Evening star., 1945-06-06

SLAMS nave tdhcll > ~
up their arguments. using them
for their own purposes. Cablec
from San Francisco, they are being
presented in Izvestia, the most i'm.
portant of the Soviet government.
newspapers, as proof of the weak
ness of the United States foreign
polisy and of the general incapacity
and inconsistency of the American
representatives at the conference.
In the most recent crisis, pre-
cipitated by controversy over the
Yalta veto agreement, with the
British and Americans contendine
strongly for liberal Interpretation
while Russia insists upon applying
the veto to discussion, or even pres
entation, of issues before the secur-
ity council, the Russians are using
the American critics of their own
representative to buttress the Rus
sian position and weaken ours.
That, in effect, is what it amounts
to, and that is not what the State
Department assailants want at all
Most distinctly, they do not relish
being put in position of furnishing
aid to a foreign power during a
clash with our own delegation over
highly controversial issue in an
international conference.
Position Unforeseen.
It Is an exceedingly uncomfort-
able position which, in their zeal to
get Mr.. Stettinius out and the State
Department reorganized along their
own lines, obviously, they had not
foreseen.
None of the American critics
started out with the idea of weak
ening the American position. None
Of them intended to go pro-Russian
and anti-American in any confer
ence controversy. Yet their conten-
tions are being printed in Russia to
show that We have no foreign pol
icy and then cabled back and print
ed mere to further emphasize
American criticism of the American
Secretary.
The facts are trenchantly put by
Mr.. Frederic Nelson in the current
Saturday Evening Post. He writes
that our delegation is handicapped
by an extraordinary campaign
chatter by radio and press commen-
tators, who made hero of Molotov
and villain of the State Depart
ment.
"A country which enters ticklish
negotiations, knowing in advance
that its representatives will be ac-
cused of Fascist deals and every
sort OF discreditable intrigue, while
the delegates from other countries
will be creased like cinema queen
on a personal appearance tour, has
a hard time making its weight felt
through diplomacy"
This isn't q very pleasant situa-
ton to contemplate. 1t strongly
emphasizes the point made weeks
ago that, while criticism might be
justified both before the conference
met and after 1t adjourned, per-
sonal criticism during the confer
ence was hindrance to the Sec
retary of State: made 1t much more
dif7icult for him, in his first inter-
national conference, to function as
we'll as he could. In that way the
American position has been weak
ened.
1t Is fair to say that this was
not the purpose of any Of the Stet-
tinius critics. They have been fore
most in stressing the vital impor-
lance to civilization Of this confer
ence and have had little quarrel
With the position taken by the Amer
IAN delegation, of which Mr.. Stet-
tinius is the head.
No Real Disagreement.
Except in the matter of the Argen-
tina admission, there has, in fact,
been no real disagreement with the
course our delegation has pursued
And in the present crisis there has
been general approval here Of the
British American position; hardly
any dissent. Certainly there has
been none from the aforesaid critics.
Some of them seem primarily in
terested only in getting Mr.. Stet-
tinius out, apparently believing that
any one Mr.. Truman appoints to
succeed him will be an improve
ment.
Others insist not only on get
ting Mr.. Stettinius out, but putting
Mr.. Sumner Welles back. which is
an idea we'll calculated to quicken
the pulse of former Secretary of
State Cordell Hull, who detested
him most cordially-and not with
out reason.
1t is interesting to note that much
Of the present criticism of the State
Department comes from the same
elements which so long and futilely