Evening star., 1945-10-04
American Power Held
Weakened by Secrecy.
Collapse of Big Five Conference
May Help u. S., Says Observer
BY David Laurence


By David Laurence
There is tendency here to speak
dolefully about the London Conference
and to bewail the tragic turn of events.
Actually the collapse of the Big Five
meeting may prove the most salutary
happening since the end Of hostilities.
Up to now the meetings between the
major powers have been cloaked in
secrecy. Behind closed doors, where the
peoples OF all countries could not learn
what was being said in their behalf.
the governmental spokesman have been
trying to reach agreements and par
ticularly to work out compromises.
But the adamant position of the Rus
sian government, on the one hand, and
the unwillingness of the British to make
concessions on the other has left the
United States Government in between
with burden that seems likely to grow
in weight as our participation In Euro
pean controversies becomes more and
more realistic.
What the American people have not
yet grasped possibly Is that the late
President Roosevelt at the Yalta Con-
ference committed the United States
to permanent voice in the settlement
OF European questions. Isolationists
may have argued against such a policy
but Observation-Disclosures persons have
Tor long time felt that sooner or later
the United States must get in on the
ground floor of European disputes and
prevent them from reaching climsxes
that can conceivably drag us into a
world war, as has now happened twice
within a quarter of century.
Full Account Needed.
With the entry of the United States
INTO european affairs as a full-fledged
principal, there has been no ADEQUATE
preparation. Not only have we failed
to assemble the best experts that can
be found in our midst for international
conferences, but American public opln-
ion has been kept from mobilizing the
full force of its powerful role in world
affairs.
Nation that has contributed to VIC
tory in World War II both the largest
financial sums and a huge segment of
manpower should have more influence
in settling European problems than is
being exercised.
But the American position, which is
one OF objectivity and disinterestedness
as a rule, is weakened when it is ex-
pressed in secrecy. Conversely, it gains
It's greatest power by full publicity.
What is most needed, therefore, is
virtually verbatim account of what
happened at the Big Five Conference
The peoples of the world are entitled to
know what America proposed, what
Russia offered, what Britain said and
! what the position of China and France,
respectively, happened to be.
1t is conceivable that the American
and British representatives were in
some instances wrong and that Russia
had more justification for her demands
than appears on the surface. 1t is con-
celvable also that Russia blocked any
agreement by overplaying her hand.
Judgment of People.
.,
come to reveal them in full detail so
that peoples everywhere can render
Judgment. The moral force of man
klno still operative despite the de-
terloration OF international morality in
wartime on our side as well as on the
side OF the enemy. But there can be
no rebuilding of moral standards and
no appeal to reason and conscience un.
less the hush-hush policies that 90
hand in hand with power politics" ara
abandoned and a frank statement of
what has happened in London is give.>
to the press.
The official communioue which wound
up the Big Five Conference is full of
distractions. The public cannot tell what
went on. If there is to be a renewal of
negotiations, the merits of each posi-
ton taken might well be revealed. There
certainly can be no harm in a post
mortem. 1t might save the life of the
next conference.
clearly some new approach is need
ed. for the old techniques have broken
DOWN Everything has been tried from
organized savagery to secret diplomacy.
Full publicity-or what Woodrow VIII
son used to call open covenants OPEN
ly arrived at"-has yet to be tried on a
large scale in international negotiations
1t might succeed-and certainly could
do no worse than the secrecy technique
has done to date.
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