Detroit evening times., 1945-03-09
THE ORLD
IN REVIEW
Mai. Gen.
D. P. BarroWs

oA tAA 90 H~S -
his conference at Yalta and by
his report TO Congress and the
nation on the decisions made
there.
This is due primarily to the
American tradition of entrust-
ing to the President our rela-
tions with foreign states and the
settlements of foreign policies,
and a deep-Set national preju-
dice against letting the presi-
dent down"
Fhe acceptance by this gov
eminent of Marshal Stains
purpose TO annex the Baltic re-
publics and eastern Poland is
also powerfully supported by
British acquiescence, and by Mr..
Churchill's report TO Commons
and the vote of confidence given
him there.
Yet no one familiar with the
-streegies-fn eastern Europe for
national freedom can believe
this is a Just settlement. nor
hope II will prove satisfactory,
or be final.
No country in the last World
War and no country IN this war
has suffered such cruelty and
deSolation as has Poland.
Yet the Poles have no "quis-
lings" and this made feeble and
futile Moscow's effort to create
Communist Polish govern
ment.
Stain has now abandoned this
puppet regime because he knows
il would never secure the sub
mission of the Polish nation.
DUT at Yalta Stain not only
- completely gained what he
had earlier demanded of Polish
territory, including the historic
Polish city of LVov, but even
more than was at first embraced
in his ambition, for the Presi-
dent tells us Russia will also
secure an underlined portion Of
the German province of East
Prussia.
fne President is Con1piacent
about this settlement in RuSSias
favor because the Poles are 10
receive compensation out of
German territory.
Poland may have advantage
economically from acquisition Of
Upper Silesia, but politically
they will be weakened by the
inclusion in a new Poland of
some millions of Germans who
are as stubborn as themselves.
THE settlement is an unfortu-
l. nate and dangerous one be-
cause it violates the fundamental
principle Of modern political
ethics. namely that peoples Of
national consciousness must
possess their homelands and he
Independent Of foreign rule, or
the world will suffer through
their discomfort, intrigue and
rebcllionS
President Roosevelt has as
Sumed a great responsibility for
Europe and will play a great
role in its new order.
What he has done. and may
do, demands a Solicitude on the
part of the American public be-
cause of two qualities of his
character which seem very
clear, and which are disturbing.
THE first is that his tempera-
Il ment is casual.
| can describe il no better
than 10 call II by the New Eng
land phrase of "Lightminded-
ness"
He approaches the graveSt
subjects, OF which he has no
profound knowledge, with
sort of blithe and irresponsible
readiness 10 solve them by
sweeping and adventurous de-
Cisions.
His inherent cheerfulness
blinds him TO their conse-
quences. and blinds the Ameri-
can public TO their character.
He never regrets unfortunate
actions of his own, and conse-
quently has never developed any
humility or prudence.
His other quality is his ca
pacity TO easily convince him
self and the public that follows
him. that his actions are always
right, and above everything
moral
II is a mental process that I
believe IS now called ration
alizing"
He refuses 10 sec, and will
not permit the public 10 see,
that his actions are frequently
inconsistent with the philosophy
Of life which he breaches.
LIE PROCESSES TO stand for
IL all "pcace-loving' peoples
yet he abandonS, without care,
the EStonianS. LatvlanS and
Lithuanians. who are certainly
"pcace-loving," as we'll as some
thing more
lie dvocates democratic
processes yet Joins in denying
10 the peoples of eastern
Europe the right 10 decide on
the governments under which
they must live.
He refuses 10 look himself AT
the inconsistency between his