Evening star., 1945-01-20
Letters to The Star
More Comment on Anglo.
American Points of View

American Points of View
To the Editor of The Star:
The presentation Of the British and
American points of view contained in
your G Section last Sunday has
prompted me to considerable reflection,
and tempted me to put some of my re-
actions in writing.
The two presentations unfortunately
fail to discuss the same points. except
in few instances. Where they do,
there is some agreement. some disagree
ment. For example, Sir John Wardlaw-
Milne points out that both Britain and
America continue to recognize the ex-
lied Polish government and have not
recognized the government" recently
organized in Russian-occupied Poland.
Also Sir John refers to a new Gallup
to the armed forces of further British
manpower, which Is some indication
that the Empire is aware of the justice
of the American expectation that Brit
ain will furnish all available troops.
Whether the number of British and
Canadian divisions now on the western
front is proper fraction of the sup
posedly 100000 or more men under
arms Is something no American civilian
accurately can judge.
Plain citizens here simply do not know
the facts of the Greek situation. We
read the conflicting claims of Mr..
Churchill and the ELIAS forces and of
Greek labor group agreeing with the
British view. The situation might have
been better, psychologically at least if
an Allied commission had accompanied
the British troops into Greece. Ger
tainly, the forced withdrawal of the
Nazis cannot be permitted to be followed
by civil disorder
Sir Johns dislike of any preachy-
preachy attitude on the part of the
United States is understandable Much
of our newspapers comment on our
foreign policy has stressed our idealism
and CLOSED over our self interest. Yet
the officially expressed policy of this
country recognizes the security of the
United States as our primary reason
both for inaugurating Lease-Lend and
for our later declaration of war. And
certainly, so far as an international
security agency is concerned, we have
given formal notice long ago of our
definite intention of joining The party
platforms confirmed this, and, although
the President and Congress are per-
haps moving unduly slowly in taking
the final steps, we are at least as far
along the road as is the British rn-
pire.
But we shall be in no position to
criticize Britain on the subject of India
until a considerable time after the war
is over, when both the mother country
and India shall have had time to work
out plan whereby India can prepare
to take her place in the family of ma
tions.
l must disagree with Senator Wheeler
as to the reasons for which we entered
the war. The very group of which he
was the leader would have been the
last to agree to war declaration on
any such grounds as he now outlines
According to the congressional speeches
which preceded the formal decIara-
tion Of war, especially those of the iso-
lationists, we are fighting Japan be-
cause we were attacked and Germany
because she declared her intention to
fight US. OF course, now that we are
in the war, we all recognize that VIC
tory for the United Nations will give us
an opportunity to stamp out Naziism
and similar forms of tyranny and to
outlaw war. Britain and Russia Joined
us in this attitude
I think Senator Wheeler has done
well to point out that Americas pres
ent primary aim is to help to establish
and to maintain a joint mechanism for
preventing war and for bilateral or
multilateral settlement of all disputes
between nations. Sir Johns statement
would indicate that the British do not
yet believe that is our attitude. Let
us hope Senator Wheelers statement
will help to convince them
JOHN j. QUIGLEY.