Evening star., 1945-04-04
Insistence on Holding
Of PorIey Called Wise

w sSS
Old.School Diplomats Failed 80
Delay Sessions, Says Writer
By David Laurence
President Roosevelt and Secr{s sary
stettinius have wisely decided to insist
on the holding Of the conference In
San Francisco. Pressure for postpone
ment has failed. The reactionary old
school OF diplomacy had been trying
to disparage the holding Of the confer
ence because Of the wide publicity that
would have to be given, and It has been
argued that no agreements can be neso-
tiated In the form Of q town meeting
and with all the Lights blazing.
Actually, anybody who has attended
prior international conferences never
expected such q spectacle. The Covenant
Of the League Of Nations was drafted
in Paris by committee which met In
executive session for several weeks, but
the press was given accounts Of prog
ress from time to time. There were
very few plenary sessions OF all the
delegations to the Paris Conference.
There is no reason why the same pro-
cedure cannot be used again.
What would be unfortunate would be
any sidetracking of the delegations
themselves through trying to make Sc
cret agreements by the Big Three In ad-
vance Of the San Francisco meeting. In
secret meeting the views offered can
not be checked by responsible opinion,
for the very reason that arguments pro
and con are never revealed and what
remains to be announced is often satu-
rated with suspicion and fear, as care
fully camounaged phrases are offered
to the public.
Corrective Process.
The press does not represent itself
1t speaks for the mothers and fathers
of the boys who have made the su-
preme sacrifice or who are fighting to
prevent another world war Debate is
corrective and clarifying process by
which democracy moves to decision.
Only evil thrives on secrecy. What's the
harm in discussing differences of opin-
ion? It's always better to expose them
to the healthy air OF discussion than
to hide them for several weeks as was
done with the three votes for Russia"
idea at Yalta, only to see the matter
acquiring thereafter an exaggerated i'm
portance. Congressional and parliament
tary governments have not been i'm
peded by the necessity of meeting the
critical eyes of the public
So in the international field, It is
precisely because peoples have not been
an alert element in the many seemingly
small but ultimately-to-become
issues in European affairs that world
wars have come And if the United
States is to supply the manpower and
the funds to stop aggression inside
Europe in the future, the American
Nation ought to be In on the ground
floor from the very beginning so as to
squelch the power to commit such ag-
gression before it gets momentum.
There is every reason why the Russian
people and the American people should
see eye to eye-if they are permitted
free press to explain things to one
another. There is every reason to be-
lieve that the British and American
people think alike on moral Issues. If
the facts are .truthfully presented to
them. not by Government propaganda
but through . free press. they win not
allow reactionary statesmen to make
pawns OF their youth as part OF schemes
to get commercial or economic advan-
tages or to perpetuate the outmoded
games Of tricky diplomacy or imperial.
istic maneuvering for power.
<- Debate and Decision.
II there Is really to be q fraternity Of
peoples In the new world organization,
liberalism demands that the San Fran
cisco Conference shall not cravenly avoid
controversies but bring them out into
the open for debate and final decision.
Sovereignty Is a sacred privilege, but
it also connotes responsibility. Nations
| which think they can override justice
and equity to build new nationansm
must be warned to accept the power and
discipline OF q world alliance In which
collective security shall be primary and
not secondary. The moment spheres
of influence and special alliances are
countenanced. the collective security
idea Is sabotased. Full publicity and
full discussion and q courageous tack
| ling of all issues that seem to be OBJ
stacles to q permanent peace are pre-
requisites OF the hour.
The fact that the European war Is
coming to q close Is not q reason for
| postponement Of the task OF creating
q general international organization. It
Is a reason for acceleration. For the
cemeteries Of American dead are filling
up and the numbers Of Allied killed
are no less persuasive An argument for
courage among the nvins-the courage
to discuss in the open and reveal
promptly any reasons for baking at
the early fulfllment Of our principal
war aim, namely the stopping OF AZ
gression through the immediate mobih-
zation of all the moral and physical
forces of peace-loving nations.
tRsproduction Rights Ressrved)
The Devils Organ
From the St Louis Post Dispatch.
N$~ HAk Ia