Evening star., 1942-08-23
Wendell Wilkes ODYSSEY

The forthcoming European Jour
ney OF Wendell L. Willkie may be
compared with the mission of
Colonel William J. Donovan a year
and a half ago. Like his prede-
cessor, Mr.. Willkie goes abroad as
special representative of President
Roosevelt for confidential efforts to
further our foreign policy. But,
naturally, his mission is much
broader in scope and more direct in
character. Colonel Donovan was
handicapped by the fact that the
United States was then technically
neutral, and his efforts centered on
the Balkan States which had not
yet entered the war. Mr. Willkie
represents an America dedicated to
total war against the Axis, ready to
throw its enormous power wherever
it is physically possible so to do.
Furthermore, Mr.. Willkie will be
invested with great prestige as titu-
lar head of the Republican party.
Most foreigners tend to think in
terms of parliamentary procedure.
Under the parliamentary system, the
leader of the chief opposition party
has a definite political status second
only to that of the ruling prime
minister. When, therefore, Mr..
Willkie confers with the leaders of
those nations on his itinerary, he
will appear as a truly impressive
symbol of American unity In the
wars prosecution.
Mr.. WILKES ambitious schedule
includes virtually all the countries
of the Near and Middle East, plus a
trip to Soviet Russia as bearer of a
personal message from President
Roosevelt to Joseph Stain. His
mission thus divides logically into
three categories: Cd Russia. (2)
Turkey, 90 the lesser Near and
Middle Eastern lands.
Though Mr.. WILKES stay in Mos
cow and conferences with Stain
presumably will be the dramatic
high light of his mission, it may be
politically less important than his
Near and Middle Eastern travels.
Russia is a full-fedged belligerent,
we'll aware of the consequences of
defeat and ruled by an authoritarian
government capable of extracting
the maximum war effort from its
people. Soviet propaganda can be
counted on to make inspiring use
of the Willkie visit; so the phycho-
logical aspect should outweigh other
phases.
BY contrast, the Near and Middle
East are still on the fence, especially
in the psychological sense. A clear
distinction may be made between
Turkey and the other Eastern lands.
Under the dynamic genius Of the
late Kemal Ataturk, the former
Oriental Ottoman Empire has been
transformed into a true nation, run
on Western lines and with limited
territorial aspirations. Having little
materially to gain by entering the
war, Turkey desires nothing more
than to remain neutral. However,
its far-sighted leaders realize that
an Axis victory would compromise
its independence; SO policy REIN
forces its sympathies toward the
side OF the United Nations. Never
theless, Turkey is being dangerously
encircled by Axis progress in Russia
and North Africa, and would be un-
likely to oppose the Axis in what it
deemed hopeless struggle. Mr..
Willkie can bring Turkey strong as
surances of ultimate victory by the
United Nations which will tend to
stiffen Turkish resistance to Axis
pressure.
The other Levantine peoples, from
Egypt to Iran, are the most difficult
problem. All of them have suffered
in the past from the imperialism of
European great powers, and have
scant theological preference or faith
in Western promises. To these still
imperfectly nationalized and eco
nomically backward peoples, the
most important thing is to pick the
winner and make the best possible
terms with him. Here, obviously
Mr.. Willkie, with his prestige, his
personality and his concrete argu-
ments, has telling role to play.