Evening star., 1945-10-03
Contest in SeIfishness
Seen Between Allies

Seen Between Allies
World Il Paying Penalty for
Expediency, Says Writer
By D0pid Laurence
Failure Of the Big Tivs conference
ut London should occasion no sur
prise. The war is over. Allied unity
evidently Isn't considered abroad as
imperative Is 1t was before. The Euro
pean nations are out to get what they
can for themselyes-and q contest In
selflshness viii inevitably wind up where
the London Conference Is today.
Ths responsibility. however, rests as
much on the American people as 1t
does on any Of the nations now block.
ing m agreement. The nrst nisstep
was the Yaita Conference, whsn IDEAL
ism was tossed out the window and the
so-called practical" school Of thought
came into the saddle. Persons who
argued that the Atlantic Charter was
being .scrapped were rebuked and told
they were "perfectionists.' Persons who
commanded that the Yalta Conference
was return to power politics" were
informed that public policy must rest
on power anyway and that In the in.
terest Of Allied unity and prospective
aid Of Russia against Japan any COM
promise was logical and desirable.
Today the world Is paying the pen.
atty for such programs of expediency.
Any agreement that comedies some.
thing that is basically wrong in prin-
ciple, merely TO gain some temporary
end. rests on an unsound foundation.
+. Russians Held Logical.
Secretary Byrnes announces that the
difficulties at London are In matters
Of procedure. Obviously the Russian
position has prevented an agreement,
but the Russian government has been
both logical and frank from the be-
ginning. It Is pursuing an admittedly
nationalistic position and wants what
ever it can get. The British, on the
other hand, have definite interests In
the Mediterranean area and want
sphere Of influence, too. No matter by
what name 1t is called, the British and
the Russians have marked out the areas
which they want to control or influences
In Europe.
The United States. ever since the
Teheran Conference of 1s43 under the
leadership Of Secretary Hull, declared
against special alliances and spheres Of
influence. Efforts to introduce the bal
ance of power by devices that are
claimed not to be spheres Of influence
but which really are Just the same
have caused Russia to ask for yoics
in everybody else's domain on the
ground that II she is not to rule her
nearby countries without interference
from the other Allies then she-Russia
wants voice In any other nations
diplomatic domain.
But rs soon rs the United States and
Great Britain agreed to Russian partici.
patton in their own areas Of interest
including the Japanese occupation
Foreign Con,missar Molotov revived the
position he took at San Francisco. name
", that other nations be ruled out and
matters be decided by the Big Three.
Start Of Debacie.
In the end the situation resolves it.
self into . problem of accepting or re-
jecting collective security and collective
settlement of all major questions II
this is To- be universally managed
world to maintain peace, then such set-
Elements as were made at Yalta were
wrong. When Poland was dismembered
to meet Russia's demand and separate
zones OF occupation for Germany lack.
ing In uniformity were really sanctioned
despite the public professions to the
contrary. the start was made toward
the debacle that has emerged this week.
There can be no sailing without SONS
compass or chart or guide. The Allied
nations gave up their ideals when they
violated the Atlantic Charter and pro-
ceeded 10 sanction . venseful peace.
Power politics Is not compatible with
universal society Of free nations,
Russia has much TO account for in her
4
unilateral actions and politics but she
looks about and sees power politics
played by others.
Until there Is mutual forbearance and
7 q willingness to foreso territorial OF
material advantages in the interest at
least Of . spirit Of genuine friendship
there Is likely TO be little progress made
toward the so-called peace treaty that
10 formally to end World War II. Thu
deadlock may 20 on for long time bu.
at least Secretary Byrnes has eourage-
ously declined to discard any more Amer.
lean principles. In the end, giving fallesi
| publicity to what has happened in Lon.
don may awaken peoples everywhere tc
/ the dangers Of trying to make peace on
. nationalistic or selfish basis.
There Is no harm In waiting patiently
! for a change In the moral climate oa
European diplomacy.
Reproduetien Rishts Reserved)
A Mistaken ldeu
From Ottawa Il proit
I .~,srf