The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-01-15
TODAY and TOMORROW
By WALTER LIPPMANN

II cannot be said of many speak
.rs that they affect the course OF
svents But this may well be said
=, senator Vandenberg's speech if
The President and his lieutenants
will recognize promptly and firm
" its Importance. For this speech
can if it is understood and appre-
Gated. break the vicious circle in
which American foreign policy has
heen revolving so Intellectually.
This is high praise but not in
,he least. | venture to think, an
sxaggeration.
The guiding rule of our diplo-
macy has hitherto been to pro-
claim principles and to ann, :nce
detectives but to insist that vital
politcal decisions be postponed I'M
ii after the war. 1t was, however.
impossible to postpone them, i'm
possible to ccnauct the war in re-
stons of the highest strategic i'm
potance if the disposition of dis
puted territory and the alignment
Of govenments was unsettled, and
therefore the subject of agitation
and maneuvec within the zone OF
battle and along the lines of COM
munication. It was impossible to
say, as for so long we tried to say,
that the main boundaries, the ar
rangements among neighboring
states, and the framework of a
settlement With the enemy, could
be left open and uncertain until the
Dumbarton Oaks organization was
established.
The crux of the differences which
have strained the solidarity of the
alliance has been that we wanted
10 postpone political decisions and
our allies have insisted that de-
clsions must be taken. We have
called these decisions "unilateral. "
But the fact is that all our allies,
not only Britain and the Soviet
Union, but also France, and the
smaller Allies - the Netherlands,
Belgium, Czechoslovakia and Nor
way-have felt compelled to make
political decisions and reach agree
ments, or if they have refrained
they have done so reluctantly and
only out of fear of mourning our
disapproval. If we are honest with
ourselves, we shall recognize that
our allies have been making "uni-
lateral decisions and signing obi
lateral' agreements in the period
when we have been interposing a
uns!ateral veto upon ali decisions,
and unilateral disapproval of all
agreements.
Our policy of postponement
rested in part on a theory that
political decisions could be made
more impartially after the war
than during il. But there is no
oouot that tie policy was rein
forced by the fear that any con-
.le'e decision of publicly dis
pu'ed issue must displease many
american voter and thus leopard
n ile me ratification of the treaties
n Senate ~
~ VICIOUS circle was created ::
aedI rlg to settle issues which
, oou5a not be postponed, We have
t n the settlements worse than
T Hey might otherwise have been.
t W. instead of exerting our in
ia to promote the compro:n-
t tSeS winch were possible, our in
- ro"a mas been exploited by ir-'
oeonclaoleS who did not wish to
oUa4 II has been the mod
sac; on both sides OF the Polish
nvslet dispute who have been
e eus aside because our influ-
nro oe mas not been exerted to
n no+1oIe an adjustment but to
postpone a settlement.
vo nne immense import of Senator
v ,on1uenoers's proposal is that it
me r.l end the policy of postpone
i nru' and thus restore American
Funehce IN the settlement of
nv V ~ he has seen What so ma
b s Of our aAguished idealists
Hes n ro' seen. that what our al
secnr; are seeking is first of all
Gern,y against the revival of
s gorlnan militarism and aggres-
reviv, ne mas not fallen into the
ao ,naal OF German militarism and
The nsi i1 He has not fallen into
juvenile error Of thinking that