Evening star., 1946-10-21
Byrnes Gives Historic
Answer to U. S. S. R.
Restrained Speech Foretells
u. S. Policy Clearly
By David Laurence

in such delicately phrased terms as are
written in the historic address made by
Secretary of State Byrnes on his return
from Paris.
Had the speech been spelled out in
explicit terms, 1t would have been re-
garded as sensational. AS 1t is, the
speech probably is too sensational for
the Russian government to dare to print
it in the Russian papers for its people
to read. This address contains the
answer to the question that Russia has
been asking for several months: VIII
the United States defend herself If
encroached upon by Russia and will the
United Nations enforce the charter
principles against any nation, Russia
included, if some sudden attack or sur
prise seizure of territory is made, as for
instance, at Trieste?
The passages of the Byrnes speech
which make history are remarkable for
their restraint and their absence Of
bluster, and yet they foretell American
policy with unmistakable clarity. The
Secretary of State said, for example:
There must be no seizure of power in
Trieste after this war as there was in
Fiume after the last war"
Warming Against Coup.
That's a warning against Marshal
Tito coup d'etat. 1t means force will
be used by the United Nations to over
come such situation. But the address
carefully avoids any specific threats.
Only by a significant piece of implicit
expression does the Secretary come
squarely down to the problem of en-
forcing peace He tackles it this way:
"If states are to reach agreements.
they must act in good faith and in the
| spirit of conciliation. They must not
| launch false and misleading propaganda
against one another. They must not
| arbitrarily exercise their power of veto,
| preventing a return to conditions OF
peace and delaying economic recon-
| struction.
States must not unilaterally Dy
| threats, by pressures, or by force dis
| turb the established rights of other
| nations. Nor can they arbitrarily resist
or refuse to consider changes in the
relationships between states and peoples
| which justice, fair play and the enlight-
| ened sentiments of mankind demand" !"
| World Knows.
| That's the implicit form at its best.
No single country or state is mentioned
and it might, for all any one knows VINO
l ha Oh,
straction defining the ethics of good
international behavior The whole world
knows, however, that the Russian lead
ers have been acting "unilaterally" and
have been using pressure" and have
been arbitrarily exercising their power
of Veto" But it isn't diplomatic to be
explicit and mention names. In the very
next paragraph, however, Secretary
Byrnes gets little more concrete. He
says:
I'VE must cooperate to build world
order, not to sanctify the status quo,
but to preserve peace and freedom,
based on justice. And we must be will
ing to cooperate with one another
veto or no veto-to defend, with force
if necessary, the principles and the pur-
poses Of the Charter of the United
| Nations"
Could anything be palmer? The
United Nations is going ahead with or
without Russia to defend with force
if necessary the principles and the pur-
poses" of the Charter. That Is really
no thinly veiled warning. 1t is state
ment of Allied policy on which, it is to
be presumed, all the other democratic
nations are agreed.
The Secretary of State wants to make
sure his remarks are not considered
bellicose. The words need not be so
construed. They can be considered
friendly. because Russia, too. presumably
will want to defend the United Nations
Charter, to which she has subscribed.
Answers Critics.
The address was unQuestionably an
answer to many criticisms voiced by
Foreign Minister Molotov and the
Russian press, which Is controlled by
the government in Moscow. 1t was Mr..
Molotov who insulted the American
people and their Government the other
day by declaring the United States had
enriched itself in World War II. At
whose expense? Mr.. Byrnes says:
Coming from any state, these charges
would be regrettable to us. They are
particularly regrettable when they are
made by the Soviet government. to
whom we advanced more than S10,000,-
100000 of lease-lend during the war
and with whom we want to be friendly
in time of peace"
There might have been something said
about the tens of thousands of American
/ lives lost in opening the second front"
which Prime Minister Stain appealed to
us TO give him in order to relieve the
pressure of the German armies which
had invaded Russian soil
| But the answer is plain enough.
! Though it is not couched in the i'm
| plicit language of the first part Of the
| address, it is unequivocal and reveals
to all who read that the United States
| Government feels that the totalitarian
| government in Moscow is irresponsible
in its actions and its statements and
carries on mischievous propaganda
through its controlled press attacking
the policies and motives of the United
States. Most significant is the final
paragraph of the address, which doesn't
say word about the Communist
| government in Moscow at all but ex-
| tends in behalf Of the American people
"the hand of friendship to the people Of
| the Soviet Union and to all other people