The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-11-28
. Clapper
international Police
Force Not Enough
Only Alliance Of Nations
Can Keep Peace
Worldwide Network OF
Always important
Practical Plan Might
Help Win the War
By RAYMOND CLAPPER

WASHINGTON - One of IN,
early jobs will be to get the talk
about that international police
force down out of the air and onto
practical terms.
When il becomes apparent that
there is something of that kind.
and that It is not just some more
big talk, people in every country
who are fed up on war and the
threat of war are going to take
the United Nations lot more seri-
ously. They are going to be more
anxious to get on the United Ma
tons bandwagon. Our victories
are pulling over some Of the fence
sitters fast in Latin America,
among the neutrals in Europe and.
Of most immediate practical use,
the deserving vichy leaders like
Darlan.
Thus, the so-called international
police force would become another
encouragement toward the crum-
bling of the axis world that al
ready has set in.
But we need a better term
than international police force.
We are shooting at something that
would do the work of an inter-
national police force. But don't
think any of the men who have
the practical job in hand are think
ing in terms of a literally inter-
nationalized force, wearing some
new kind of international uniform,
under an international flag. di-
vorced from their regular national
allegiance. No big nation is going
to sign over a huge chunk of it's
national defense forces, take its
flag and its insignia away from its
soldiers and sailors, and all that
sort of thing. Nations and nation
al spirit and the instinct of ma
tional self-preservation are deep
rooted facts. not to be erased from
the hearts and minds of people in
any important country. I don't
think anybody in a position of re-
sponsibility is thinking of any
thing of the kind.
They think of something much
closer to what now exists, and
something that doesn't wrench
every instinct Of people in every
nation.
At its simplest it will be plenty
complicated, but the rough idea
of the direction now in mind is
that the principal Unitef Nations
especially the four major pow
ers - the United States, Great
Britain, Russia and China-would
be the backbone of a United Ma
tons arrangement whereby the
general staffs of the principal ma
tons would be under orders OF
their respective governments to
collaborate against any designated
aggressor.
Perhaps the principal weapon
would be the air forces. II might
be possible to make the whole So
called international police force
rest on staff agreements between
the air forces of the principal
powers. There will be enough
air force on our side at the end of
the war to serve the purpose.
Air force can 60 anywhere,
quickly. and it doesn't need such
elaborate bases and establishments
as either naval or land force.
Commercial air lines that will
cover the world may well serve
as the basis. and be maintained
for ready conversion to police
work.
Something like the present COM
bined chiefs of staff. which brings
the American and British armed
forces into working cooperation,
may serve as the staff control for
such a force. In the combined
chiefs Of staff, British and Amer
lean armed forces work as an in
ternational force now. vet each
preserves its national identity and
national independence.
We are more likely to get such
joint forces than a single new
force created as an international
air force.
Ihey would be military agencies
OF their respective governments.
Their cooperation would be the
result of combined decisions OF
their governments-or their gov
ernments as constituting the ex-
ecutive committee. or whatever IL
is. Of the United Nations. There,
at the top, is where the decisions
would be made to use the Joint
air force against a threat of ag-
gression-
The adequate force can thus
De provided, by following in peace
time the pattern our combined
forces now follow in this war. The
test is whether the governments
OF the nations are sufficiently
supported by their respective peo-
pies TO hold together in a United
Nations organization and make de-
clsions 70 use force against a
threat-ss when Hitler invaded
the Rhineland in 1896.
II would bring US new recruits
and help win the war IL some