Evening star., 1945-03-31
Truth on YoIto Seen
Slowly Leaking Out
Both President and vandenbers
Are Embarrassed, Says Observer
By Darid Laurence

Both President and Vandenber9
Are Embarrassed, Says Observer
By David Lawrence
Announcement that another secret
agreement was made at Yalta Is most
embarrassing It Is embarrassing to
President Roosevelt, who gave Congress
what was believed at the time to be
complete report OF all nonmilitary mat
ters agreed on by the Big Three.
1t is embarrassing also to Senator
Vandenberg, Republican, who accepted
q place on the American delegation
with the written pledge of Mr.. Roose-
welt that the Republican Senator was
to have free hand and was not bound
by anything agreed upon at Yalta.
Now 1t appears that II Senator Van-
denberg advocates any changes, he can
do so only inside the American dele
cation and not before the conference
at San Francisco itself, unless, of course,
minority reports from each delegation
are presented as is done in national
political conventions.
The President, who through Secre-
tary Stettinius presumably will control
a majority Of the American delegation,
will, to be sure, have to go along with
the voting procedure agreed on at
Yalta and particularly with the new
demand of Marshal Stain that Russia
shall have three votes in the assembly
or lower house Of the Forthcoming
United Nations organization.
Tell-Tale Words.
It Is apparent that Mr.. Roosevelt
didn't like the Russian proposal, for
he countered with a request for three
American votes in the assembly and In
sisted that final decision would have
to be made by the United Nations meet
ing at San Francisco. But the White
House announcement says that the
American representatives at Yalta "were
requested by the Soviet representatives
to support this proposal when submitted
to the conference of the United Nations
at San Francisco" Then come the tell
tale words: They agreed to do so.''
This can only mean that the Ameri-
can delegation was pledged at YaIta to
vote in certain way at San Francisco
on proposal to come before that con-
ference and that Senator Vandenberg
and some Of his colleagues who agree
with him will find themselves morally
| bound by what the President did or
else, if released from that obligation,
| they will find themselves backing a
minority program.
Will the delegates at San Francisco
| pay heed to the minority or majority
of the American delegation? VIII the
Russians think the President is acting
| in good faith If he allows the majority
of the American delegation-which he
obviously controls-to vote to take any
action contrary to what he agreed on
at Yalta?
Plainly Mr.. Roosevelt expects the
| United Nations Conference to help him
out of his dilemma either by voting down
the Yalta decision on three votes for
Russia or else giving three votes in the
assembly to the United States, which
plan both the Russian and British rep
resentatives will support.
But what of France? viii she not
want three votes? And will not China
want three? Obviously the British EN-
| pire viii have at least five votes-Can-
ada, Australia, New Zealand, South
Africa and India-since Fire is more or
less free from British influence In for
| eign policy. as her neutrality in the
j present war indicates.
| Spheres Of Influence.
The United States, it is argued, can
control the vote of the Philippines and
maybe Cuba. 1t will be insisted, too,
that most of the 20 pan American re-
| publics are likely to vote with the United
States. 1t is being said in apology that
the assembly is a debating society and
has no power anyway. Then why does
1t matter so much to Russia to have
three votes there? She will probably
control the votes of the Balkan states
IN her sphere of influence, too.
What is most important and most dis
couraging about the controversy is not
the number of votes Russia has in the
assembly but that an agreement was
made in advance secretly at Yalta be-
tween the Big Three to vote in a GER
tain way at the San Francisco Confer
ence. The American people were given nc
opportunity to discuss this question be.
fore the President committed himself
1t does not augur we'll for the future
of the United Nations organization Il
secret and private agreements are to
be made on the side between the Bis
Three on important international is
sues and the peoples concerned are not
TO be given chance for a hearing on
these issues before commitments are
made.
The truth about the Yalta Confer
ence is slowly leaking out and when
all the facts are available 1t will be
apparent that Mr. Roosevelt, in order
to appease Marshal Stain, agreed to
almost everything the latter asked for
including scheme to pack" the as
sembly before 1t is actually organized
This kind of backstage maneuvering is
power politics" with the emphasis on
the word politics"
Reproduction Rishts Reserved)
/ Pva~nrskri Nj