The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-12-23
TODAY and TOMORROW
By WALTER LIpPMANN

AAA Z MANN ------------------
slstance, and to rely wholly for
thelr defence against renewal of
German aggression upon the trea.
~, which is not yet drafted. that
the Senate is going eventually to
ratlfy. Moreover, they were told
by many Senators and many pub
lclsts, that if they did not wait
1or the Senate, if they took con-
crete measures for their own de-
fence, this would be INTERPRETED
n er e as power politics. as
spheres of influence and as gen.
eral disloyalty to the ideals of the
United Nations. The penalty, they
were told, would be that the Sen
ate might not ratify, or would at
least emasculate, the Dumbarton
Oaks treaty.
1t was not possible (and if we
were in their place, we should see
1t is not possible) for nations like
france and Russia, which have
twice in twenty-five years been ov-
errun by Germany, and for Great
Britain which has twice been in
mortal peril, to trust their future
to our official policy of leaving
everything that matters most to
them unsettled, and hanging
upon the uncertainties of Ameri-
can politics. AS long as the Ger.
mans occupied most of Europe,
and even large part of the Soviet
Union, it was still posslpIe-though
extremely unwise and dangerous
to postpone the settlement of
frontiers, decisions on provisional
governments, and of the mutual
relationships of tn countries
which are strategically nearest to
Germany. But as soon as the Ger
mans were driven out of western
Europe, out of the Mediterranean
the Balans and eastern Europe,
our policy of noble negatives and
indefinite postponement became
utterly unavoidable.
Issues had to be settled. They
could not be left any longer in
suspense. The fact that we did not
wish to settle them-be it because
any settlement would conflict with
our theories. or because we did
not like to handle hot potatoes
meant only that the issues would
somehow be settled anyway and
without benefit of whatever wis
dom we might have contributed.
The fact of the matter is that
the main structure Of a European
settlement has now taken shape.
1t will be, as it was bound to be
an organization of Europe speci-
fically directed to preventing re-
newal of German aggression in
the coming generation. This is the
intent and substance of the Fran
co-Soviet pact, 1t is a firm agree
4lIClll lO1 az 4CdSL wv City Ny
the two strongest immediate
of Germany. The con-
clusion of this agreement will be
followed soon by an agreement be-
tween Great Britain and France,
by. :setuementof the Polish ques-
ton, and by the adherence of Bel
GUM and the Netherlands, of Po-
land and Czechoslovakia, to this
system of security.
Far from deploring this develop
ment, we should regard it as
promising the fulfillment Of GU r
chief war aim in Europe, and as
putting a solid foundation under
the Dumbarton Gas proposals.
That Europe. should be strongly
to contain German ag-
gression is precisely what we most
want. 1t is the one best way of
not having to intervene again, as
we had to this time, after our
Allies in western Europe were de-
feated or exhausted. 1t is the only
way in which we can achieve our
aim of disarming Germany for
generation without assuming t h