Evening star., 1944-12-27
Foreign Policy Seen
Needing ExpIonotion
Ssran1e Propasands Bsina Foistsd
on u. 3. People, Says Writer
Bp Dapid La,ersare

on y. s. People, Says Writer
BY David Lasersscs
There are lots Of things sbout Amer
lean foreign policy that need explaining
these days, Senator Hatch, Democrat.
and Senator Ball, Republican, went 10
the White House the other day 10 ssk
questions.
Presumably they eotild not stand any
Longer the suspense and anxiety which
ens,isd when Prime Minister Churchill
revealed In public speech that he and
Marshal stalln had been secretly carving
up prewar Poland. AlonE with IL came
news that Gen. De osulle and Stain had
made special offensive and defensive
slliaiIee to keep the peace for the next
40 years In Europe, which was supposed
10 be the task Of the new League Of
Nations born at the Dumbsrton Oaks
Conference
Apoloeists for the detached course
taken by Russia and the present gov
eminent Of France argue that American
participation In world league IA by no
means assured and that America will not
or co,,ld not supply the troops or forces
for instantaneous defense of France
against possible German aggression IN
the future and hence France must make
her own security agreements.
Following out this line of reasoning
the world organization envisssed by
Dumbafton Oaks may turn out tn be 4
sort Of loosely knit international con-
ference Ike the pah-A American Union,
with no permanent seat and no real
powers Of enforcement against ss-
gressors,
stranse Propaganda.
American participation, after all. per-
haps is TO be confined 10 the type wa
have twice experienced. namely. that we
come to the reacue with millions of men
and billions of dollars after Europes
peace bas been broken and the balance
Of power Ia found inadequate 10 save
The victims Of aggression.
There have been some hints that
such course which on its face appears
Incredible. he's had the passive scuui-
esesnce. II not support. of President
Roosevelt. More than two years ago he
permitted Forrest Davis In an article In
the Saturday Evening Post TO sketch
the basis for world policies and In Il was
forecast that regional Understandings
would be relied upon rather than q new
League Of Nations,
Since that time there has been strange
propaganda foisted on the American
people. II consisted of a direct attack
on the idea of a universal society Of
nations and urged instead four regional
systems to be dominated by Russia,
Britain. the United States and China.
| 1t defended such an outline On the
| ground that after the ws- America
would tend toward isolstionisrn and de-
| tachment from European affairs anyway.
Through the heroic efforts Of Secretary
Hull. however. the idea Of drafting q
new League Of Nations agreement WAS
pushed to the front Significantly. Rus
sia took an incidental part and such
major questions as to how the policing
| Job Was to be done were left untouched
by request Of Russia.
Propagandists in the State Depart.
ment itself then set about to persuade
the American people that the new
League drafted at Dumbarton Oaks was
really stronger than the Geneva League
when, as matter Of fact, it is . weak
imitation with many of the real powers
Of the Assembly Of the old League cur
tailed and with no sharp prohibition
against such special alliances or military
agreements between nations as conflict
with the main idea of security council
which alone should have the power to
direct and order military force into
action.
Contrary to Oaks Code.
Today it is revealed that contrary to
the basic code Of the Dumbarton plan,
Britain was given free hand in Greece
and Russia in Poland Instead of an in
sistence by the United States that the
principles of a universal organization Of
equal sovereign nations promised by the
Moscow declaration and the Connally-
Fulbright resolution are the only ar
rangements that can be countenanced
by Allies, it would appear that President
Roosevelt has either willingly or un-
willingly consented to alliances and
spheres Of influence and regional under
standings all of which can only mean
revival of power politics
1t is to be hoped that Mr Roosevelt
doesn't like the setup any more than do
other Americans Of the internstionaI
school Of thought and it is to be hoped
also that Senators Hatch and Bail
learned at the White House that what
the President wants is militant public
opinion to back him up in a continuing
crusade for the ideas advanced by
Cordell Hull and Wendell Willkie.
The former Secretary of State refused
to accept in any form the distribution
Of territories prior to the final confer
ence OF nations at the end OF the
war. Evidently the recently issued
Stettinius statement which says Amer
lea will accept any agreement between
the governments Of Poland and Russia
means the President is not as stanch
on this point as was Mr.. Hull. 1t re-
mains to be seen whethef the Presi-
dent will also approve an agreement
between puppet government in Po-
land to be set up by the Russians as
correcting this loophole.
There are. to be sure, q lot OF things
that need explaining and more Senators
than Messrs. Hatch and Ball might we'll
begin to ponder what's going on be-
hind the scenes.
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