The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1943-03-31
BY RAYMOND CLAPPER

WASHINGTON - Mutual al
vantage. not sentiment Is the
only basis on which we can hope
10 maintain satisfactory relations
with other nations. That is some
thing we have TO learn now be-
cause we are going TO be mixed up
with other nations for a long time.
American officials who have
gone out 10 China overlooking
with warm sentimental ideas,
often have come back home
disiIlusioned and cynical, II
not embittered. Traffic be-
tween America and China is
that way-starry-eyed going
out. and fishy-eyed coming
back.
I have been told. by old China
hands, that this is q common oc-
currence and that If you wait
long enough the patient will usual
ly swing back into MIDDLE
ground. Gradually a normal out
look will develop. and 1t will be
realistic, recognizing the merits
as well as the faults, and above
all recognizing the national adj
vantages to US as against the
liabilities that we must carry in
order TO enjoy the advantages.
For instance, as TO China,
you figure that there was
much waste, much squeeze
on the Burma road. 1t was not
an efficient operation by our
standards. Yet IL helped keep
China going, helped keep
China In the war, helped sus-
tain the hope of future effect
i've warfare against the Japan
eee. The net still seems to
have been our way.
There hasn't been nearly the
same tendency to sentimentalize
about Britain as about China. APP
parently they have no tendency in
Britain to sentimentalize about
US. Which is the way 1t should be.
There is no reason why every
American should like every Eng
lishmen or vice versa. any more
than that all Englishmen should
like each other or all Americans
should like each other. An al
lance doesn't necessarily make
two peoples friends.
One American army officer
sends back a story of a British
army officer questioning a German
officer who had been taken prison
er. They had both been educated
at the same university. So at the
end of the questioning the British
officer said to the German prison
er, now, just talking as we used
to talk, what do you Germans
really think of the Italians ?"
To which the German officer re-
piled: 81 should say just about
what the Russians think of the
British and the Americans"
Prime Minister Churchill's
speech a week ago won much re-
spect in America because it was
recognized as a practical state
ment from the viewpoint of
Britain's interests.
II our government tries TO put
the postwar program on any senti-
mental basis, then you will have
the outcry against becoming Santa
Claus for the world.
There il a place for senti-
ment among the nations and
no one can exclude II. You
can't exclude the respect Of
one people for the achieve
ments of another, nor the ad-
miration of one people for the
forms of government and the
institutions of another people.
To try TO squeeze out all such
considerations would be con-
trary TO human nature.
But those must come of
their own free will. Affection
can be won, perhaps, but
never commanded.
AS we try TO build out Of thia
war, we have TO recognize that
although we have known and been
fond Of many Germans, the Ger
man state has been menace TO
our peace and security and it must
be disarmed and kept disarmed
and perhaps divided. We have 10
recognize that Great Britain and
Russia, on either side of Germany,
are the two logical allies that we
must depend upon to form the
nucleus Of nations that will Join
together 10 protee each other.
There isn't any sentiment in
a mutual fire-insurance COM
pany. But II Is worth belong
fno m