Evening star., 1946-03-31

and prestige of our representatives
abroad began to be revealed. Stories OF
our people being treated no better than
suspected neutrals found their ways into
the press and radio broadcasts.
All this was topped by the Canadian
governments revelation of gigantic
Russian spy ring in Canada. Moscow
made things worse when, instead OF
keeping quiet, she sent stiff note to
the Ottawa government in connection
with the case. 1t was not Russia's busi-
ness, since the. indicted men were all
Canadian citizens suspected of having
betrayed the secrets intrusted them by
their own country to foreign govern
ment.
In order not to aggravate matters, the
American Government has said nothing
about the men who have been doing the
same dirty business in the United States,
although it is well known that the
espionage and the moral sabotage in
this country is far greater than it is
in Canada.
The realization that appeasement was
not bringing about peace and the fact
that American public opinion began to
wake up convinced Secretary Byrnes
that he must adopt different attitude.
And so he shifted from policy of doing
nothing which might Offend Russia
to one of demanding that each member
of the UNO live up to the obligations
undertaken when the San Francisco
Charter was signed.
The American Government and the
American people have placed all their
hope for lasting peace in the efficient
functioning of the UNO. Our policy
trainers, and particularly the Secretary
of State and some of his LESS head
lined" advisers, decided that unless those
who wanted to flaunt the authority of
the new superstate were brought to
book our expenditure of blood and re-
sources in the war would be wasted.
Would Require Huge Army.
The Haunting of the authority of the
UNO means that instead of facing an
era of peace during which we and the
rest of the world could clean up the
material and moral wreckage caused by
six years of war and lick our own
wounds, we shall be compelled to con-
centrate our efforts to rebuilding the
greatest Army, Navy and air force
the world has ever seen. This will mean
that the principal expenditures in the
years to come will not be toward progress
and reconstruction, but toward an in
creased rearmament
The administration is aware that if it
permits the UNO to go the way of the
League of Nations-a mere debating
society-the national defense will re-
quire at least 100000 men in the air
and ground forces and Navy about
as strong as we had before vi day.
That is to say, about 8 per cent Of the
total population of the United States
will have to be under arms for an
indefinite period or until new major
crisis leading to the outbreak Of war
It will mean that substantial part Of
our budget will have to be spent in
essential, though unproductive, activi-
ties.
These are the considerations which
caused the spectacular change of policy
of our Secretary of State. In a consti-
tutional republic, such as ours, the
President, his cabinet and Congress all
are the servants of the Nation. In some
cases they endeavor to manufacture
public opinion, but when this is not
successful they must follow it. The
manufacturing of public opinion is
possible only under wartime regulations
when an official and unofficial censor
ship is clamped down on the press and
radio. But when the emergency is over
and free speech is fully re-established
the control of writing and speaking is
no longer possible. The public is kept
fully posted through the individuals
whose job it is to inform the public and
have many sources at their disposal.
Try to Sell UNO.
The administration and particularly
the State Department have used all the
publicity means at their disposal to
sell" the UNO to the public 1t was
the only tangible thing we obtained in
exchange for the 1,250, 900 casualties and
the $2SO,0OO, ,OOO,O spent for the war.
A broad policy of forgetting the in
justices we have been guilty of toward
such countries as Poland, Yugoslavia
and other downtrodden nations has
been adopted on the theory that all
these matters must be overlooked in
order to make the UNO live.
Thus, when Russia became defiant in
regard to her solemn pledges concerning
Iran, Secretary Byrnes decided to push
the issue to it's logical conclusion, re-
gardless of whether Moscow liked our
attitude or not There is nothing hos
tile toward the great Russian Empire
in this new American policy. 1t only
warns the U. S. S. r. that henceforth
all disputes and disagreements must be
presented to the one body which is
entitled to deal with them and all
nations, big and small, must abide by
its decisions.
Will Salvage What Can Be.
This policy should not surprise the
Moscow leaders. They have been fully
informed in the last few weeks in notes
and memoranda from the State De-
partment. The fact that the Soviet
government has never answered them
is of no consequence. Their Importance
rests in their being presented so that
Russia cannot say that she is being
faced by changed American attitude
and that she had not been aware of it.
Since Pearl Harbor we have made
compromises which were against the
principles which caused this country to
side with the enemies of the Axis. We
have accepted changes in the-map of