The Wilmington morning star., 1947-04-12
Today And Tomorrow

Senator Vandenberg indicated,
but owing to his official position
could not spell out, the valid reply
which we can make to Mr.. Grom-
yko's criticism, and on which we
can invite the judgment of man.
kind. 1t is not that Mr.. Gromyko's
criticism is untrue, or that it is
~hypocritical of Russia to make
any criticism of unilateral action.
1t is tL.at the grave error OF
by = passing the United Nations
a recognized almost instantly
by the American people and their
Congress, and that they have in
sisted on correcting it. The CEN
trail principles of the Charter
have been enforced by the Ameri-
can people on their w govern
ment, and they have allowed no
sophistry, no legalism, no plea of
emergency, and no consideration
of national pride to up the
mistake or to deter them from
making amends.
The spectacle of this powerful
government called into account
by its own people, and acknow1-
edsing its error to the world, is
evidence-which men of good will
will respect-that American
people mean to be loyal members
Of the international community.
1t is, as Senator Vandenberg call
ed it, an act of voluntary allie
glance to the United Nations. 1t
proves, as p e rhaps nothing else
could have done, that the injury
to the U. N. was unintentional,
that it was due to an error Of the
head and not of the will.
The rro as all informed OBJ
servers know, was due to the fact
that the decision to intervene in
Greece and Turkey was made
suddenly and without sufficient
preparation. There are other err
rors and defects in the policy, due
to the same cause, which it is no
less necessary to correct. The Adj
ADMINISTRATION can correct them.
and no doubt will wish to do that
as the policy is being debated IN
Congress.
The first has to do with u
strategic purposes in giving mill
tary support to Turkey. We have
made it clear that we wish to
strengthen the Turkish Army and
that we are making an American
naval and air demonstration at
the Dardanelles because we are
|ooposed to the absorption of Tur-
key into the Soviet military orbit.
But this decision needs to be sup
plemented promptly by a state
ment of our political intentions.
Until that is done, U i%nterven-
ton in Turkey will be provocative
without having a definite, realiz-
able, constructive end. We should,
therefore, explain to the Soviet
government and to the world that
we shall exert power in this
region until there is reached, and
for the purpose Of reaching, a ne
gotiated settlement of the disputes
and claims on Turkish, the
Greek and the Iranian borders.
Our object is a treaty which
settles these disputes. That treaty
must insure t h e security of the
Black Sea nations, including Rus
STA, and of the Mediterranean ma
tons, and of all countries. When
such a treaty has been agreed to,
the security of Turkey a d the
lDardanelles will become the bust
mess of the United Nations. Until
it is negotiated, it is the business
of all the great powers, of which
1--we are one, and not of the Soviet
Union alone dealing with Turkey
!. alone.
1t has been right, but it is not
. sufficient, to say why we are In
> tervening. 1t is necessary also to
say what kind of settlement will
satisfy us. The Russians may not
e like that settlement, and their
objections are entitled to honest
consideration. B u at least they
will know that our detectives are
e definite, concrete, and limited,
9 that we want a treaty and moi
{ an endless quarrel.
Another point Of cardinal
n importance which needs to be
l. dealt with firmly and positively is
W the Greek civil war. AS things
a stand now, we appear to be com
p mitted to unqualified and I'm
limited Intervention on behalf O.
q the present Greek government
against a very large section O.
o the Greek people. This is an IN
q tolerable commitment, involving
grave a d unnecessary risks Of
international conflict. 1t puts us
e in a disgraceful position in the
J. eyes of the free people OF Europe
And it is certain, if it is not radl'
cally amended, to nullify any pro-
gram we may have for the re-
lhabilitation and reconstruction Of
rlGreek life.
/ Our object in intervening II
Greece should be not to supper
= the civil war but to settle 1t. In
n stead of offering to support this
L government, we should insist
|plainly that it be reconstructed al
j. once, that it become a coalition
j. government of national union, ano
4 that the first military measures
of that government, the first use
I lmada Of the nnilitaru nnMer WE