Evening star., 1947-07-22

ing confidential
m ters, the So 3'$$*s =
condolences are David Lawrence.
really kept.
There can be no denying that, in
recent days, members of Congress
have been told the situation is grave
1t was such description of current
events which pressed the House into
passage of the full amount needed
in the Greek Turkish grant of aid
More and more there is heard talk
OF the "inevitability of war" but this
is usually accompanied by the state
ment that neither side wants war
and that hence it can be considered
as not immediate.
Infiammable Psychology.
Such q psychology is highly in
hammable. The Russian government,
Of course. reads all public state
ments and the speeches in Congress
and knows when it is reported that
a critical situation caused the House
to approve an appropriation to i'm
plement the so-called Truman Doc
trine.
The Russian policy is the subject
OF constant conversation in Wash
ington but always with the accom-
panying comment that the United
States has given little cause for
Russia to be offended and that the
Russians are simply not cooperative.
No one in official quarters here
has disclosed the impact of the Tru-
man doctrine on Russia. When in
public statements American Of
f1cials stated that they were going
to put substantial funds into the
Near East to "stop communism" 1t
would seem that the Russians knew
that this constituted a threat to
their political or economic expan-
sion in that section of the world.
When, therefore, the Marshall
Plan comes along with promises OF
more billions, it would appear logi-
cal from the Russian viewpoint at
least that such a policy would be
viewed as additional economic force
and military potentiality with which
to carry out the threats in the Tru-
man Doctrine.
That the Russians are wholly dis
trustful of American purposes be-
cause they construe the Truman
Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
to be aimed at them, should not
be surprising. But what is sur
prising is that the Russians didn't
beat about the bush or stall or bicker
when the Marshall Plan came up
in Paris, and instead rejected 1t
promptly. They could have come
along lin principle" and offered
suggestions as to their own needs
which could conceivably have
blocked the conference after months
of committee talk. For reasons best
known to the Russians, on the
other hand, they acted Immediately
and then exercised their diplomatic
influence or powers OF political
pressure and notified each one OF
the satellite states that they must
not participate because to do SO
would be regarded as an act "un-
friendly" to Russia.
In diplomacy, this is severe Ian
guage and the use OF that phrase
in the statements issued from
various capitals in the Russian or
bit indicates that the Marshall
Plan was rejected because the Rus
slams considered it a hostile action
and one that was aimed to inter-
fere with what they consider legitl-
mate operations in the European
economy.
Won't Be COerced.
The Russians want to be con-
sidered equals of the United States.
They will not be coerced. Any effort
TO coerce them will only lead to
events that for reasons OF pride
could result in war.
What America is witnessing in a
sense is a repetition of the kind of
psychological attitudes and posi-
tions which led America and Japan
into war though each side pro-
fessed at the time to be anxious
to avoid it. President Trumans
recent veto message on the tax
bill contained statement that
he was expecting some large COM
mitmentS in an international sense.
He referred by implication to Rus
sia's action in rejecting the Mar
shall Plan. Minority Leader Bark
ley in answer to a question in the
Senate debate last week, however,
indicated that the Marshall Plan
wouldn't cost very much per year
certainly less than the expected
surplus next year. So it was not the
Marshall Plan alone which could
have occasioned the vague refer
ences to new international expenses.
The Russian government has pur-
sued a course that has irritated
American officials, and the public
generality in America has been
given to understand that the United
States is 100 per cent right and the
Russians 100 per cent wrong. The
texts of all the notes and documents
exchanged between the two govern
ments have never been made public.
The American people may be drift
ing into another war as conse-
ouence of a secret diplomacy which
insists that there shall be no review
of the acts of our officials at the
time they make grave commitments
and make serious decisions that
conceiyably could lead to war. The
situation will bear dispaSsionate in
vestigation.
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