Evening star., 1945-12-23
Foreign Affairs Suffering
Through Lack of Teamwork
Semi.Independence of State Department Leaves
President Not Fully Informed About
International Situation
BY Constantine BrOfpn


Gated by the difficulties he is encounter
ing in his own official family.
This is particularly true in connection
with the complex foreign situation.
The war officially ended when the
Japanese surrendered. But the fight
ing-unofficially or otherwise-is con-
tinuing in nearly every corner of the
globe.
The American people entered the Sec
ond World War with crusading spirit.
They made heavy sacrifices in lives, raw
materials and permitted the public debt
to rise to a staggering figure in order to
give the world the four freedoms. Our
associates in the war were divided into
>,two groups: The small nations which
had suffered from the Axis invasion
and paid dearly for their attempts to
safeguard their. freedom and territorial
integrity, and the large nations-Britain,
Russia, France and China-which
formally joined us in our crusade to
establish better and safer world.
The end of the war has seen many of
the smaller Allies sadly disappointed.
Their freedom is only nominal Their
new governments are imposed by
minority helped by the armed forces of
the European major Allies.
Little News Leaks Out.
Repression and local guerrilla warfare
against the depressing governments are
an everyday occurrence. Many heart
breaking conditions of i'll treatment of
innocent people, merely because they do
not fall into step with the new ideologies
which the new masters wish to enforce
on them, are not even reported by the
newspapers and the radio.
ruthless censorship in most coun-
tries, with the possible exception of
those in Western Europe, keeps news
from reaching the few remaining de-
mocracies. Unbiased reporting is rare
because reporters are no longer welcome
except in very few countries. Those
who receive the much-coveted visas must
write nothing Objectionable to the gov
ernmentS concerned Any one doing
otherwise is politely told to leave the
country.
This is the situation In large part
of the world at this time.
The United States means to the suf-
fering people of the world what the Star
of Bethlehem meant to the same people
l9 centuries ago. This, although we have
made mistakes, and although propa-
ganda is being spread throughout the
globe that the Americans are not to be
trusted, that they have imperialistic am
bitions and that they have their minds
only on the dollar.
Firm Policy Would Help.
Without doubt a firm policy on the
part of the United States Government,
based on the same principles of justice
and fairness which brought us on the
side of the aggressed nations before
Pearl Harbor, could still drasticaly
change the entire picture.
From the economic, military and geo.
graphical point of view, the United
States could still become the paramount
factor in the establishment of lasting
peace. Politically, however, the State
Department seems to have an inferiority
complex which causes our foreign policy
trainers to follow, rather than lead.
So long as President Roosevelt was
alive the State Department was in the
White House. Its officials, from the
Secretary of State down, were imple-
menting the policies conceived by Mr..
Roosevelt. The White House was the
repository of all the secret state docu-
ments. Some of Mr.. Roosevelts Am
bassadors by-passed the State Depart
ment and communicated directly with
him.
Mr.. Roosevelt used the trans Atlantic
telephone to talk over matters not only
with men like Churchill, Eden, Stain or
Jan Christian Smuts, but also with his
own Ambassadors. Sometimes the tenor
of these conversations was communicat-
ed Immediately to the State Depart
ment; at other times they we're kept in
the Presidents own confidential files.
When, few weeks before the Yalta
Conference, one of the intimate ad-
visers of the President suggested that
some important facts resulting from
such a transatlantic talk should be
communicated to the Secretary of State,
Mr.. Roosevelt said, Oh, let's wait little
while. All they are going to do with this
stuff is to leak it out to some favorite
columnist.
Roosevelt Had All Data.
{ This may not have been an ideal sit
uation for those who had to follow the
directives of the Chief Executive. But it
placed in his hands all the available ma
terial which gave him. clear overall
picture of the world situation.
Moreover, Mr.. Roosevelt never hesi-
tated to send one of his Dear So-and-
So" letters to high-ranking officials who
he felt had fallen down on the job or
had outlived his usefulness. Such men
were either kicked upstairs, where they
became harmless, or let out in good
humored manner. Men like Justice
Frankfurter, Harry Hopkins and many
others were among Mr.. Roosevelt's close
advisers for as long as he thought their
ideas dovetailed with his own plans.
Harry s. Truman took over the high
est and most complicated job in the
world without much preparation as far
as the foreign affairs we're concerned.
Realizing his own shortcomings and also
realizing he did not have the powerful
appeal of his predecessor, Mr.. Truman
decided that the men he placed at the
head of the various departments were
to be masters in their own house He
gave them free hand, with the under
standing that if things went wrong they
would suffer the consequences