Evening star., 1945-03-07
Rubber Stomp Plans
Seen Likely in PorIey
Lawmakers Wonder If Stain Will
Insist on Yalta Formula
By Dauid Lawrencs 3

AhoASt On dltd
By Dauid LaWrence
Is the San Francisco conference Of
the United Nations to be rubber stamp
affair in which the smaller nations are
expected to ratify what the Big Three
did at Yalta about voting procedures in
the council or what the Dumbarton
Oaks conference specified? Or is the
charter open to amendments and will
the United States. Russia and Great
Britain accept any notifications?
This has become the paramount con-
cern Of many members of Congress who
are wondering whether there Is a pos
sibility that Marshal Stain will insist
on the ratification OF the proposed
charter and the voting procedure with
out the crossing of "I"' or the dotting
Of an "I."
Certainly President Roosevelt and
Prime Minister Churchill stand COM
mitted to the voting procedure formula
they agreed on. but must France, for
example, or any Of the other countries
accept it as the price Of admission to
the United Nations?
Many Latin American countries want
the assembly of the proposed League of
Nations to have at least as much au-
thority and prestige as did the assembly
of the old League. The inter- American
agreement adopted at Mexico City con-
tains various provisions that resemble
more closely the old League than the
new. The Mexico. City pact defines
aggression as any invasion of territorial
integrity. Is it conceivable that the
smaller powers of other parts of the
world will be satisfied with less than
the guarantees given to the powers of
this Hemisphere?
Voting Plan Repercussions.
The voting procedure announced this
week for the Security Council of the
Dumbarton Oaks league has caused
variety of repercussions on Capitol Hill.
There is in the minds of many Senators
a feeling that if Russia, for instance, is
not to be restrained by the new League,
then the United States cannot look for
ward for many years to come to the
very uncertainty of the world situation
created by the voting procedure means
that every nation will have to rely first
of all on its own army. navy and air
forces. 1t would appear that the idea
of an international police force, so
often advocated by some branches Of
the school of thought believing in world
cooperation, has gone by the boards
It is interesting to recall also that
Senator Ball of Minnesota left his party
in the last campaign because he didn't
think the Republican nominee for the
presidency would favor the instantane-
Gus sending of our forces to support the
decisions of the new league and would
wish instead to refer the matter to
Congress for action. 1t turns out now
that the administration itself is piac-
ing its biggest reliance on Congress to
decide what to do when the Security
Council is divided and aggression has
taken place.
1t is only when all the big powers
are agreed on squelching some small
country guilty of improper behavior
that the new league is to 60 into action.
and in those circumstances 1t is not
likely that much of an armed force will
be required to deal with the aggressor
Indeed, it may be that dispute of that
kind can be handled on the spot by
European troops, for instance, without
involving armed forces from this con-
tinent.
Reliance on Own Might.
The more the effects of the new
voting procedure announcement are
studied, the more it becomes apparent
that the United States must rely on its
own might to ward OF attack and to
prepare itself for any of the many un-
known contingencies that can arise in
the next so years or more.
A standing army of at least 5000, 600
men would seem to be essential for the
United States because, with the en-
phasis on air power, it Is necessary to
maintain large force of ground per-
sonnel. The Navy, as the first line OF
defense, will have to be maintained on
a basis larger than the British Navy
and this only for the reason that the
war has proved the British Navy by
itself is too small to handle a global
war.
Our Navy has developed a unique
combination of air and sea and under
water craft which cannot be considered
as defensive solely from coastal view
| point. Bases far away from continental
United States in both the Atlantic and
| Pacific will have to be maintained and.
as President Roosevelt once said, the
best form of defense sometimes N
offense, namely, to thwart the enemy
before it can get to the United States.
This means also the maintenance of a
huge amphibious force and the logical
thing is to maintain the Marine Corps.
the oldest and best amphibious force in
the world, as a nucleus for a larger and
larger instrument Of defense
The fact that each of the larger
nations is to be permitted to do as
1t pleases in world affairs and the
Dumbarton Oaks plan discards any ma
chnery to compel any or all of the
major powers to keep the peace in
evitably raises the question of the need
for a huge military service to defend
the United States and Latin America.
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