The Omaha guide., 1947-04-19
ONIIVOO 81 AvQ 1HL
By Eric Haas, for Calvin's News
Service

DtTNlCG
President Truman says that to save
democracy" thi Scountry has got to
send money, guns and military mis-
sions to prop up the corrupt and fas-
cistic governments Of Greece and
Turkey.
In my husble opinion, this Is q
screwy way to Save democracy" It's
like saving souls by encouraging
sinfulness and vice.
OF course, Mr.. Truman says it's
democracy that must be saved
strictly for propaganda purposes.
What he and Mr.. V~andenburg and
the American plunderbund want saved
are the material, political and strate-
gic interests Of Anglo-American CAPT
talism. And the ogre they want 70
save these interests from is Russian
State capitalism.
So, let's keep straight on this. The
United States is stepping into Britain
shoes as the worlds number-one, club
swinging cop, not to save democ-
racy," but to keep Russia out OF the
Mediterranean, to protect the Middle
East oil concessions Of Standard Oil,
and otherwise to expand and enhance
American imperialist interests.
This represents a new and perilous
course for American foreign policy,
and one that is loaded with portents.
1t will, Of course, not end with Greece
and Turkey. Britain has several com
mitments" which has present anemic
condition will compel her to relin-
quish, and, as she does relinquish
them, the United States will take
over. Militarism will flourish under
this policy as though in a dollhouse.
From a nation which for generations
has represented the civiliing influence
of independence, the United States
bids fair to the symbol Of
imperialism and aggression.
To examine just n Of the portents
Of the Truman policy, let us suppose
that the dreams Of American capital
ism are fulfilled and the present en-
tury becomes in fact the American
century" How would this EJECT the
working class?
One effect would surely h to ere
ate further divisions in labors ranks.
In the words Of Lonin, Imperialism
has the tendency to create privileged
sections even among the workers, and
to separate them from the main pro-
letarian masses" Such privileged sec
tons easily succumb to the spirit Of
Spread-eagle aggressiveness These be
come, in turn, the evangels Of the
philosophy that Americans n the
earth's chosen people" - WHITE
Americans, that is-and that it is the
country's manifest destiny" to police
the world.
Make no mistake about It'll "A sharp
rise in nationalist prejudice would in
evitably be accompanied by a rise in
racial prejudice. And the conviction
that it is moral and democratic to
kick folks around in other lands will
certainly not help to discourage the
lynch spirit at home.
The familiar argument IS. Of course,
that if America doesn't move into
Greece and Turkey with money, tech
nicians and military missions, the Sta
linistS kill take over and institute a
one-party dictatorship. | agree. Like
American Imperialism, Russian i'm
perialism IS on the march. What | do
NOT agree with is the conclusion that
the only alternative to allowing Soviet
Russia to expand is for the United
States to take over Britain's old job
Of policing her empire.
We must all Of us understand that
this knotty problem is one Of many
produced by a social system in disco
luton. If we understand this, then we
will perceive Immediately that it has
no real solution within the capitalist
system. And that what is urgently
needed in this country is for the work
ers to put an end t the deadly game
Of imperialist grab BY taking matters
out Of the hands Of the labor-skinning
class and building a workers indus
trial republic.