Evening star., 1946-05-21
Byrnes' Paris Report
Called Epigrommotic
'Pitiless Publicity Policy Gives
Hope for Lasting Peace
BY David La1Orence

BY David LaWrence
Patience and restraint such as the
American people expect of their Govern
ment have been exhibited to an extraor-
dinary degree by the Secretary OF
State, James F.. Byrnes, whose report to
the Nation on what happened at Paris
Is as frank document as world diplo-
macy has ever offered after an interna-
tional conference.
Mr.. Byrnes and his colleagues of the
American delegation have discovered
that secrecy usually favors those with
improper purpose or evil design and that
revelation of the truth is the most
powerful strategy that a free govern
ment can adopt,
Returning officials say that each day
detailed notes were taken at the con-
ference and given afterWard to the
American press-Somethin that has
never happened before. The American
Government, of course had everything
to gain and nothing to lose by candor.
The Secretary himself in his official re-
port doesn't camouhage what happened
or obscure what actually occurred by
polite or hypocritical phrases
The key to this policy of what Wood
row Wilson once called "pitiless publici-
ty' is to be found in one sentence in Mr..
Byrnes' address which will have an en-
during life as an epigrammatic state
ment of American idealism. The Secre-
tary said:
There Is no iron curtain that the
aggregate sentiments of mankind can
not penetrate"
Struggle for Principle.
In that sentence lies the hope of the
world for peace Secretary Byrnes Ia
bored indefatigably to work out an
agreement. The headlines said that he
and his colleagues failed. But that
simply isn't so. The men who struggled
for principle at Paris took a great moral
position and they did not fail, because
by June Is the four nations must meet
again to resume the conferences. The
effort did not end. The meetings merely
recessed. Meanwhile, the moral force
OF public opinion of the world can be
mobilized to carry forward the program
which Mr.. Byrnes began at Paris.
The situation" says Mr.. Byrnes
which we will face in the coming
months will be a test not only of others
but Of ourselves. There are now and
there will be in the future many oc-
casions which might impel us to say
as we did after the last war that. much
as we would like to cooperate in the
restoration of Europe, cooperation as
practical matter is impossible without
the sacrifice of our principles and that
We must be content to cultivate and de-
fend our own hemisphere
Here the Secretary was warning the
lsolatlonists in our midst as well as
those Europeans who feel they can force
out OF America the last ounce of con-
cession on the theory that Americans
Will not remain interested in or con-
cerned with what is happening in Europe
II our patience is worn out. Mr.. Byrnes
gave this answer to those who counsel
withdrawal from European discussion:
But We must not forget that If we
fail to cooperate in peace which is
indlv1slhle We may again find that we
will have to cooperate in war which
is worldwide. Whether We like it CT
not, we live in one world
Retreat Solves Nothing.
This was but another way of saving
that retreat from Europe by the United
States solves nothing and. in fact. merely
multlplies the chances of involving this
country in another war against eXpan-
sionism and world dominion as developed
in future years by those misguided rulers
or Leaders whose greed for territory and
resources appears to be undismayed bv
the fate which befell the last aggressor
Nation.
L am unwilling to admit" says Mr..
Byrnes hopefully, that We cannot CO.
operate without sacrifice of our princi-
pies. If We are going to play our part
we must take the offensive for peace
as We took the offensive for war. But
the victories of peace like those of war
require sacrifice not of principle but for
principle. They require faith in our
selves and in our ideals. They REQUIRE
initiative, resourcefulness, and unre-
lenting effort"
in which the American delegation fought
against stubbornness and misunderstand-
ing at Paris. The Americans did not
leave IN an irritable or indignant mood
even though their efforts were blocked
by Russias transparent expansionism.
The Americans have merely refused to
be Worn down and driven back to this
continent. leaving the chaos of Europe
to the militaristic carpetbaggers of the
age who would despoil weak nations
II the world became indifferent.
America, judged by Mr.. Byrnes' speech.
intends to stick it out and speak firmly
and openly SO that the whole world NAV
near and make up its mind in due course
whether the socalled Allies of the world
really want peace or more confusion,
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