Evening star., 1947-02-09
Atom, Arms and Peace

conference remarks on peace and
disarmament constitute an excellent
summation of fixed American policy.
More than that, although addressed
primarily to the people of the United
States, they may be studied with
profit abroad as a definition of what
this country regards as the basic re-
quirements for the building of bet
ter world.
To begin with, there is our broad
overall foreign policy. In Secretary
Marshall's words, that policy is ito
make the influence of this country
felt in international affairs by doing
all that can be done to strengthen
and perfect the United Nations as an
instrument for the discussion of in
ternational problems and the main
tenance of international peace" But
before any such policy can begin to
make substantial progress, certain
basic conditions must be met, and
until they are met, as Secretary
Marshall makes clear, collective Sc
curity will remain dream. L
AS he sees it, and rightly so, there
can be no real peace without disarm-
ament and no real disarmament
without peace. The two factors are
interacting. The problem for states
men is to speed up the interaction by
making a good beginning some
where. Accordingly, Secretary Mar
shall emphasizes that American
policy will continue to foster world
agreement to start with the atom.
1t will continue with its effort to
convince every nation that effective
international control of this revo-
lutionary new power is of first i'm,
portance, that mankind can never
feel secure until there is such con-
troll, and that the regulation of other
arms would be meaningless with
out 1t.
But though we are thus giving
atomic control primary emphasis as
the essential first step toward real
disarmament and real collective Sc
curity, Secretary Marshall stresses
the Importance of working stimuli
taneously to achieve this other es-
sential: Agreement among the great
powers on solving the tremendous
political and economic issues which
the peace settlement poses Progress
in the one field would encourage
progress in the other by building up
mutual confidence. AS Secretary
Marshall warns, however, the road
to that end Is neither short nor easy.
The current deadlock between us
and the Russians depressingly con-
firms that fact. Russia wants the
Security Council to set up a general
disarmament commission We do not
object, but we insist that this pro-
posed new body be specifically di-
rected not to encroach upon or
hamper the work of the Atomic
Energy Commission. The Russians
refuse to accept that qualification,
and thus all action on the atom has
been stymied, with the result that we
suspect the Russians of stalling for
some dark reason while they ap-
parently suspect the motives behind
our emphasis on speed.
So, at the moment, there is no real
sense of international security. The
atom, arms in general and the max
ing of peace are problems that re-
main about as contentious as ever.
But despite all discouragements the
United States, together with the
other nations, must keep on trying
for solutions. That is imperative.
Equally imperative, as Secretary
Marshall says, is that American
policy be backed by American power
during this uncertain time-psr-
ticularly by a universal military
training program making our pre-
paredness, our life insurance, OBJ
vious to the whole world Nothing
could lend more effective support to
this Nations effort to lead in estab-