Evening star., 1945-09-25
Writer Sees Nation
In IsoIutionist Mood
Army No Longer Is Instrument
of National Policy, He Adds
By David Laurence

of National Policy, He Adds
By David Laurence
The mood Of the Nation today may
be surprise to those who did not live
through or read about the period imme-
diately following World War I, but ap.
parently history is repeating itself.
Despite all the confident predictions
last autumn that isolationism was de-
feated at the polls, despite all the loud
protestations during the war that the
United States was at last to play
leading role in world affairs, the fact
is public opinion today as reflected in
Congress is just about as isolationist-
minded as it was In 1920. The Army
isn't an instrument Of policy"-a means
Of military threat behind diplomatic
objectives-because the Army is being
disintegrated rapidly.
This may be unpleasant news to those
of us who in 1920 and 1914 supported
the international view, but 1t is I'M
portant nevertheless to present the
truth.
II the continuance of the draft came
to vote in Congress today it would
be overwhelmingly defeated.
If peacetime conscription in any form
including universal military training"
plan were to be presented, it would be
voted down in both houses
II any plan for the regular forces,
however small, other than that of a
volunteer army were to be offered, 1t
would be rejected.
Out of sympathy.
Congress is out of sympathy with the
armed services and shows its displeasure
over anything even remotely resem-
bling military control of our affairs.
1t will be asked how all this can be
reconciled with the recent vote in favor
OF participation in the United Nations
organization. The answer is that Con-
gress then voted on the principle but
not its application and that the veto
power OF the United States in the
Security Council, whereby Congress can
determine the size of any force to be
used internationally, makes the ques-
ton of participation largely theoretical
| for the moment.
What has happened in Congress? Is
this a change that could have been
foreseen? Actually many persons at the
War Department feared that what has
happened would happen. Hence the drive
for universal service law began last
year. But the War Department itself
| mufied the ball
Instead OF presenting a compromise
| plan that had a chance to get through,
| the War Department S higher counsellors
blndly took the chance of all-or none
They succeeded in antagonizing most
OF the educators and many Of the
church leaders-an influential segment
Of public opinion. There is perhaps no
more vivid example of ineptitude in
Washington in recent years than the
War Departments handling of the uni
versal service proposals.
The time, Of course, to have laid
plans for postwar security was during
the war. Congress would have been in
a sympathetic mood then. But as soon
as hostilities ceased the inevitable drive
was begun to bring the troops back
home. Congress today is rejecting the
desire OF parents and servicemen to
| forget the war and 60 back to the
normal life that was interrupted for
so many.
Pressure on Congress.
| Congress Is now feeling such intense
pressure from the country with the
1s4s elections just a year of that the
situation Is vulnerable to . renewal Of
isolationist propaganda. The Truman
Byrnes administration has failed to
grasp the meaning Of the turn In public
thinking and is inclined to 20 along
with it rather than to present vigor-
ously the other view
The assumption that large military
force can preserve peace and that physi-
cal force alone can be effective has
been behind the official desire to keen
large occupation armies abroad The
assumption that moral force on the
other hand can be useful in welding
peoples together and can help to pre-.
vent the necessity for large standins
armies was brushed aside as Just 81
much "appeasement' doctrine durin,
the war
1t seems already to be gaining som.
headway, however, In our relations with
the Japanese people though the same
policy has been scorned BY Q spirit OF
vengefulness with respect to the Ger
man people. II any one a year ago had
| even suggested the possibilitv that Altar
hostilities ended the Japanese people
would be treated better in the writing
OF the peace terms and their fulfill
ment than the people Of Germany, he
would have been called either isolation
list, appeaser or crackpot.
But the fact is that the statement OF
policy toward Japan published by the
White House over last week end is the
direct result of popular unwillingness
to maintain indefinitely big American
occupying Army in Japan. Sooner or
later the same policy may gain sub
stantial support in our relations with
the German people. The mood of the
American people is to extricate them
selves from foreign countries as quickly
as possible.
Never did the exponents Of moral
force have a better chance to urge
their philosophy of q peace by CO.
operation with enemy people instead Of
coercion 1t fits the mood of the United
States not just because it is idealistic
but because 1t has some practical
aspects at the moment in reducing the