type of thinking that forgets that the United States is the world, and remembers that Russia and China and the British Empire are friends and neighbors, the announcement of the Dickey appointment carries some hope and encouragement. Unless all of us pick up where Willkie and Roosevelt left off, we are doomed, we are irrevocably lost. We are indeed One World, and every day of our lives we must think of Tommy, Ivan and Ching, our neighbors across the street, and hope and believe that they think of us in the same friendly fashion. Unless John Dickey continues to think in terms of broadening the understanding of his undergraduates, of understanding the way of life, the philosophy, the very thinking of these neighbors across the street, he can fail. I'm persuaded, after knowing him rather well for a year, that he will not forsake those guidelines of his career to date, -because he has carried the banner high, carried it himself, enriching the lives of his fellows with international understanding. He has made them think in international terms. If he succeeds in making the College so think, he will be the greatest president Dartmouth ever had.

Think how wonderful it would be if Dartmouth soon became recognized as the center of prodding and inspiring the Nation to get out of itself, to grasp the hands of Tommy, Ivan and Ching in abiding fellowship and deep, lasting understanding! It would be tremendous. How all of us wish him God-speed in such a noble undertaking. Why not? Dartmouth has in the past reached out across the Nation, welcoming Kansans, Nebraskans, young citizens of all States, all countries—according to its resources. Should we not now redouble our efforts, reach out further, lead the way in making it possible for the Gl-Joe and his brother to sit daily at the roundtable with the guys he's been fighting with, shoulder to shoulder? What an opportunity!

Washington, D. C.

Coach Hillman

To THE EDITOR: This is a tribute to Harry Hillman of Dartmouth.

I have lost men near and dear to me in this war and suffered accordingly: but yesterday when I read in our little soldier newspaper The China Lantern of Coach Hillman's death, I knew truly that "my cup runneth over." I wept, selfishly, because of my own loss of a friend, and then for his stricken family and for Dartmouth.

Coach Hillman as I knew him, and I feel sure I speak for all of us old time trackers from 1914-1917, was indeed a grand person, a real leader. His qualities of camaraderie, joviality and good fellowship, as well as his great popularity with men of his own age, endeared him to members of his teams. Harry was earnest in his work, could be and was a strict disciplinarian at the psychological moment and was a master at conditioning athletes and would be athletes. (He liked to refer to members of a track team who returned to Hanover without prizes after a trip as "tourists.")

In his early days with the College on the Hill, his moral stamina overcame vicissitudes and enabled him to remain with Dartmouth and carry on his work which extended over a period of many successful years.

X am sure the track men of '14-'17, all of us remaining, feel a distinct personal and poignant loss in Harry's passing. His friendship was a vital thing to us all in those days of our youth. He was loved by the track teams the way Coach Cavanaugh was beloved of his foot ballers.

So when on a cold winter's night you sons of Dartmouth gather 'round the roaring birch logs, fill your glasses and drink a skoal to a loyal and true friend, a grand coach and sportsman Harry Livingston Hillman.

China

Gallant Son

To THE EDITOR:

What I want to say is about Pete Brundage '45. No doubt the College has received word of his death on May 3rd in action on Okinawa. I went through college with him, then through OCS, and we came overseas on the same ship. He took over a rifle platoon, I was put in a replacement reserve. Three days before he was killed I ran into him in Okinawa, and we had a brief talk on how wonderful it would be to be in Hanover. He was the type of person Dartmouth was built for, a nature-lover, congenial, and friendly with everybody. Not the BMOC type, but the sort of person who, when he went in for extra-curricula activities such as the Outing Club, made a lot of friends and did a good job. It was the same way out here. Two days after he was killed I came up to L Company and was assigned to his platoon where I heard what he had done. He performed his job in a fashion which his family. Dartmouth, and his friends can be very proud of. His men were deeply fond of him and admired him, and in spite of living with constant sudden death, they had time to mourn his passing.

The Division took over the lines on May 1; that night there was a counterattack and Pete and a sergeant went out in front of the linesan extremely dangerous thing even when there were no enemy dose to you to kill one Nip who had crept up and had already shot one man. Two days later the order came down to push out to a ridge about three hundred yards ahead. Two platoons, including Brundage's, shoved off and they reached the objective with little trouble and started to dig in. Almost immediately the enemy initiated a counterattack—mortars, grenades, and small arms. One platoon leader was wounded and Pete took over the two of them. A mortar shell dropped in a foxhole killing one man, injuring another seriously and partially burying him. Although shrapnel and bullets were flying all around, Brundage went to the foxhole and dug the man out, although fully exposed to everything. Then he began to observe for the 60 mm mortars, and shortly afterwards a Jap mortar shell killed him instantly.

For his heroism he has been recommended for a Navy Cross. I suppose that is small consolation, but in a battle which made many heroes he was one of the most outstanding. It is his type of person that the world can ill afford to lose. Everyone in the company is proud of him; his code name was "The Kid," and his infectious smile was very appropriate. As a platoon leader he was tops. Dartmouth can mourn his loss, and can classify him as one of the noblest of "laureled sons." I only hope that we can end this war fast and build up a new, greater world so that the sacrifice made by Pete and so many others will not be in vain.

FPO, San Francisco