The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
OCTOBER 19, 1953
HYDE PARK, Sunday—I have been asked to correct some figures that were published in my recent column on the International Christian University near Tokyo. It appears that the Japanese people actually raised $450,000 for this university, rather than the figure of only $45,000 as printed in my column.
Mr. Feiser, who points out the error, was executive director of the newly organized Japan International Christian University Foundation from 1947 until toward the end of 1950. He tells of many thrilling experiences he had in working with the Japanese people, frequently being the only American among them. Prime Minister Yoshida gave him a luncheon at which he offered his full endorsement of the university, and even the imperial family contributed. In the end, Japanese contributions paid for the site of the school and yielded a sufficient surplus to establish scholarships. All this was done at the time when Japan was an impoverished nation after the last war. This, I hope, will correct the original misconception caused by the printed error in my column, although I would imagine that no one would have laid too much emphasis on this, since typographical errors are very apt to occur in almost any story.
It is amusing to read that a lawyer was accused of "filibustering" in a Federal court room and was ejected by a Senator who had become impatient at the way certain people were invoking the Fifth Amendment. This amendment provides that no one shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.
Apparently these balky witnesses, fearful that they might be incriminating themselves in some way, had refused to answer certain questions. This angered the Senator, who said that he would seek to have the application of the Fifth Amendment narrowed to preclude the use of it as a cloak for "the Communist conspiracy." It is slightly ironic that members of the Senate, who so frequently use filibustering methods to attain their own aims, should suddenly become so sensitive when these methods are used against them. It is understandably irritating when one cannot get an answer from those one is questioning. Perhaps this will teach the Senators a lesson and keep them from using the same methods in the Senate.
I find there is considerable desire on the part of certain religious groups to push the internationalization of Jerusalem. I have no idea whether this is a wise move or not. Yet something, I am sure, must be done before long to make it possible for both the Arabs and the Jews to cross the lines in Jerusalem without question. When I was there, the university and the hospital on the Arab side were not in use because the Jewish people were forbidden to cross into the Arab part of Jerusalem and the Arabs could not cross into the Jewish part. It is obvious that the sooner the change is made which allows people to move freely from place to place, the better will it be and the sooner will the tension in Jerusalem be eased.
E. R.
(WORLD COPYRIGHT, 1953, BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.; REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART PROHIBITED.)
About this document
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, October 19, 1953
Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007
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