Detroit evening times., 1945-07-12

II u1ENE Is every IlkellnOOu LndL the
Il world security charter adopted by
the San Francisco Conference will be
ratified by the u. S. Senate. Advance
polls indicate that more than two-thirds
of the senators will vote affrmatively.
Senator Arthur Vandenberg was one
of the most active and able members of
the American delegation; and his favor
able stand will naturally influence the
attitude Of the Republican minority.
The men in the Senate who in the
past have taken the lead in opposing any
sacrifice of American interests to inter-
national distractions, men like Robert M.
La Toilette Jr., Burton X. Wheeler and
Hiram Johnson, have not indicated any
intention to wage a concerted fight against
ratification.
THERE are several reasons for the
Il prospective smooth sailing of the
charter. Against much factual evidence
to the contrary, American public opinion
has been heavily propagandized by the
theory that our so-called isolationism be-
tween the two wars was a principal cause
of the breakdown of peace.
This theory takes no account or many
facts of recent history.
Far from being "isolationist' in the
sense of slamming its doors against the
rest of the world, America took very
active part in world affairs between the
two wars. AMERICAN NHUMANITARIAN
ACTIVITY SAVED MILLIONS OFLNES-
IN RUSSIA, CHINA, THE NEAR EAST
FERED AT VARIOUS TIMES FROM
FAMINE.
America took the lead in trying to
work out fair settlement in the Far
East through the Nine Power Treaty, in
endeavoring to promote disarmament.
The very names Dawes Plan and
Young Plan indicate active American IN
terest in trying to put the reparatons
question on sound financial basis
American engineering skill con-
tributed much to the industrial develop
ment of Russia.
DUT facts are often helpless against
ID active propaganda; and the myth of
an America that turned sourly iso-
lationist and refused to cooperate with
foreign countries has swung large body
of public opinion in favor of any measure
that can be represented as making for
closer international cooperation.
Moreover, the late President Roose-
welt. followed by President Truman,
displayed more political fnesse than
Woodrow Wilson in conciliating Senate
and Republican opinion and putting the
case for the charter on nonpartlsan
basis.
But the most important reason why
the charter is meeting so little opposition
is that, apart from one point, the powers
of the American delegate in the world
security council, it involves no binding
automatic commitments for America or
for any other country.
TO REPRESENT 1T AS AN ASSUR-
ANCE OF PEACE is A TRANSPARENT
ILLUSION.
There are gaping holes in the struc-
ture of world security first propounded at
Dumbarton Oaks, advanced at Yalta and
finally perfected at San Francisco, through
which a whole column Of Tiger, or Stain
tanks could be driven.
Consider first the "above the law
position occupied by the Big Five, the
United States, the Soviet Union, Great
Britain, France and China.
A NY one of these powers could embark
"A on a career of world conquest with
out being subject to any punitive check
by the new organization
Had such a system been in effect
between the TWO wars Japan COulu hOI
have been stopped in Manchuria, or Italy
in Ethiopia or Germany IN Poland, or the
Soviet Union in Finland. For each of
these countries, as great power would
have been a member of the world organi-
zation. And each of these countries, as a
great power, would have possessed an
unlimited veto on action against itself.
The world security council may exer-
else disciplinary powers over recalcitrant
smaller nation. But this will only be
possible if all the Big Five are in agree
ment.
If a small nation eager for
career of aggression can find a patron
among the Big Fiue it can pursue this
career confident of inpunity. For any
one of the Big FiUe may Ueto not only
action, but eUen Investigation of any
dispute in which it is ostensibly not
directly concerned.