Detroit evening times., 1945-10-04
Paul
N1ALLON
Behind
The News

lne tElnnlnS-dnu lllle Dt-
fOre-returned home appalled,
at the intensity of the people
and issues he found after long
absence. What this country
needs, he says, is some fun.
His comrades, he reported,
had the same idea.
Not many smiles can be found
around here, and more eX-
pletveS than anecdotes are
available in official sanctums.
Yet the precise condition be-
hind most of the GUINNESS and
high nerves noticeable in the
news actually falls considerably
short of lustifying or inducing
morbidity
To tell it TO you straight, with
a primary instance, there has
been less excitement over the
London conference in Congress
or the state department than
that you could expect.
State Secretary Byrnes had
almost free rein from Mr.. Tru-
man 10 make his own decisions,
passed little inside information
10 Washington.
And what he did pass rather
suggested th9 conference table
talk was really worse than pub
licly conceded.
Yet gossip that this being the
beginning of war with Russia
was nowhere taken seriously.
DUSSIA has no air force.
IL She used ours during the
war, herself developing only one
plane, the Stormovik-and she
has no navy
But Russia is intense, not
only by Slavic nature but by
political preferment.
| think il is entirely accur-
ate 10 report the official posi-
tion here as fearing Russia po-
litically, not otherwise.
Indeed, the only common
criticism heard of Byrnes is
that he gave ground on some
points.
How could it be otherwise
when the British Labor party
CAttlee and Bevin particu-
larly) won their recent election
victory on the claim they could
deal with Russia IN a more
friendly way than Churchill,
and therefore better.
Theirs proved no better than
any other way
THIS is "a world condition
L now. If anyone is going
10 keep tense about II. his diet
will he off for a long time, as
il will be a continuing condi-
tion.
Then there was the fuss over
Gen. MaCArthur's S administra-
tion of Japan.
As l CLEAN it, Acting State
Secretary ACheSon did actually
speak for Mr. Truman (also in
cidentally Moscow when he
flung few volatile words
across the Pacific 10 Tokyo
He was at the White House
the day before.
But a day or so later, he en-
tered a press conference. ask
ing
How does every one feel now
that the storm Is Over:"
Actually there is now no dis
satisfaction with MacArthur's
administration in official quar-
terS. and / believe the general
sentiment is he is doing a SUI
perior job.
l am sure the war and navy
departments think he will do
a complete Job, if left alone.
The trouble on this score, I
suspect. was also somewhat
political Cleftist and Com
munist although not intense
The most important state
ment Macarthur has made AS
far as Washington is concerned,
was the one tersely mentioned
in dispatches that he considers
his position his last assignment.
That was what many an ad-
ministration authority m o s I
wanted 10 hear
EOR many a year the sus-
L picion has absorbed some
democratic quarters that Mac
Arthur might want TO run for
a higher office next
His several denials, and the
belief of his friends that he is
without political ambitions, has
failed to eXtirpate this sus-
piCion
The domestic strike intensity.
Of course. concerns the eco
nomic future of the country,
and as in the case Of Russia,
will be a continuing proposition,
We are in what we call "a
controlled initiation. ~
The administration wants il.
1t is working for a high wage
price economy.
The only question is whether
the imitation is TO be controlled
by the gov ern m It or the
unions.
If wages are 10 60 up 30 per
cent this year under one or two
year contracts. the same pres
sure for showing everything 20
or 80 notChcS higher again will
exist IN a year or two.
If the government succeeds in
limiting the advance 10 10 or ID
per cent now il cuts its prob
lem that much
Most authorities seem now 10
fbtpk this intention will no car.