Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-05-11
Friends and Allies in War:
Russia Must Understand
Bv MAI GEN DAVID PRESCOTT BARROWS
and Former Peden of the Unsr,y Of Caornl


He tried to tell the presidents close friend,
Mr.. House, something about these secret
treaties, and House refused to listen, perhaps
acting under the presidents orders.
The most serious TO us Of these secret
agreements was that, one which assured Japan
possession of all German colonial possessions
north of the equator This gave to Japan
eventually the control and finally the I'M
blushing possession of the innumerable Pacific
islands that we call Micronesia.
7 HAVE recalled this instance, not because
1 desire to rake up old acts of bad behavior,
but because it is of the utmost Importance to
the American people that we do not make
the same mistake again.
| do not believe theNsame mistake will
occur between Great BEitaS and the United
States. have already/expressed my sense Of
qualification that the Prime Minister aRd~ the
President are both meh, eQuallyready equally
happy, TO discuss ObjecNIes and conduct
Of the war, face TO face.
| do not believe either man is capable OF
withholding the vital commitments Of one
country from the knowledge Of the other. This
l say, is important and it is gratifying.
WHAT is not quite so acceptable is the fact
w that the stronger of these two personal
tiles, which l think without question is Mr.
Churchill, has been able to win the Presidents
approval Of the plan of war in which he be-
lieves, namely, to fight Hitler to the finish and
defer an offensive against Japan, and limit
China to the barest military support.
Secondly, there may be an inclination by
our administration to follow weakly the po-
litical dictates of Great Britain or of other
fighting associates, with too little regard for
American national interests.
THIS brings me to speak of Russia. There
i is no question that the Russians among the
Allies have fought the great battles of this
war, so far; that they have broken the pris-
tine might of the German war machine; and
that their continued cooperation in the war
against Germany is very important factor
in the defeat of Germany.
Russia is a country very difficult to supply
with help, either war material or armed forces.
But Great Britain and the United States,
at great cost and by great losses, have done
everything they can do to strengthen Russia's
battle, and should, if possible, now do more
and not less.
DUT here political difficulty enters into the
ID war. Here must be sought a wise and just
course in the politics of war as distinguished
from the armed operations of war.
The detectives of Russia in this war do
not seem to be in accord with those Of Great
Britain and the United States as laid down
in the Atlantic Charter.
If Russias detectives are based, as they
seem to be, upon the old imperial policies of
the Russian tsars our government must make
it clear to Soviet Russia that we are not fight
ing in support of such detectives of the inn
perial principles upon which they rest.
THE government of Stain has not yet
i frankly declared what its detectives are.
1t is perhaps not committed to what we fear
it is seeking.
There may be time effectively to counsel
the Russians to shape their aims so that we
can accept them and fight with them for their
attainment.
This is the greatest task Of diplomacy
that our government has faced for a great
while and that II must face now amidst all
the uncertainties Of war.