The Wilmington morning star., 1946-09-16
Government Decisions
By ARTHUR KROCK

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WASHINGTON, Sept. IA certain amount
Of division in the administration over acts and
policies is inevitable for several reasons just
now.
The government is very large and is recon-
verting to peace after the waste and confusion
of war. Two of its branches the executive
and the legislative are deeply split over
legislation, and the third - the judicial is in
bitter dissent over the Interpretation of laws
already enacted. The head of the Administra-
ton was not elected to the office and obvious
ly feels he must try at times to drive the in
herited horses trying to go in opposite direc-
tons. And the party in power is a combination
of groups in theological conflict.
Nevertheless, the open show of this Govern
ment division is unusually active at the mo-
ment. The split over the increase in seamen's
wages between two administration agencies
broke the official front, stimulated the shipping
strike and made it embarrassing to Washing
ton, and weighted the equation in favor of
the surrender type of settlement which Mr..
Steelman proposed today.
The discussion of foreign affairs by Secre-
tary of Commerce Wallace in Madison Square
Garden tonight marked another conflict of
policy. There were several statements in it
which are opposed to views held by other mem
bers of the Cabinet, views which are still
argued by them before the President without
any statement from him that they have been
rejected.
Mr.. Truman said today he had read the
speech and approved it fully. He has also said
repeatedly that on foreign policy he and Sec
rotary of State Byrnes are as one. Yet Mr..
Wallace's remarks contained several implica-
lions critical of points in that policy. And if
responsible persons at the State Department:
are really happy about some of the things Mr..
Wallace said they are concealing it admirably.
There follow some of the observations made
by the Secretary of Commerce tonight which
felloW-members of the Cabinet do not consider
to be fixed foreign policy, even though the
President said he read and approved the whole
speech.
l. The strong implication that the credit of
81 billion to the United Kingdom should be
supplemented by a credit of similar size to
Latin America, China, India, and the Near
East. Congress-, as well as some top executive
officials, are far from persuaded of this.
2. The attack on British balance-of-power
manipulations' to determine whether and
when the United States gets into war; with
the British imperialistic policy in the Near
East singled out as the principal immediate
manipulation. While there is much official
agreement here that certain British interests
would do this if they could, the timing of MI.
Wallace's remarks - in view of the critical
relations with Soviet Russia strikes them
as unwise. And they do not consider that this
is a way to attain his stated objective of modi-
Tying Russian current policy.
3. The statement that 1.-The tougher we get the
tougher the Russians will get" This is intense
ly disputed by many advisers on United States
policy civil, military, and political.
4. The statement that 1.-The Russians have no
more business in stirring up native Communists
to political activity in Western Europe, Latin
America and the United States than we have
in interfering in the politics of Eastern Eu-
rope '''" Eastern Europe, it is pointed out,
was the subject of war compacts to which the
United States was a party, and specifically of
the Potsdam agreements, providing certain
guarantees on which our actions were con-
tlngent. These guarantees have not been met in
areas under Soviet domination, and it is our
business and our right to insist on them. This
has been the policy of Mr.. Byrnes with which
the President says he is in full agreement.
aspersed in Mr.. Wallace's speech with which
Mr.. Truman says he is also in full agreement.
>. The statement that the United States
should stop scheming against them the Rus
slans In other parts of the world" This, if
1t is anything, is a clear challenge of this
German policy, and to many here it
implies belief by Mr.. Wallace that our counter
moves, such as Mr.. Byrnes' Stuttgart speech.
were deliberately anti-Russian and unprovoked
by any act OF Moscow or any necessity arising
8. The statement that "a large segment of
our press is propagandizing our people for war
IN the hope of soaring Russia" This is recog-
nized as one OF those charges, typical of Mr..
Wallace, which cannot be documented and are1
%vestigial remains OF the New Deal tactics that
sought to make the press the villains of every
episode and the agency that caused the failure
OF many New Deal experiments in economics
and sociology.
Put in parallel columns with speeches and
by Secretary Byrnes. the remarks
OF Secretary Wallace on foreign policy i'm
ply fundamental dissent from the former. Put
in parallel columns, the executive wage-policy
orders and the recent rulings of the Wage
Sterilization Board do not jibe with the strike
proposed on the Presidents behalf
by Mr.. Steelman today. Finally there is the Of
fetal conflict represented in an economy half
under Government controls and half outside
them.
The Federal house is divided, and advanta &c
is being taken of that at home and abroad.
When it is advertised the incentive to take more
advantage is, of course, stimulated. - New
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