Evening star., 1947-03-06
Plain Talk Needed

Plain Talk Needed
As General Marshall begins his
fateful journey to Moscow-the
fourth American Secretary of State
In as many years to test his skill in
dealing with the men Of the Kremlin
those of us who remain behind in
this country can do more than wish
him well.
There is reason enough to join
with Senator Vandenberg in assur-
ing Mr.. Marshall that the hopes and
prayers of all of us travel with him.
But General Marshall will need
more, a great deal more, than the
support Of hopes and prayers.
What he needs most is state of
mind within this country, clarity
of vision based on an understanding
of the facts which will enable the
American people to see the prob
lem which confronts us in It's true
proportions. There is ample evi-
dence that this essential under
standing is lacking at the present
time. For instance, on the day of
General Marshall's departure for
Moscow, the newspapers carried re-
ports that a group of Midwestern
Republicans have banded together
in a determined fight to cut deeply
into the $3.50, 100000 sought by the
State Department weeks ago as the
minimum needed to meet our for
eign relief program. This figure was
arrived at before the collapse of
Britain's position in Greece raised
the urgent question of whether we
should spend $300,O00,000 or more
there to keep that unhappy but
strategically important country
from falling into the Communist
orbit. And yet the Republican
group, with knowledge of this new
emergency, propose that the original
State Department figure be cut to
a total Of 100000, 600 o0-asserting
that this would be enough, not only
for relief needs in Greece, but for
Italy, Poland, Hungary, Austria and
China as well.
To take such a position as this,
even with respect to foreign relief
operations alone, is indicative of an
appalling misconception of what
this country is trying to do. But
the relief program, while impor-
tant, is really a small part Of the
whole picture, and those who know
the problem would fall into what
might well become tragic error If
they attempt to talk to the Amer
tcan people about this matter as
though it were a question of relief
and nothing more.
Happily, General Marshall has in
dicated that this is not to be the
case. On taking his departure, he
said that "the problems involved are
so far-reaching and of such tran
scendent Importance that any an
nouncement concerning them could
properly come only from the Presi-
dent himself" And he gave assur-
ance that the President will make
"full public statement at an early
date.
The Star hopes that this will prove
to be the case. For a decision of
the greatest Importance must be
taken soon. With the other bastions
OF freedom crumbling everywhere,
we must choose one of two courses.
We~can withdraw from the world,
or refuse to do enough to have deci-
sive influence on the events that are
rushing to shape the future of the
world, and hope that we will not
wake up some day to discover that
we are clinging precariously to a
little island of freedom in an en-
slaved world. Or we can take the
oolder course and move out to meet
and resist the challenge that is
spreading eastward and westward
from the Soviet Union. This latter
course Is both dangerous and diff
cult. We could make no greater
mistake than to embark upon 1t
without fully understanding what
we are trying to do and why, and
1uily resolved to see it through.