Evening star., 1938-03-20
Plain English.

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Ambassador Joe Kennedy's maiden
speech in London Friday night amid
the stimulating surroundings of the
traditional Pilgrims Society dinner Of
welcome to tenderfoot United States
ENJOYS, betokens an era of wholesome
frankness in Anglo-American relations.
The Harvard-bred Boston Irishman's"
debut at the Court of St. James is thus
marked by the happiest of auguries.
The oratorical traditions of our blue
ribbon diplomatic post are all too sloppily
saturated with hands-across-the-se
mush. In conspicuous contrast to most
Of his predecessors, Mr.. Kennedy re-
ferred only casually to "the common
heritage and glorious traditions of the
English-speaking peoples" Instead of
dwelling on that overworked theme,
President Roosevelt's ace diplomatic
trouble shooter devoted himself to the
more useful task of setting John Bull
right on Uncle Sans attitude toward
certain situations of current and burning
Importance.
In palpable tune with prevailing
public sentiment back home,' Ambassa-
dor Kennedy warned our British cousins
that no nation can count with certainty
upon either American neutrality or
American participation in another war.
Whatever stand this country might take
fn hn k,A
based primarily on the firm ground of
national interest" Among q people
who have just intrusted their own in
ternational destinies to realistic"
regime, those candid words from the
United States emissary can evoke
nothing but commendation. They
harmonic fully with Secretary Hull's
exposition Of Our Foreign Policy" just
twenty-four hours previously.
The Ambassador continued merrily on
his course of calling spades spades-a
species of diplomacy in which Downing
Street is destined to find him a par
ticularly happy warrior. In some quar-
ters, he observed, the American attitude
''has been interpreted to mean our
country would not fight under any
circumstances short of actual invasion"
That, in Mr.. Kennedy's opinion, lis not
only inaccurate, but is dangerous sort
of misunderstanding to be current just
now Berlin, Rome, Toxic and Warsaw
will hardly underestimate the gravity
OF that statement, even though it was
tempered in the same breath with the
veminder that it is no less of a misap-
prehension to assume that the United
States could never remain neutral in
the event a general war should break
OUT
AS sure as anything can be in that
mercurial and chameleon thing
known as the international situation"
this Nation is hardly likely ever again
to give European craftsmanship carte
blanche on the 1917-18 model. The
fingers we burned during the World
War-and after-still smart too poign-
antly from that disillusioning expert
ence. Nor are the present-hour pusil-
laninity and vacillation of our European
associates of twenty years ago, in con-
fronting the totalitarian bullies, of
kidney to encourage our resuming
place at their side in shining armor.
But it can hardly be doubted that If in
clearly defined cause Britain and
France should be locked in a life and
death struggle with the forces of tyranny
and aggression our sister democracies
might look confidently for full-hearted
American support.
Much depends, as to that, on their
performances now, before the danger
is actually upon them. If they meet
the menace of the dictators manfully,
instead of yielding to it, step by step,
supinely-yesterday in Austria, today in
Lithuania, tomorrow in Czechoslovakia-
they may be reasonably sure they are
planting seeds that will bear fruit on
this sector of the anti-Fascist front at
the right time