Evening star., 1941-02-02
u. S. Anti>Aggression Attitude
Might Bring Long>Range Plan
Evidence of Established Program Would Fortify
Presidents Announced Settled Policy
According to Observers
By Felir Morley.

I 1.-THE primary and fundamental prin-
ciple,n this former President then said.
shall be that no war can take place
between any two members of the league
until they have resorted to the machinery
that the league proposes to furnish to
settle the controversy likely to lead to
war.
IF any member of the league refuses
to use this machinery, and attacks an
other member in breach of his league
obligation, all members of the league
agree to defend the member attacked
by force"
Thus, nearly two years before the entry
of the United States into the last war,
a concrete plan of postwar organization,
visualizing major role for the United
States therein, had been evolved. The
Democratic President of the United
States, his Republican predecessor in the
White House and host of lesser but
important luminaries were working for
something closely akin to that League of
Nations which eventually evolved. Long
before war became an actuality for this
country, the program of war aims had
been prepared and carefully prepared.
Concrete Program Lacking.
The present case is otherwise. AL
though we seem today much closer to
war than was the case in January, 1916,
there is, with one exception, no concrete
program such as the League to Enforce
Peace was then promoting with the SYM
pathy of the administration.
1t is true that President Roosevelt, as
in his last message to Congress, has
talked inspirationally of "a world founded
upon four essential freedoms" But on
the type of organization which the United
States would sponsor to guarantee those
freedoms he has been completely silent
The same applies to Secretary Hull. And
it applies also to former President Hoover,
to Mr.. Landon, to Mr.. Willkie and to Nor
man Thomas.
Omitting the Communists, whose
clear cut program for world order is
scarcely likely to receive popular back
ing, there seems to be only one outstand-
ing group with definite ideas going be-
yond the elimination of neutrality and
more or less unlimited military support
for Great Britain. That group is the
one know as Union Now" headed by
Clarence STREET, whose plan for definite
political merger of the democracies has
been modified by force of circumstance
into advocacy Of immediate union be-
tween the United States and the British
Commonwealth of Nations.
This is plan with tremendous appeal
and one which can mo longer be dis
missed as visionary or even impractical.
same impressive Endorsement which, by
January, 1916, had been accorded Mr..
Tafts League to Enforce Peace.
Repudiated Own Brain Child.
To those who understand that entry
into the war cannot be regarded as an
end in itself, to those who think that
Hitlers new order" must be opposed by
something more positive than an indict-
ment of Nazi Schrecklichkeit, this alb
sence of long-range American policy is
disturbing. 1t is the more disturbing be-
cause the only alternatives as yet Off
cially advocated are an isolationism
which does not work and an interven-
tionism directed primarily to the making
of war.
In 1917 the United States went to war
with definite program. A League of
Nations-with teeth in twas an ad-
vertised American war aim, outlined in
essentials long before this country be-
came belligerent.
Two years later, with shortsighted
fckleness unparalleled in history we re-
pudiated our own brain child. In spite
of the gallant effort at Geneva, the
inevitable happened. The League of
Nations, designed on the assumption of
American membership, collapsed. And
now the United States prepares for
the renewed war for which those who
sabotaged the League must share re-
sponsibility with Adolf Hitler.
In 1917 we abandoned neutrality and
isolation in favor of an international CO.
operation planned to end aggression. In
1919 we completely abandoned this CO.
operation in favor of isolation. In 1885,
(See MORLEY Page C-3)