The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-18
No More Secret Diplomacy

The administrators failure to stand by the
(American) Kellogg and nine-power treaties III the
Manchuran crisis has LED the senate unanimously to
k State Secretary Stmson for all of the notes and
apers connected with his Manchurian negotiations.
The administrations failure predicted in adj
sance When Japan started it's aggression on Sept.
49, the administration had the choice of trying to stop
her with an open charge of treaty violation or Of play
ing along with the japanese government in the hope
that it would do better in the future
The administration chose the latter disastrous
course The Japanese army continued to advance The
Toxic recommendation the state department relied
upon to stop the advance-continued to make pledges
which were broken and now belatedly has resigned.
The mitaristc party is the government, leaving
the Washington administration out on the limb.
The administration being human can be forgiven
this costly mistake in judgment. 1t be forgiven,
even though most of the experts now admit frankly
that the state department. by taking firm and open
treaty position in the beginning could have stopped
the Japanese who need American trade and friend
ship.
But there is one administration mistake which is
not so easy to forgive That its autocratc secret
diplomacy.
Not so long ago the American people went to war
with the slogan: open diplomacy-open covenants,
openly arrived at" That slogan mere senti-
mental gesture, no mere idealistic aspiration.
It was born of the sound historical knowledge and
hard fact of international experience that secret d
plomacy leads ineffciency, corruption and 1t
was born of the deep American conviction that in
democracy the people have right to know the full
facts and policies on which their public servants de-
terrnine issues of war and peace
Now after three months of the worst international
crisis since the World the free American people
are as ignorant of what their government has done
has not done though they were subjects of the
japanese emperor or the dictator Mussolini.
That is as dangerous as it is unjust and un-Ameri
We are glad, therefore, that the senate has asked
Secretary Stimson for full data. Since Stmson has
failed his duty to lay that data before the AmeTi
can public we believe responsibility for publication
now passes to the senate
The American people have a right to know
whether it is true-as stated by the Toxic foreign Of
hce-that our government, in these three months,
never mas charged Japan with treaty violation If
that is true the American people have right to
explanation for this strange desertion of the Ameri
can peace machinery.
The American people have right to know why
President Hoover and Secretary Stimson after making
a public pledge to support the leagues efforts to
save American treaties, withheld support of the
leagues time ultimatum to Japan-with the result
that Japan successfully defied the league
The administration has the human right to make
mistakes But it has right to make those mistakes
IN the dark unchecked by American citizens who pay
for wars and other results of secret diplomacy.
All the secret facts and policies regarding Man
churia should be published Immediately.