Evening star., 1939-02-02

redQlly De eStdD- EB$&$#
lished by escheW- 81
ing politics and ,,,
the usual dema-
goguery which attends the outcry
from Capitol Hill about gag" meet
ings and secrecy whenever the Chief
Executive assumes that members OF
Congress can be trusted to discuss
frankly and conf1dentially with him
the delicate questions of foreign
policy, which under the Constitu-
ton are his to execute. 1t somehow
seems popular to some members OF
the United States Senate to oppose
anything and everything the Presi-
dent may be trying to do. Maybe
Mr.. Roosevelt deserves bit OF
heckling because he has been none
too careful about treading on the
toes of others heretofore, but it is
going to rebound distinctly to the
Presidents benefit with public opin-
ion II his carping critics think for
one moment that they can embar-
rass the foreign relations OF the
United States at the expense OF
y PASoSAoS'
Has Right to Secrecy.
From time immemorial the Presi-
dent has had the right to conduct
the foreign relations of the United
States in secret. This has been
recognized by precedent and custom
under the Constitution. If Presi-
dent keeps mum he is promptly
accused of ignoring the members OF
the Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee. If he takes Senate COM
mittee into his confidence and asks
them to keep confidential what he
has said in order not to create mis-
understandings abroad which might
produce more danger instead OF less
danger of American involvement IN
war, he is accused in public inter-
views OF secrecy" and imposing
gag"
There isn't government in the
world which conducts its diplomacy
in the public square, and there never
was a delicate situation in interna-
tional affairs in which President
was not given certain leeWay by
both political parties to steer the
Governments course without petty
political embarrassments or partisan
interference. 1t will be a sorry day
for America when those who hate
Roosevelt" are more interested in
doing damage to his personal and
political standing with the country
than they are in protecting the best
Ss>&4 D. IS v,4Nr11n
Deeply Opposed To War.
Mr.. Roosevelt, despite the unwor-
thy comments of extremists here and
there who accuse him of starting
the whole armament controversy to
divert attention from domestic fail
ures, Is deeply and fundamentally
opposed to war. He did not create
the situation inside Germany and, so
far as is known, he doesn't write the
Hitler speeches which have put the
whole world on edge. It is because
the President is convinced that the
policy he has adopted will avoid
war for the American people that
he is pursuing it, and anybody in
Congress who thinks he can under
write world peace any other way,
should be urged to offer his plan
now.
For the thesis back of the Presi-
dents program is that France and
Britain are today the bulwarks of de-
mocracy. He alone knows from infor-
nation derived from the best avail
able sources abroad how weak Is the
position OF the European democra-
cies and what Hitler has done to
bolster up Fascist groups in Eng
land and France, as well as in South
America. If France goes Nazi, Eng
land will be endangered. If France
and England are attacked and lose,
what will Americas position be?
These are the practical questions
which push themselves forward for
answer whenever the practicalities
OF the world situation today are
realistically surveyed. Mr.. Roose-
welt thinks it is far better to sell
planes and even munitions to France
and Britain now, and perhaps pre-
vent world war, than to be con-
1ronted in the next two or three
years with the necessity of making
a decision as to what the United
States should do when England and
France have come under the sub
Jectlon OF the Fascist states and
democratic liberty as we have known
1t stands in immediate peril.
Nazis Want Dissension.
What is the other side of the con-
troversy? 1t is that Mr.. Roosevelt,
who has access to secret reports
from every foreign capital, doesn't
know the situation abroad or is pur-
posely exaggerating it. This is an
incredible supposition, which the
American people would hardly ven
ture to rely on as a safe reason to
sabotage national defense policy.
For II by chance the President were
right, the critics would not be held
responsible for the failure ade-
quately to protect the American
people against ultimate involvement
or weakened defenses. Nazi Ger
many today wants dissension in
America. Her press campaign and
especially Hitler's speech this very
week is an adroit attempt to befog
the issue and stay the hand of the
most powerful nation in the world.
What the critics on Capitol Hill
need Is more information instead of
less. They should be given all the
truth in confidence about what is
going on inside Germany and Italy,
and the long list of insults to the
United States, presented through
American diplomatic representa-
tives abroad by the Fascist powers
in the last two years which, if Mr..
Roosevelt had really wanted to in
flame public opinion, he needed only
to have made public. The admins
tration is handling difficult and
delicate situation with forebearance,
and what would help most to prevent
ultimate war would be non-par-
tisan expression of support from the
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