Evening star., 1946-09-17
WoIIoce's Challenge
Poses Trumun Problem
President Must Decide Between
His Secretaries
BY Dapid Laurence

Dp DaiTH Laurence
Secretary Wallace has dared Presi-
dent Truman to remove him from the
cabinet. But Mr.. Truman got himself
into that awkward dilemma by con-
ceding that the Secretary of Commerce
had right" to deliver speeches on
foreign policy.
The continued expression of opinions
by the Secretary of Commerce on mat
ters that concern primarily the State
Department would create an unprece-
dented, If not an intolerable, situation.
AS Senator Vandenberg, Republican.
said from Paris the other day, that the
Republicans could cooperate with only
one Secretary of State at a time" 1t
certainly will mean that foreign policy
will become the football of American
politics.
Despite Mr.. Truman's statement that
Secretary Byrnes continues to express
the foreign policy of the Truman ad-
ministration, the impression has been
conveyed that the President is not too
sure about it and is waiting now for the
public to decide as between MIR. Wallace
and Mr. Byrnes. The mere declaration
that he favored speeches by the Secre-
tary OF Commerce on foreign policy tells
other governments, including Russia.
that Mr.. Truman isn't too certain what
course America ought to follow and is
not sverSe to debate on the subject
between two members of his own cabinet
to clarity his own thinking.
Russians Get Advantage.
Already the Russians are taking ad-
vantage of the opening. Radio Moscow
has broadcast an article by Pravda,
one of the official Russian government
newspapers, that the Wallace speech
reflects "the definite anxiety OF more
important sections of American public
opinion about the results of further
strengthening of the imperialistic and
military tendencies of American policy"
Moscow, therefore. has derived con-
siderable comfort from the Wallace
speech and is prepared to derive con-
siderably more. For if Mr.. Truman
hesitates to fire Mr. Wallace from the
cabinet it will mean that he thinks Mr..
Wallace represents a considerable sec
ton of American opinion-too much. at
any rate, for Mr. Truman TO stand up
against
If the President Is afraid of the
Wallace followers he will allow the
Secretary of Commerce to go on making
speeches about foreign policy. While
some published reports from abroad in
d1cate that the air has been cleared
to certain extent by the Presidents
statement that the foreign policy which
Secretary Byrnes has pursued Is the
one the White House supports. the Rus
slams have every reason TO Wait now
and see how the Wallace-Byr de-
bate turns out
The whole situation Is a detriment
to the conduct Of the most delicate
negotiations in Paris. 1t also has dis
heartened those who have rejoiced that
at last substantial number of Re
publlcanS and Democrats-enough to
make two-thirds majority In the
Senate-are working together. If Mr..
Wallace starts sniping at the Byrnes
policies, he will in effect be sniping, too,
at the Republicans who are support
ing Mr.. Byrnes and in the end con-
fusion will result and the White House
will have to make the decision it hesi-
tates to make now.
Decision Is Truman's.
II the President, on the other hand,
forbids any further speech-making on
this subject and Henry Wallace insists
upon it, there will be no other course
for Mr.. Truman to follow than to call
for the resignation of the Secretary of
Commerce. This theoretically would
ALLEVIATE ''left wing" followers of the
Democratic party, but where would they
go? To the Republican party, whose
leaders are supporting the Byrnes policy?
To third party-when history shows
that this is the quickest way to elect a
Republican?
Mr.. Trumans whole political future
would appear to be involved in the de-
cision he makes. For he must choose
between Mr.. Wallace or Mr.. Byrnes and
stop the public debate between his
cabinet members-or else he must take
the blame for the chaos into which a
continuance of the debate can plunge
our foreign policy, the conduct. of which
is his constitutional responsibility.
Maybe within the next "a hours the
Wallace resignation will have been an
nounced. 1t would appear to be an in
evitable development unless Mr.. Tru-
man has lost every last ingredient of
political courage. For he will benefit
far more than he will lose politically
by taking firm stand against dis
sension in his cabinet