Askov American., 1943-05-13
Senator 81 Investigates
the World
(From the Worldover Press)

(From the WOrldOver PreSS)
Senatorial efforts to 60 on record
in favor of world cooperation after
the war are not likely, at this stage,
to be impressive Up to now, they
have revealed nothing so much as
the inability of either side to deal
with precise questions in precise
terms. Can we never do clearer
thinking than repeat, towards the
challenging future, the stale old
divisions and outworn generaliza-
tions of pre-war days? Those lab
elled then as isolationists were of at
least three sorts: Those who were
truly isolationists in view, hoping to
avoid worldwide commitments of
any kind; those who were so eagerly
internationalist that they could not
support the war drive because of the
impetus it was certain to give to
nationalism; and those who wanted
even world police force if it were
genuine and not simply world polio
ing for status-quo imperialism in the
name of peace.
Then as now the foes of isolation
ism were equally divided into cate
gories, notwithstanding the super
fetal unity displayed at odd moments
when events played into their hands.
There were those who were so eager
to lift the country out of continuing
unemployment that even war seemed
a better alternative, and allied with
these were business interests that
sought profits from catastrophe.
There were those, as now, who saw
the future in terms of a British
American police force, in. war or
peace, to keep "order"-that is, to
prevent social or international
change And there was handful,
as now, who thought clearly and
persuasively, desiring world peace,
world cooperation, recognizing the
need of police power in its true
sense, and defining an international
police power in terms of full parti-
cipation by all nations.
Senate resolutions of no kind could
pull the Hiram Johnsons out of their
woodchuck holes, but it is inexcus-
able to introduce measures which
are crude and impossible of accept
ance by any minds beyond the moron
level, and then blame the outcome
on "isolationists." 1t is praiseworthy
to seek some expression of official
opinion that will assure the world
enemy populations as we'll as our
allies-that the U. S. A. will not again
withdraw from world responsibility
But how can any intelligent persons,
in the Senate or out, commit them
selves now to vague and underlined
police forces? The one great danger
in present efforts to 60 on record is
that we shall support imperialist
policing by the victors, which is a
certain guarantee of future war, the
loss of the East, the destruction Of
all we have created of good will in
Latin America.
When such programs are even
limited, senators and citizens will re-
sist stubbornly, as they must. Thus
the whole constructive effort is lost,
and the beneficiaries are the real iso-
lationists. This column has never
been remotely isolationist, and it
does not want the cooperationists to
be responsible for more isolationism
than we already have. The way to
convert recalcitrant Americans of all
stripes is to offer constructive lib
eral plan, forthrightly junk imper-
ialism, and project on the screen of
the future so attractive a world order
that everyone will applaud and start
seriously trying to bring it into being.