The Wilmington morning star., 1945-12-21
TODAY and TOMORROW
by WALTER LIPPMANN

,,,rv things have happened
Man. the war ended, and more
since ,es have been said, which have
tnllls od people to fear that once
e saain the nations were going to
AGAIN achieve a durable peace.
tal - " the London conference there
SINCE haen times when it seemed as
nave We. leading powers had given up
j pne and no longer meant to try.
hopt, Ct fl this somber background
Asai ahoice of this country as the
The h. e. otlf the permanent Headquarters
~ y the United Nations taxes on
o. Sreat significance.
sIs All Of the countries Of wetsern
AL w. and also Poland wanted a
tu a. pchoice some place in Europe.
tlrss sroued that the headquar-
lnsy should be where the greatest
ters nat;onal conflicts originate.
, .!.t tbe Soviet Union and China
were !.r (95-23) which always pre-
lorl.sd the United States. At the
ter5s0 nose who favored Europe
sn M we're outvoted, recognized that
s lt.s W." were great compensatory ad-
u i.ntages in the choice OF the
United States
~ chief argument advanced
-. in Generally been that the physi-
pa 9resence of the headquarters
ca q he United States would keep
IN A.. NV The interest Of the American
awe ssle in the work Of international
9sO ope But there is more to it than
p pea It was the Soviet Union
tl s;., really determined the de.
E ',aion in favor Of the United
s slsLu,s Had the Russians been
0.s aosed to the United States,
|sars would have been a clear ma
al s;+r against. Had they not been
pl .Te1v in favor of the United
s.atss there would not have been
0'ar ssioritv in favor. Why then
rtSI The Russians actively for the
United states?,
r ran be only because they
..coonize that the one certain and
, ,.lv Pnossible way to achieve peace
is through active collaboration
u. +ha United States. II the
p- really wanted to be let
' sIone so that they could dominate
T ss and Asia, the obvious
e r for them would have been
n make Americas part in u.N.O
" ", nnimportant as possible. It
VI would have been easy to do this.
instead they have done their best
tn magnify American interest in
MAKING the United Nations Organ
istion a powerful and successful
EXAMINATION. If they do not wish
y, 70 relapse into isolation, it must
be because they themselves do not
believe they can, even If they
wished be imperialists in isola-
ton.
They know perfectly well that
the more actively we participate
in International affairs, the more
firmly and persistently we shall
champion the territorial integrity
and the independence of China
and Of the countries Of the Middle
Fast and the revival Of Europe.
Whv then are they so particularly
insistent that the weight and in
auence Of the United States be
brought behind the new interna-
tonal organization?
Almost certainly because they
loo need and long for peace more
than for the satisfaction OF any
particular claim. But even It they
did not, there is the most compeu-
ing of all reasons why the Soviet
Union must wish the United States
10 play an active part in interna-
tonal organization. 1t is that if
U. N. O. fails, the United States
will not withdraw into an isola-
ton like that of 1919; it will
inevitably be drawn into a COM
bination of the Western World
against the Soviet Union. The
diplomatists of Moscow are often
poor judges of the tatical details
Of International affairs. But they
are exceedingly astute judges OF
the grand strategy Of international
affairs.
They must be aware that the
real alternatives are whether the
United States is to seek security
and satisfaction by its own power
"a course which would bring 1t
INTO direct rivalry with the Soviets
In eastern Asia, the Middle East.
and Europe-or whether the Unit
ed States is to seek security
through International organization
"a course which will make the
United States a mediator power
n all the regions where Russian
interests may conflict with Chi
aese, British, or other European
interests.
Nussia's lnsistence upon placing
me headquarters of U. N. O. in the
United States comes finally, I be-