Evening star., 1944-08-31
Details Are VitoI


heads Of the Russian. British and
American delegations to the Dunn
barton Oaks conference added very
little to the sum total of our knowl-
edge of the plans and methods
under consideration for the preser-
vation of peace when this war is
over. 1t was announced, however,
that the conferees are in agreement
as to the three main objectives
toward which they are working.
These objectives include Cd an
assembly composed of representa-
tives of all peace-loving nations
based on the principle of sovereign
equality, ca a council composed of
a smaller number of members in
which the principal states will be
Joined by a number OF other states
to be elected periodically, and CD
effective means for the peaceful
settlement of disputes, including an
international court of justice for the
adjudication of justiciable questions,
and also the application of such
other means as may be necessary
for maintenance of peace and Sc
curity.
Those are the objectives, and very
few will be disposed to quarrel with
them. But before the objectives can
become more than an expression of
pious hopes there must also be
agreement on the details of their
implementation and an understand
ing as to the meaning of such vague
language as 1.-The application of such
other means as may be necessary"
for the maintenance of peace and
security. 1t is in this field, as
Undersecretary of State Stettinius
correctly suggested, that the con-
ferees have their real work cut out
for them. The details are all
important. 1t is over details, and
not objectives, that misunderstand-
ings and friction are apt to develop,
and If the world should be thwarted
in this attempt to secure peace it
will be because of the failure of some
detail and not because the objectives
are inadequate.
Because this is so obviously true,
1t Is the more surprising to find
the President telling his press con-
ference few hours after the Dunn
barton Oaks meeting that the
important thing to keep in mind is
the objectives of the security dis
cussions rather than the details of
how the objectives aHe to be attained.
This is point of view which has
often asserted itself during Mr..
Roosevelt's occupancy of the White
House. Throughout the period of
the New Deal, when this administra-
ton was pushing through its social
and economic reforms, there was
always great emphasis on objectives
and far too little attention to the
details of how these objectives we're
to be attained. And that is why so
many of the New Deal experiments
are still in the experimental stage,
why we have so much dissension
over domestic questions, and why
so much remains to be done to per-
feet even the best of these New Deal
undertakings.
Yet these were relatively simple
problems. They concern only the
people of the United States, and
while the consequences of inatten-
ton to detail have been painful,
they need not have permanent ad-
verse effects But it would be
nothing short of tragic if the at
tempt to set up machinery for the
maintenance of peace throughout
the world should fail as a result of
concentrating on objectives at the
expense OF the details of attaining
the objectives Mr.. Stettinius has
made the point clear, but it needs
to be emphasized at every oppor-
tunity that it is the detailed work
which is of greatest Importance,
however tiresome and difficult it
may prove to be. II we fail on the
details, there will be no effective
machinery for the maintenance
of peace.