Page:Michael Welsh - Dunes and Dreams, A History of White Sands National Monument (1995).pdf/84

 72 land for testing of weapons and military exercises. Tom Charles could not know this in 1939 when he wrote to Frank Pinkley: "The Army has used the Sands in the past with no apparent injury." The superintendent worried about the scale of land use, but acknowledged "the increased interest in military preparedness" as Europe moved towards Adolf Hitler's September 1939 invasion of Poland. John L. White, acting NPS director, prophesied the future relationship between the expansionist military and the preservationist park service: "We feel that [White Sands'] use for an encampment or for the passage of troops would result in defacement which would be difficult to eradicate." The NPS would not prohibit troop transport along the federal highway bordering the monument, but stood firm on its refusal to provide access to the dunes.

Between the Oliver Lee ranch project and the Army training petition, Tom Charles also engaged the request of the Coronado Cuarto Centennial Commission for closure on plans for its 1940 historical pageant at the dunes. Charles had accepted the position as Otero County chair of the 4C's, and worked with Clinton Anderson on logistical details. Park service officials in Santa Fe approved of the pageant concept, but opposed collection of a separate fee. Anderson, who the following year would run successfully for the U.S. Congress, persisted in his bid for gate receipts in the dunes. He told regional director Hillory Toison that the elaborate staging (over 100 yards in length), costumes, cast (several hundred performers), and the advanced sound system all cost more than the 4C's could subsidize. The regional office then asked Washington to rule on the fee issue, as congressional funding of the 4C's gave Anderson clout with the nation's lawmakers.

The 4C's marked the last major program that Tom Charles would manage for the park service at White Sands. Throughout 1939 Charles negotiated the terms of his retirement with the NPS, which included the operation of the White Sands concession. One point of contention was Pinkley's desire that Charles invest in a permanent facility, which the custodian feared would not return a profit for several years. Charles also wanted to take passengers on dune trips without competition from other vendors, and to cut a road south from the dunes to Lake Lucero. The park service agreed to let Charles outfit a trailer with souvenirs, soft drinks, and other dry goods that he would tow into the dunes each morning. Called the "White Sands Service Company," Charles' new endeavor shifted to what he had always sought for the dunes: promotion of the