Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-09-22
Churchill Seen Putting
In Boost for Himself
Quebec Statement Was Attempt
To Build Fences, Says Writer

80 SSSS ~ ssssssSSss
Quebec Statement Was Attempt
To Build Fences, Says Writer
By David Laurence.
When Prime Minister Churchill made
the comment at Quebec that he hoped
next year" to continue the conference
with President Roosevelt and empha-
sized at the same time the present con-
cord Of such meetings, many Americans
thought the British Prime Minister was
putting in boost for President Roose-
velts reelection.
Some Englishmen hereabouts, how
ever, take quite the contrary view. They
suggest that maybe Mr.. Churchill was
beginning to build his own fences be-
cause 1t seems quite probable that as
soon as the war is over in Europe there
will be demand in Britain for another
Prime Minister.
1t may be that Mr.. Churchill is trying
to persuade the British people that he
Is indispensable in protecting British
interests in the subsequent talks with
the American President.
Certainly the Churchill Roosevelt
friendship has been viewed in Great
Britain as Of major value to that coun-
try and the continuance of the entente
would naturally become important as
an election argument for the continu-
| ance of Mr.. Churchill in power.
There are many suggestions here
| abouts from well-informed Britishers
that Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden
| will be the next Prime Minister of Great
Britain and that he will come into power
| shortly after the stage is set for peace
negotiations. Mr.. Eden is more of the
| Tom Dewey type-young and vigorous.
The British Foreign Secretary is well
| thought Of in the United States and is
expected to be the chief figure around
which the peace negotiations will center.
Concept Of New Dealers.
The general concept which the sup
porters of Mr.. Observation-Disclosures Vice
President Wailace-have been develop
ing for campaign purposes is that some
one should represent the United States
In the next four years who is on init
mate terms of friendship with Prime
Minister Churchill, Marshal Stain and
Generalissimo Chang Kai-shek.
| But it seems probable now that the
Generalissimo will occupy less and
less important place in future councils,
particularly since China has been vir-
tually knocked out of the war. If, there
fore, Mr.. Churchill steps out Of the pic
ture, it will leave only Mr.. Roosevelt
and Mr.. Stain, who have seen each
other only once and then only in the
presence Of many officials. That could
hardly be characterized as a personal
friendship Of long standing.
Secretary Hull got along pretty well
with Marshal Stain, too, and it may be
that, if Gov. Dewey is elected President,
he would retain Mr. Hull at the head
of the State Department or in some
important capacity in negotiating the
peace-probably as a permanent mem
Der Of the American peace mission.
Altogether too much emphasis has
been placed on personal friendship as a
factor in future peace negotiations.
There is always danger in too much
intimacy between heads of states, be-
cause, no matter which way the benefits
go, there are always suspicious that one
or the other of the two personalities in
volved was unduly generous with his
peoples money or oblivious to his
peoples needs.
While personal contact is important
in diplomacy, it should never be
stretched to the point where affairs of
state are handled on a personal basis
without full knowledge of details by
more people than the heads of states
themselves.
Economic Pressure.
There is no certainty what the British
or the Russian policies will be In the
| postwar years. Unquestionably there
will be pressure of an economic nature
which will affect national policies. In
deed, it has recently been reported here
that the Russian policy is by no means
firmly set and that there are fluctua-
lions there as between a quasi-isolation-
ist and an internationalist position.
Much will depend upon the policy of
the United States, and in this regard
the Democrats have far more i'm
portant point than in stressing the value
of the Roosevelt personality in confer
ences with the other heads of state. 1t
is especially important, for instance, to
know whether Russia and Britain will
60 their separate ways on the theory
that the influence of the United States
will be intermittent and not continuous
in the settlement Of European questions
or the maintenance Of world peace.
There are many conversations among
diplomats here and abroad from time
to time, and doubt as to the future policy
of the United States comes up again
and again as factor that breeds un-
certainty. Gov. Dewey has expressed
himself to some extent on international
policy but he will have to say a good
deal more in order to impress Moscow
and London that a change in the ad-
miniStration does not mean a diminu-
ton of American interest or influence
in the maintenance Of world peace by
economic, political and military means.
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