The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1947-03-28
CoInner
THE EUROPEAN SITUATION
BY CONGRESSMAN
VIM. NJ. NJ

Gun NoiitiiiuSs " pS lHG EuIOp-
can situation. The Foreign Al
fairs Committee of the House,
of which we are now a member,
is in process daily of hearing
witnesses on that subject. Act
ing Secretary of State Acheson,
Secretary Of War Patterson
and Secretary of Navy Forres-
tai have testified and will be
followed by many others. AS
we pointed out last week there
is a great and solemn interest in
this matter, and we repeat that
1t is one of the most momentous
questions that mas ever come
before the Congress.
Some members think that the
United Nations should handle
the matter; others argue that
aid to Greece and Turkey is
but the beginning-that we will
be called upon to aid many 9TH
efs before we get through: 9TH
ers claim that this is tanta-
mount to a declaration of war.
Again, on the other side there
Is a line of reasoning that If
we don't stop Stain now we
are overlooking a golden oppor-
tunlty Just as we did when we
failed 10 stop Hitler after Mu-
Mich; that we can no longer af-
ford TO follow the line of ap-
peasement; that Russia will not
flght-is not prepared to fight.
And so the argument goes on
and on in committee, in cloak
rooms, in the offices and wher-
ever two or more Members
of Congress gather. Of one
thing the American people may
be assured; the Congress is
most serious-minded about this
problem. There is no evi.
dence of partisan politics. so
far at least.
While undoubtedly there is
much merit in both sides of the
argument there are two or three
facts that can't be overlooked.
/. The President of the Unit
ed States has advocated this
procedure. In the minds of
European peoples President
Truman is the United States
Just as we thought Hitler was
Germany and think about Sta
I'm being Russia. Most Europ-
cans do not understand Ameri-
can democracy. Therefore. if
the Congress as the peoples
representative fails to go along
with the President in the fol-
low-up the Russians will be
more aggressive than ever.
Moscow, as well as the rest of
Europe, will play that failure
up and Europe generally will
be agreed that American pro-
poses to permit Russia to go the
full length. This, of course,
would result in the small coun. :
tries getting on the Stain band
wagon.
8. There is no such thing
as a United Nations organiza-
ton capable of handling this
problem. 1t will be recalled bv
some o. our readers that we
stated IN a number of speeches
IN the District and elsewhere
that the most discouragine
thing that we found in the
whole of Europe after inter
viewing the leaders of thirteen
principal European cities that
nobody oVe there took the
United Nations organization Sc
rlously. Our whole committee
or its return from Europe was
convinced that the American
people were the only ones who
took that organization serious
~ and had any hopes of its
success. Moreover, Russia. as
we understand that organiza-
ton, would veto such a move.
s. While there are always diff
fefences of opinion in a democ-
raey like ours, If is essential
that the American people bN
fully advised by the President
and the State Department of
Just what our policy will be.
And once that policy is estab-
ilshed we must be prepared to
follow ii through regardless of
the cost. There can be no "a.
treat; We cannot afford another
Munich.
A few days ago the press car
rled front page headlines to the
effect that George P. McNear.
Junior, President of the Peoria
Toledo and Western Railroad
was assassinated in cold blood
from ambush as he took a stroll
near his home in Peoria. III.
apparently this was not lust
another murder case. II has
now come to light that Mr.. Nc
near as president of this lii
tie 235 mile railroad had been
engaged in a fight with certain
labor unions over a period of
some II months: that he ap-
peared before the House Labor
Committee a few days before
he was killed and recited his
side of that argument to a
group of Congressman on the
committee. And it has also
been revealed that prior to his
testifylng he took the chairman
of the Committee, Congressman
Hartley of New Jersey, into his
confidence and confided that in
appearing before the committee
he was endangering his own