Evening star., 1945-05-21
Defense Of U.S.. Called
Key to Future Policy
Lack of Popular Understanding
On Conference Seen by Writer

On Conference Seen by Writer
BY David Laurence
Moving from the atmosphere Of the
United Nations Conference at San Fran
cisco back to the National Capital is
like returning from a far-of foreign
country to the United States. For at
the conference there is natural and
inevitable tendency to view diplomatic
problems in their worldwide perspec-
tive, while here it is essential that the
position of the United States be- ex-
amined constantly in the light of the
security of the American people in
world still unstable and insecure for
democratic peoples.
There is unfortunately lack of popu-
lar understanding inside the United
States of what Americas purpose today
is in world affairs and lack of under
standing of what Americas objectives
have been in the European war.
Millions of troops will be coming back
soon and we shall hear some of them
saying, as they did after World War I,
that the war accomplished nothing, or
that America piled up big debt but
got nothing out of it. Literally, so far
as territory or material things are con-
cerned, the United States will get little
out of the war just ended in Europe, but
actually the American people should
learn that we achieved our main OBJ
jective in cause worth the sacrifice Of
human life as well as the expenditures
of billions of dollars.
The main objective in entering the
European war Is best explained by point
ing out what concept has guided Ameri-
can military thinking for the last Is
years or more.
Basic Strategy.
Basically, our military strategy has
been aimed at keeping all war and battle
zones as far from the homeland Of the
United States as possible. When the late
President Roosevelt once told group Of
members of Congress privately that
American frontiers are on the Rhine
he was expressing in symbolic terms
what he said more explicitly in d mes
sage to Congress in 1910 even before we
entered the war; namely, that 1t some
times becomes necessary to stop an ag-
gressor in his tracks before he carries
out his aggressive purpose.
The aim of the United States military
planning has been to furnish whatever
aid was possible to other nations so
that the air power or the sea power or
the land power of any aggressor state,
whether actually at war with us or not,
could never get foothold near enough
to our shores to employ any combina-
ton of modern military force against
our own country.
Today the American people have been
kept free from bombing from the>sea
or the air Our armies and navies and
air forces succeeded in keeping the fight
thousands of miles away from CONT
mental United States. That achieve
ment was worth the sacrifice Ia lives
and worth the billions of dollars ex-
pended and we should be grateful to
our Allies for their help. The British
people have been bombed and so have
the people of every major or minor
nation engaged in this war, excepting
the Americas All homes In this hemi-
sphere have been spared. Although we
have invaded places 5000 miles away
no enemy nation has crossed either
ocean with an amphibious force to at
tack us.
Primary Objective.
The primary objective, therefore. has
been and still remains-the security and
safety of the United States. There are
other objectives, to be sure, such as the
effort to establish an international or
cate Naziism and punish the NaI ag-
gressors. AL Of these are collateral OBJ
jectives, not less important because they
are secondary, but they bear only indi-
rectly on the issue of our safety. Any
totalitarian government bent on aggres-
sion is a menace to world peace and
eventually to our own safety.
Hence, whatever can be accomplished
by the San Francisco Conference to
place a restraining hand on would-be
aggressors fits in with our primary OBJ
jective, but it does not by any means
eliminate the necessity for the United
States to take effective measures for
sef-protection in whatever contingency
may arise.
The maintenance of an American air
force and naval power with adequate
amphibious forces to protect bases far
enough away from our shores to keep
future aggressors from attacking us sud-
denly, as did the Japanese at Pearl
Harbor, is still the preoccupation of
American military strategists.
That's why strategic bases overseas
are essential to us and that's why, how
ever enthusiastic may be our co-opera-
tion under the United Nations Charter,
we cannot neglect the defense Of the
United States and of the other American
republics in this hemisphere. Curiously
enough the historic Monroe Doctrine
becomes more than ever the keystone
of American foreign policy. 1t now must
be sufficiently strengthened by help
from our neighbors to keep Europe's wars
from ever reaching across the Atlantic
by rocket bombs, stratosphere bombers
or any other invention of modern war
fare. The key to future policy is the
same as our principal war aim in Europe
and Asia-the defense Of the United
States.
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