Evening star., 1944-11-17
Writer Urges PorIey
Of Big Three in U. S.
American People Would Like to
See Stain, Says Lawrence
By David Laurence

OOfsC WV LINZ "
See Stain, Says Lawrence
By David Laurence
If there is one thing that the recent
election settled 1t is that majority Of
the American people feel President
Roosevelt Is indispensable to them at
this moment Of crisis in our history.
Yet the President Is being invited to
60 overseas and take the risks OF travel
In war areas. Press dispatches from
abroad are predicting meeting Of
Messrs. Stain, Churchill and Roosevelt
to be held somewhere in the Middle
East This means either a ship or a
plane Journey for the President. The
last time he went to Teheran he picked
up a germ which bothered him for a
long time and caused him to lose weight
1t started more serious rumors about
his health which, Of course, were un-
founded.
During the campaign an issue was
built around the possible interruption of
Mr.. Roosevelt's leadership for health
reasons, and many Republicans argued
that vote for Mr.. Roosevelt in the
last election might turn out to be a vote
for Senator Truman. What the argu-
ment really did was to emphasize the
indispensability of Mr. Roosevelt.
Puzzling Complacency.
What seems puzzling at the moment.
therefore, is that the American people
seem SO complacent about trip abroad
by the President. Possibly it is because
ne has made such trips before and has
come through without accident. But it
does seem as If more journeys overseas
are bound to raise the question as to
whether 1t is wise for Mr.. Roosevelt
to take further chances.
The President said when he accented
the nomination that he would serve In
the office If he were so ordered by the
commander in chief of us all-the SOW
ereign people Of the United States"
Nobody in the Government is going
to tell Mr.. Roosevelt that he ought not
to make the trip. Only the American
people can advise him against it.
There is no good reason why Mr..
Roosevelt should have to go abroad If
a meeting of the big Three" is planned.
Marshal Stain has never been to the
United States. The American people
would like to see him. He ought to see
something Of this country In order to
understand its peaceful purposes and
the American peoples friendship for the
Russian people. Prime Minister Church.
Ill has been here before and would be
welcome again. There are plenty of
places in the United States where the
Big Three" could meet in seclusion.
Or they might even meet at Quebec.
Reason for Farley Here.
There is an especial reason why the
other two heads Of state ought to come
to Mr.. Roosevelt. Entirely apart from
the fact that the United States is
supplying the principal manpower on
the western front today and is furnish
ing the tools from this arsenal of
democracy, the fact remains that Mr..
Roosevelt does not get around easily.
II he were in an airplane and some
thing happened, he would be at
serious disadvantage because he does
not have the free use of his legs due
to the ravages of infantile paralysis
many years ago. If something happened
TO mis- warship at sea Mr.. Roosevelt
could be transported therefrou more
easily to small boat than from q
plane. But even If all the factors were
such that his safe return could be as
S1lrnd thora cti1l-
OF moving around in the Middle East
where last time he picked up a flu germ.
The fact that trip by the President
Is being spoken of publicly by the Euro
pean press indicates that there is such
a plan In the making 1t means that Mr..
Roosevelt is considered by his physician
to be in good enough health to make the
trip. But the question is whether he
should make it.
Surely if Messrs. Stain and Churchill
cannot come to this side of the At
lantic, then there ought to be some
training of second man IN the Gov
ernment to take the Presidents place in
these foreign conferences. Senator
Truman, the Vice President-elect,
doesn't take Office until January and is
free to go on special mission for the
United States Government at this time.
Along with him would go the United
States chiefs of staff, who are, OF course,
familiar with all the problems that
would be discussed at the coming con-
ference Mr.. Roosevelt could be kept in
touch by telegraph and telephone.
The country would probably breathe
more easily if the President were not
travelling around in the Mediterranean.
where German weapons OF vengeance
are by no means as yet completely
exterminated