The midland journal., 1945-04-13

Washington, d. G.
/ walked down the cool, twilit cor
ridor of the senate office building
and out into the warm spring sun.
AS / crossed the threshold, the light
on the bright white marble steps
blinded me and for a second !
CROPPED downward blindly.
my equilibrium the thought flashed
through my mind that this expert
ence was very much like the longer
one which preceded it. had been
talking with Vice President Truman,
Senators Connally, Vandenberg and
others about the forthcoming meet
ing in San Francisco of the United
Nations.
I recalled Truman's nervously en-
ergetic speech as he assured me
that he was giving his time to just
one thing: acting as liaison between
the President and the senate to keep
the chief executive and the legisla-
tive leaders as nearly in step as pos
sible.
I recalled Senator Vandenberg's
expression as I left him plunged
deep in the thousand extra tasks and
worries which his function as Re-
publican member of the delegation
had plunged him. He had said:
'If San Francisco doesn't succeed 1t
will be the greatest moral blow the
world has ever experienced"
I thought of Connally's careful pol
icy of withholding public comment
or quotation concerning the coming
conference, except carefully thought
out statements or speeches such as
the one he will make in the senate
before the conference. His is the
delicate task as senior administra-
ton representative on the delegation
of maintaining a balance between
the views of the Republican men,
bers represented on the delega-
ton, the administration viewpoint,
and his own and other personal
views. After all, as senate major
ity leader he is responsible for help
ing to carry out a policy which not
only a majority, but two-thirds Of
the senate will accept.
I also thought of the wide vari-
ance of views expressed by MEM
bers of both houses not directly con-
nected with the negotiations and of
the great reticence of many who
hesitate to express any view at this
time.
And I thought of the out-and-out
isolationists; very few who admit
that position and others whose
doubts and suspicious battle with
what they feel has been the strong
trend for wholehearted cooperation
which the various polls and other
media of public expression appear to
register.
These kinetic thoughts moving
now in harmony, now In friction,
seemed suddenly to have generated
binding light that burst into the
shadows Of the complacent assur-
ance which had enveloped me and
left me little dizzy. What tre-
mendous opportunity seems to be
offered to a war-weary world; what
fatal possibility if the effort fails.
Fear of Russia
Shades Future
1t is clear that such doubt and sus-
picion as may have arisen as to the
possibility Of failure of achievement
of world cooperation arises chiefly
from one thing: fear of Russia. Next
is the feeling in some quarters that
Churchill's inability always to get
along with Stain bodies i'll for tri-
party harmony and some feel that
the United States instead of trying
to bring the two closer together
should identity American interests
more closely with Britain as opposed
to those of Russia.
Then there is still the unhealed
sore which President Roosevelt's
personal emissary, Edward Flynn,
has been trying to heal, the friction
between the Vatican and the Krem-
lin. a
Lastly and perhaps more disturb
ing is what appears to be unilateral
action toward small countries on
the part of Russia in spite Of the
Yalta agreement.
Now those persons like Vice Presi-
dent Truman, who take the more
positive and more hopeful view, feel
that some of these factors have been
built into bogey-men, that granted
they exist as facts, that Churchill
and Stain don't always see eye to
eye and that even less sympathy ex-
lists between the Catholic church and
the head Of the Communist party,
none of these situations need affect
the creation of an international or
ganization.
AS to fear of Russia. Wen, frank
ly, cannot understand the workings