Evening star., 1945-08-14

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our time is told, the emphasis Is
less likely to be placed on this worst
and perhaps last, of all wars than
on its long-range consequences. This
Second World War may be known
and most of us devoutly hope 1t will
be-as the war that ended war.
But this period may be known
chiefly as that in which world gov
ernment began.
The greatest assurance that this
can be true is given by the quality
of the men who are engaged in
shaping the worlds new destiny.
The task, heroic in its meaning and
immensity, is being undertaken by
average men, not men of great
genius, not men aflame with an in
spiration that sets them apart from
their fellows, but run-of- -the-mine
. men like ourselves.
Inspired Leaders Gone.
The inspired leaders have had
their day and have departed. Roose-
welt is gone and Churchill is gone.
Stain remains, it is true. but
whether or not to list him as one
of the inspired leaders must wait
until our American minds under
stand better the riddle of Russia
In the perspective of history he may
be seen only as one whose plodding,
stubborn courage carried to accom-
plishment dream that was Lenin's,
just as Truman is quietly but COM
petently pressing to completion the
program to which Roosevelt gave
his heart and his life.
The first great test of Truman
came at Potsdam. There he met
and dealt on even terms with Stain
and with Churchill and Churchill's
Socialist successor. This he could
do because it was not possible to
doubt his authority to speak for the
powerful American Republic, not
possible to doubt, indeed, that he
could speak even more authorita-
lively for the 140,000,O00 of us than
Roosevelt ever could. Of Roosevelt
1t might have been feared that he
was ahead of his own people, just
as it proved to be that Churchill,
once the war was won, had Jagged
behind his own people. OF Truman
it could hardly be questioned that
he was neither ahead nor behind,
nor doubted that he was in even
step with the millions he repre-
Sented.
Much the same may be said of
Britain's new spokesman, If we can
judge at this distance. There is no
suggestion of brilliance in Clement
Attlee. He appears rather to be
the commonplace spokesman for the
commonplace masses, completely in
touch and in tune with their think
ing.
No Evidence of Greatness.
All in all, evidence of greatness
Is difficult to find in the men now
engaged in formulating brave new
world. Who gathered at Dumbarton
Oaks and later at San Francisco to
draft the first world constitution?
Edward r. Stettinius, a competent
executive and a man of great good
will, but not an inspired leader, not
q messiah. Tom Connally and
Arthur vandenberg, veteran practi-
cal politicians, not flaming spirits.
Harold Stassen, an exception, it may
be, because Of his farther reaching
visior and youthful daring, but this
cannot be known because these
qualities were scarcely put to the
test.
For England, Anthony Eden and
Lord Halifax, themselves not pre-
pared to lead the way to anything
new: moved instead by the pressure
of their own people at their backs.
For Russia, the conservative Molo-
tov, not the pioneering Litvinov, who
had proved to be ahead of his time
in the years at Geneva.
The great task was accomplished
at San Francisco by men who were
not great in themselves. It was ac-