HYDE PARK—I wonder whether Major Raul Castro realizes how funny it is for someone as young as him to be threatening the United States with rockets.

As far as I know, the U.S. has never threatened to attack Cuba, so what Major Castro is really doing is to suggest something that has never occurred to our government. Cuba has destroyed all of our economic interests on the island, so if the Cubans do not want our friendship, we will not suffer particularly. Then why should we be thinking of attacking them?

A dispatch from Finland says that earthquake specialists from Japan, the Soviet Union and the U.S. "have agreed in principle on the formation of an international service to warn of approaching tsunamis or tidal waves." Hawaii will be the headquarters.

Although this is purely an informal arrangement between scientists, it is encouraging to find that there is one area in which we can cooperate for world good.

It was good news to learn that our government has agreed to pay a million dollars for infringement upon the patented rocket inventions of the late Robert H. Goddard. He was one of the early pioneers in the development of today's space-age missiles, and like so many pioneers, had to accept a great deal of ridicule and disbelief.

It has taken a long while to gain recognition of his work, and while this payment won't benefit Dr. Goddard personally, it may bring satisfaction to his widow, who worked with her husband on his many experiments.

I flew to Boston last Thursday where I spent a few hours at a summer seminar for foreign students at Harvard University.

This is always an interesting group to be with, but I approach my meetings with these people with a good deal of trepidation, for I feel that many of them know more about the subjects that come up for discussion than I possibly could.

On Thursday night I attended the awards dinner of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs. It was a great honor to receive an award from the group and a pleasure to see some of my old friends and learn that their work has progressed satisfactorily.

This group's primary interest is the improvement of the home and status of women, but it is now doing much to improve medical care and the nutritional level among children. Members also are establishing scholarships for representatives of the new African nations who come to this country to study. The responsibility of helping others is one of the best ways of helping yourself.

I had the pleasure Friday night of going with some friends to Stratford, Conn., to see Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," and it certainly was a delightful evening. After the performance, we drove to Hyde Park for the weekend.