Phillips, Hornblow Debate Problems of Peace Corps

With thousands rioting outside (and a bartending course next door) only nine people showed up to hear Student Council President Howard J. Phillips '62 and his antagonist of last week, Michael M. Hornblow '62, discuss the Peace Corps.

Their disagreements, which were relatively few, revolved around one central question: the relationship between the Peace Corpsman and the United States Government. Phillips advocated an orientation program sponsored by the government, but Hornblow called it unnecessary; Hornblow called for eventual United Nations control, but Phillips said it would endanger American interests.

Although the primary aims of the Peace Corps are humanitarian, Phillips said, "the suspicion will exist that it is an arm of the government, and we might as well be sure that we get all the advantages. I too am very much interested in seeing all mankind pull together and work together for the good of all," but "if you believe that freedom is more important than the way people live, then you will realize that we must push back the Communist menace and extend the frontier of freedom."

"Select Out" Communists

The Peace Corps, he suggested, should equip itself with an orientation program which will teach its members to set forth the reasons and rationale (though not necessarily force them to reflect the opinions) behind government policy. It should also provide an F.B.I security check for each applicant, insist that each member selected swear to support the Constitution, and "select out" people who show themselves to be Comunist agents while working abroad.

Hornblow's objections stemmed from his belief that the Peace Corps should not, under any circumstances, be regarded as an adjunct of United States foreign policy. Recalling his experiences on Crossroads Africa, he noted that "communism, to Africans I talked to meant nothing more than a white Cadillac. They have no understanding of various ideologies," he continued, "and as this point it's more important to combat disease and introduce modern techniques than to explain America."