Evening star., 1945-10-05
BY DORIS FLEESON.

Those collar whiting sessions this
week at which the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee put Spruille
Braden through the wringer repre-
sent purely family row between
the Senators and the State De-
partment.
| Mr.. Braden will be confirmed in
due course as Assistant Secretary
of state. The committee does not
object to his copper riches back
ground nor his toughness toward
Argentina while he was Ambas-
sador. 1t does not quarrel with
the subsequent hardening of State
Department policy. which has just
eliminated in cancellation of the
Pan-American Conference sched-
uled to meet in Rio october 20 to
negotiate a military alliance.
But the committee which must
steer treaties past the Senate takes
a dim view of the departments
technique in the situation. "Reck-
less" "the bull in the china shop
approach" are terms privately ap-
piled to it. They concede the err
ing diplomats apparently have got
ten away with it in good shape
but they feel a real risk was run
which should not be run again.
Reflects Disorganization.
The Braden incident reflects pre-
cisely that disorganization of the
State Department which is driving
Congress and the press crazy these
days as they try to get for the
public a coherent picture of what
is going on.
Prior to Mr.. Braden's appearance
before the committee to discuss his
nomination, various Senators of both
parties, among them Chairman Con-
nally and Vandenberg, had been ap-
preached about attending the Rio
conference. This was to give the
same united front" in foreign af-
fairs that did so much to make
the Pan-American Conference last
March in Mexico City and the
United Nations Conference success
.ful. The Senators were agreeable.
But from Mr.. Braden they learned
that the stage was set to denounce
Argentina again and request can
collation. Of the conference. Nothing
having been said to them about it,
the invited guests, who found their
chairs withdrawn thus abruptly from
the conference table, objected that
certain lack of tact was evident.
Further questioning elected an
even more important omission.
While the conference host, Brazil,
had been requested to arrange for
cancellation of the Rio meeting, the
United States had failed to consult
in advance with the other republics
regarding its decision not to aSso-
ciate with Argentina in a military
alliance.
Express Apprehension.
Again, no fault was found with
the decision per Sc. But the Sem
atorS expressed apprehension that
the manner of doing it was highly
unfortunate and not in keeping with
our avowed intentions and the spirit
of agreements we had signed.
They pointed out to the en-
barrassed Mr.. Braden what they
considered the risks involved in
"bulling ahead" in such wise. Sup
pose some of our good neighbors
had decided after you made the re-
quest that they didn't want to 90
along that far against Argentina?"
Mr.. Braden was asked. What would
you do?"
Senators Connally and Vanden-
berg reviewed the painstaking ef-
forts they had made to win the
solidarity they said might now be
endangered. Argentina, they said,
was admitted to the United Ma
tions after pan-American countries
pleaded with the United States
for solid front in our hemisphere.
The fight we made paid off, they
said, when this country needed pam
American votes it got them.
Senator Connally. who was much
riled and Senator Vandenberg who
was very firm drew from Mr.. Bra
den an admission that the decision
was taken after Secretary Byrnes
left for London and had been ex-
plored with him only over the trans
Atlantic telephone. This also an
noyed the Senators.
Senator Connally grumbled that
"all that hiring and firing" at the
State Department had left every
BODY up IN the air. This opening
proved irresistible to Senator Guffey
who has taken little part in the dis
cussion. @'If you'd voted with me
against the Stettinius team, some
of that hiring would have been
avoided" he gibed. Senator Connally