Evening star., 1946-05-13
Truman Had Wurninq
Of Crises He Faces
President Can't Tell - Critics
They Make Late Guesses
By David Laurence e

They Make Late Guesses
By David Laurence
Some OF the people around President
Truman evidently have been giving him
some bad advice, for lately he has been
good naturedly joshing some Of his
critics with the comment that their
criticism is more hindsight than fore
sight.
The record Of advice given the Presi-
dent by the press Of the country cannot
be erased. Any one who takes the
trouble to go back over the files Of the
newspapers will find plenty Of warnings
to Mr.. Truman before he made some Of
his recent decisions ON major policies.
1t is quite possible that Mr.. Truman
and his advisers haven't been reading
criticism in the newspapers but if they
had. they would have discovered the
public is far ahead Of the President in
matters of public policy.
Take some concrete examples out Of
the files of this correspondent, though
there are unquestionably many other
the same time and in the same way. AS
far back as August 3, 1945, the Presi-
dent was warned that the agreement
made at Yalta with respect to economic
dismemberment of Germany would pro-
duce chaos in Central Europe and that
the system of alleged Allied control
adopted at Potsdam would work havoc
and prevent Europe from being stabil-
lied. This was not hindsight.
BIunder on Argentina.
On the subject of the blunder made
by the Truman administration in Ar
gentina, warnings were written by this
correspondent in June, August and Sep
tember of last year, but Mr.. Truman
was so busy with other matters that
he didn't keep close watch on what was
being said about the United States
tactics in Buenos Aires The consequence
was major error, the effects of which
will hurt the United States in Latin
America for long time to come.
Now, when the damage has been done,
| 1t finally is admitted that withdrawal
OF an ambassador Is an empty gesture
and that cooperation with other Latin
| American countries rather than uni
lateral action Is desirable.
On the subject of the merger Of the
| Army and Navy, the President was
told in no fewer than u dispatches
appearing from June through December
OF last year exactly what the issues
were in the Army and Navy controversy
and of the dangers to our defense setup
in promoting this friction. Notwith-
standing this, Mr.. Truman went ahead
in December and swallowed the whole
War Department plan. He has learned
since to regret his action but he can
not say persuasively today the criticism
Is hindsight unless he or his staff read
no criticism in the newspapers.
Action on Food Belated,
Warning after warning was written
last year about the suffering that would
ensue in Europe and of the starvation
that was likely to come unless preventive
measures were taken. The United States
acted belatedly. This is another case of
failing to take account of what was
being widely printed at the time.
Perhaps the most conspicuous case in
which the President ignored advice that
was appearing in the press before se
made certain decisions, is related to dis
labor policy. AS early as July 13, ls45,
this correspondent, among others, urged
that the National War Labor Board or
an agency like 1t be retained, but on
August 18 the President announced that
the War Labor Board would be abolished.
He has since regretted taking that step.
He cannot say he was not forewarned.
AL through last autumn dispatches
were being written on the coming eco
nomic war and upon the necessity for
the formulation of a National labor pol
Icy. Mr.. Truman took no action except
to call labor-management conference.
1t was not until an epidemic of strikes
broke out that he offered his fact-fnd-
ing plan-a commendable measure-but
ne has not pressed for its passage. There
are lnnumerable instances In which tho
American newspapers have pointed out
the defects in the Wagner Labor Rela-
tions Law. Mr.. Truman cannot argue
that the arbitrary and extreme use of
the collective bargaining power which
has just shut off the Nations fuel sup
ply is something which the critics
thought up only after the coal strike
began. Here again the record shows
plenty OF advance warning.
Mr.. Truman, like his critics, will make
mistakes, but 1t is weak answer to say
that those who are blaming him for the
present economic muddle didn't express
themselves before the crisis developed.
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