The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-09-30
|Merry-GO-

WASHINGTON, Sept SO-This is going to be what editors call think" column. Ordinarily, editors pay not to think. am supposed to report what Washington bigwigs think and talk about be- hind closed doors or in White House inner sanctums. Therefore, as far todays column is concerned, editors won't get their moneys worth.
 This column is an attempt to examine the most vital question facing the nation-hOw avoid with Russia.
 Naturally have been doing lot of thinking about this So have other people MT. Wallaces letter to President Truman on Russia has made people think more than ever before, which was reason published it.
 thinking public is the best guarantee possible of good government and sound foreign relations and personally I of the opinion that the American people do more and clearer thinking about our prob lems than Washington realizes Usually they are far ahead of their Government.
 Furthermore if wars were left to the people, there never would be This is true not merely of the American people, but all people. In all the worlds history doubt if there which was started by the people It's just psycho- logically impossible for the people to initiate anything as drastic as war
 War has to be made by kings dictators or governments. That, of course, is the great danger about Russia Unfortunately, in Russia-as with Ger many in 1914 and 1938-a handful of start war; despite the fact that the Russian people as sick and bored and disgusted with war any in the wolrd.
 This fact, plus the giant army maintained by
 
 tories throughout the Soviet is the basic for Jimmie Byrnes' get-tough policy It is also why
 have reluctantly agreed with him After exercising considerable patience, Byrnes came to the conclusion that the only language understood and spoken by the Krernlin (not necessarily the Russian people, is show of firmness backed by force.
 However, you can't beat something with nothing You can't cure dangerous ill with no healing medicine You can't remain on the edge of the battle field making faces and waving weapons indefinitely Sooner later is going to retreat, advance fire a shot. Then the real trouble starts.
 Therefore without deserting the Byrnes policy of straight arming Russia have to go further and find a more constructive policy that will casionally let us rest our arm.
 In this connection I propose my humble tribution to improving the peace of the wOrld five-year plan for friendship with Russia.
 The Russians are strong for five-year plans. This take page from their book and work out fiveyear plan for peace and friendship. At the end of five years the plan renews automatically unless side gives notice-and that notice automatically would be warning of potential war.
 Aim of this fve-year plan would be to cement good will between the Russian and American peoples, to put them on the basis the British and American peoples, to build up much good will that no group of men in the Kremlin could hastily or wantonly declare The American and British people would kick out any President Prime Min ister who proposed between them and what the American and Russian people need is a fve-year breathing space to start getting similarly acquainted