Evening star., 1945-03-04

I write this article as one who sim
cerely hopes that the United Nations
Conference at San Francisco may agree
upon a plan, patterned upon that of,
the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, that
will be ratified by our Senate and all
the participating nations and which
will contribute in some degree, at least,
to the maintenance of peace in the
world.
1t would be folly, however, not to
fully understand and frankly acknowl-
edge that world peace for many years
depends primarily upon the powerful
nations now allied in the prosecution of
the war against Germany. II these ma
tions shall in the future fulfill their
obligations and establish the same codes
of. honor for themselves as is expected
from individuals and is demanded from
small nations, then the United Nations
organization to be formed at San Fran
cisco will be great step forward in
establishing world peace.
Already orators and writer's, who call
themselves liberals are proclaiming to
our people daily and nightly that the
Crimea Conference was a triumph for
the democratic peoples of the earth
and that Russia is entitled to great
credit for the happy outcome. In this
grave disservice is being done to the
American people, for the disillusionment
which is sure to follow from such propa-
ganda may result in creating millions
of isolationists who will render impos-
sible any proper participation of the
United States in world affairs.
People Entitled to Facts.
If our country is to take the part
that it should IN preserving world peace,
its people must make their decisions
upon facts, facts which they are entitled
to know for public sentiment built
upon untruths is like house built upon
the sands.
To illustrate how facts are being mis-
represented to the American people to-
day: They are being constantly told
and millions believe it-that the Cove
nant of the League of Nations for which
President Wilson fought was defeated
by his enemies in the Senate, and that
if it had not been so defeated the Sec
ond World War might have been
avoided
The truth is that President Wilson
himself was the cause of our failure to
become a member of the League of
Nations. Had it not been for his in
sistence that the Senate agree to Article
x of the Covenant containing the prom
ise that we would with our might and
material resources preserve as against
external aggression the boundaries of
every nation member of the League as
recognized by the Versailles Peace Con-
ference the Senate would have ratified
the treaty containing the Covenant of
the League of Nations by an overwhelm-
ing vote.
Took Part in Contest.
I speak from first-hand knowledge
upon this point for as a member of the
Senate at that time I took very active
part in the contest over the ratification
of the treaty as the Congressional Rec
ord will show. The day before Presi-
dent Wilson left Washington on his ILL.,
fated Western trip to seek public support
for the League Covenant without reser-
vations he invited me to the White
House to discuss the matter with him.
Our discussion lasted nearly an hour in
which pointed out to him that the only
real obstacle to the ratification of the
treaty was Article x and that if he
fn ,a1i
the United States from the obligation
of that article, ratification would be
certain and his speaking trip would
become unnecessary. He replied that
he would not agree to such a reserva-
ton, for, in his opinion, Article x was
the heart of the Covenant and that
without it the League would be of no
value in maintaining the peace of the
world.
In accordance with his request his
supporters in the Senate voted against
ratification with the Lodge reservation
and thus defeated it. I would here
observe that Lord Grey, then the Eng
hsh Ambassador, indicated in a letter,
published in the Congressional Record,
that the Lodge reservations were accept
able to Great Britain.
Cites Shantung Issue.
The memories of most men are short
and probably in the intervening Is years
few have remembered that if President
Wilson had had his way we would have
been in honor bound to fight on the
side of Japan against China had China
sought to recover Shantung which the
Versailles Treaty gave to Japan. Shang-
tung was restored to China in 1929 as
result of the Nine Power Treaty
adopted at the Washington Conference
1t will be again restored to China at
the end of our war with Japan.
Some supporters of the Dumbarton
Oaks plan state that it is a vindication
of the idea of President Wilson. It is
interesting to note, therefore, that the
Dumbarton Oaks plan has nothing in
it akin to Article X of the League Cove
nant and hence if President Wilson was
right that Article x was the heart of
the League Covenant then the Dunn
barton Oaks plan has no heart. I did
not agree with President Wilson then
and I think it very fortunate that the
Dumbarton Oaks plan does not contain
the obligation of Article X.
The League of Nations was organized
without the membership of the United
States and every member, including
Great Britain and France and later
Russia, assumed the obligations of Ar
ticle x