Evening star., 1945-06-13
First Truman Venture
Into Diplomacy Hailed
Hopkins.Davies Mission Aided
Cause of Peace, Says Observer y

Hopkins'Davies Mission Aided
Cause of Peace, Says Observer y
By David Laurence .
President Truman's first venture into
diplomacy-an effort to put the rela- \
tions between the United States and
Russia on satisfactory basis-appar-
emily has been a success.
Utilizing the services of two men
who were intimately identified with the
Roosevelt administrators dealings with
Russia-Harry Hopkins and Joseph E.
DaVies-there was opportunity to pre-
sent convincing evidence of the de-
sire OF the Truman administration to
continue the close friendship which
mad previously existed and to build
upon 1t strong postwar relationship.
The Russians may or may not have
realized the extent to which their at
titude on certain questions recently
mad tended to ALLEVIATE public opinion
mere. 1t is not persuasive to say that
certain section of the American press
or certain observers alone created the
coolness which has been deyelopinp
rapidly. The Russians themselves real
ly have failed to deal in clear-cut
Iashlon with some of the problems
arising out of the European war and
particularly with the agreements
reached at Yalta.
The differences of opinion NAV he
explalnable, but they have existed. And
70 say that the difficulty in relation
SHIPS was invented solely bv hosti,a
critics is to make 1t appear that the
american people do not read or un-
derstand the dispatches from authorita-
tive sources telling of incidents in con-
nectlon with the arrest of 16 promi-
nent Poles, friction over the sending
OF British and American ambassadors
10 Czechoslovakia, and controversies
over the establishment of Temporary
governments IN Austria and Romania.
Russian Concessions.
Inc latest word is that the Russians
are making concessions on certain
points and clearing up some of the
olncultles. Unhappily an impression
Is arising that some of these yerv issues
are introduced in order to trade or bar-
gam with the United States for things
Russia needs and may have been
oouot1ul about getting. This tends to
give the appearance of materialistic
dealings that would be most unfortu-
nate II continued as the chief emphasis
IN the relations between two great peo-
pies through their established govern
ments.
america needs the friendship of Rus
sia ana Russia needs the friendship and
help OF the American people. The dev-
as'ateo areas OF Russia need rebuild-
ing. Raw materials as we'll as machine
tools are essential to reconstruction
Two nations which need each other
can find plenty of ways and means of
suppiyng the essentials of lasting
friendship
hu1 there Is a greater need for
pauence and understanding on both
sloes. The Russians have been clumsy
ana lnept IN their handling of issues
at the San Francisco Conference The
British and American vievnoints q,
'ne other hand, have not always been
clear. Now, however, it is apparent
that many of the things which Russia
was accused OF doing supposedly to block
cooperation have not materialized ar
all. az
Suspicious Lifting.
american diplomatic representatives
LOT instance, have been admitted tn
Prague. Proposals for solution of the
Fohsn question are being made. The
controversy with Tito over Trieste is
oelng composed. American forces have
eneereo Berlin and the Inter-Allied
control Commission is starting to
function. w
Slowly but surely the suspicious which
nave been engendered are being re-.
moved The American Government is
making plain that it has no desire to
argue ldeologies or to interfere with
Russia's development of the Communis-
tic phlIoSophy for her own people, but
that any worldwide propaganda or en-
croachment on the soyereigntv of other
nations would naturally lead to unhannv
1eellngs IN this country.
The war is by no means over in the
world as a whole. Russia can plav a
vital part IN the Far East. Potentially
sne commands vast territory that bor-
oers on Alaska and she also has relation
snips with China and Far Eastern poll
tlcs that make ner Pacific as we'll as
european power. This means that
extraordinary efforts must be made to
understand Russia's viewpoint and also
10 enable her to understand Americas
viewpoint.
PRESIDENT Truman has made a good
beginning on complex controversy and
MS envoys-Messrs. Hopkins and Davies
-naVe contributed much toward the
larger problems OF world peace b. their
missions which have tust been con.
cluded
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