Evening star., 1944-12-13
Perspective Is Called
Allies Greatest Need
flushing of Policy Differences
Harmful in End, Says Writer
By David laurence

By David Laurence
The greatest need at the moment
among the peoples of the Allied co,ln-
tries is perspective.
The public discussion of differences Of
opinion among Allies carries with it also
the necessity of putting the points OF
difference in their proper relationship.
Airing of the controversy over British
policy in Greece and Italy, far from
being detriment to Allied solidarity,
is probably the healthiest thing that ha3
happened between Britain and the
United States since the war began.
History has proved that differences Of
policy that are hushed up lead only to
rumors and suspicious and in the end
do more harm than full publicity. True
friends can usually discuss anything
without fear of the consequences.
Thus If the American people had been
informed earlier about the British policy
in Greece there would have been enough
indication to the British government of
the way Americans felt to have prevented
the f1asco in Athens, and perhaps to
have worked out in advance a better
arrangement for setting up temporary
government to maintain law and order.
Bound to Recur.
The problem is bound to recur In the
various liberated countries and it should,
Of course, have been foreseen. Doubtless
4 yfYoc t,,
privacy of governmental circles. but this,
Of course, is the very reason why friction
ultimately develops.
So far as the British government Is
concerned, it knows now that American
public opinion is not going to sit by and
look with favor upon the use of armed
troops to put this or that ministry into
power or hold 1t there. The British
people are making tremendous sacrifices
in this war and they are going to need
American help even more after the war
than during the conflict itself. Approval
Is going to have hard shedding in Con-
gress unless the British people and the
American people get closer together.
1t probably will be said in defense of
British policy in using force to set up
friendly governments that Russia is
doing the same thing. Here, too, the
American people are in the dark as to
what Marshal Stain plans with reference
to Poland and some Of the liberated
countries within his so-called sphere OF
influence"
The absence of a free press is probably
the biggest single defect in the whole
Allied picture. The Russians are not
allowing free discussion and they are
imposing heavy censorship on outgoing
news, but they forget that the American
people have a free press and that sooner
or later the news leaks out, and then our
relations with Russia are by no means
helped.
Warning to Russia.
The episode in Greece should be a
warning to Russia. The American
people are being told that in Bulgaria
| the Russians have twice elected an
American commission. No explanation
has been given except the suggestion
that Russia regards certain territories
which She has liberated as being wholly
within her Jurisdiction.
When this war is over the Russian
government Is going to need American
! help to rebuild. Likewise, American
diplomatic assistance is going to be
| necessary in order to stabilize Europe
| The American people have admired the
| performance of the Russian troops and
the magnificent showing made through
out the war by the Russian people, but
it makes almost everybody on this side
| Of the Atlantic wonder when the Official
newspaper Prayda issues bitter attack
| on William L. White because he gives
reporters impressions of what he saw
in Russia.
| The root of the whole trouble is the
absence of free press in certain coun.
tffes as well as the presence of diplo-
matte policy in London, Washington ano
Moscow that has had too much of the
hush-hush and too little of frankness
and candor.
All these questions can be ironed out
but not merely by a conference of the
three heads of state but by a policy ot
full disclosure with reference to al
political or economic questions that fact
Britain, Russia and the United States IL
Europe, especially in the Liberated
countries.
I D