The Wilmington morning star., 1947-04-21
Important Discussion
By ARTHUR KROCK

0S AnIAOn hAOCh
WASHINGTON "A colloquy between Sena-
tors Vandenberg and Pepper, which appears
in today's Congressional Record but was
crowded out of most news reports by more
dynamic matter, illustrates better than any
written reservation to the Greek-Turkish aid
legislation that the bill is being supported by
many in Congress on the specific understand
ing that it does not initiate an unlimited poll
cy or a fixed method of enforcing it.
This was stated by Mr.. Vandenberg, whose
support of the bill as chairman of the Com
! mittee OH Foreign Relations and Republican
spokesman on international affairs, was in
dispensable to its approval by Congress.
Therefore what he said in answer to Mr..
Pepper, before an notwithstanding Senate, is
very important and SHOULD be emphasized for
public information at this point in the debate.
Mr.. Vandenberg was patiently attempting to
answer a question from a Republican col
league, Senator Wherry, which was concerned
with the possible implications, in money, men
and ever wars hereafter, of the passage of
the bill by Congress. He said it was totally
unreasonable" to expect "a blueprint which
answers every question which can arise day
after tomorrow in this distraught earth, when
no man knows for twenty minutes at a time
what is going to happen" And the disposition
Of his colleagues was to agree with Mr.. Van
denberg.
But at this point Mr.. PEPPER began the
colloquy that produced something definite and
really important. He said he thought Mr..
| WherrI's one Stion was ''nrOmnte6 nv a Qi
lemma in which some Senators m a y find
themselves as to whether we should regard
the Presidents recommendation as indicating
a general policy, or whether we should re-
gard it in the light Of what the State De-
partment might regard as All incident or
event of small localized character"
To this Mr.. Vandenberg replied, choosing
his words with noticeable care:
think the Presidents message defined
what is being done in terms Of a doc
trine, a little more definitely than l in
terpret the situation. TO me it is a
plan; it is a part of the pattern, and, as
such, is to be distinguished from a policy.
I would not want to disguise any phase
of this matter, because OF all the things
I believe in one of the most important
is that the country should be candidly
dealt with in a question of this nature.
Mr.. Pepper observed that the Presidents
decision 20 present his request personally be-
fore a Joint session, rather than requesting
aid In the way of an ordinary routine mes
sage" and the scope of the language he used
particularly the now celebrated statement
that the policy of the United States must
be to support free peoples'-justified the be-
lief that Congress was being asked 'to ap-
prove a policy rather than a condition.
The Michigan Senator replied that, while
he did not doubt that all who heard him
stand for the righteousness of independent
liberties" he could not attempt to say what
this will involve '"the day after tomorrow
And. agreeing with Mr.. Pepper that the de-
cislon on the Greek = Turkish bill might be
taken by some as "a matter of policy he
left his more limited construction on the
record.
Semantics is pedestrian and often pedantic.
But the stated understanding on which legis-
lators vote for measures nearly always arises
for later analysis and discussion, and future
actions in the same category are frequently
shaped by it. Therefore the h~aggling over
words in this %colloquy, and Mr.. Vandenberg's
choice of those which describe what he thinks
he is voting for, are of large present sig
nificance and can become even larger. He
does not, he said, interpret his position as
unlimited acquiescence in "a policy" but as
approval of "a PLAN which is a part OF
"a pattern not of "a doctrine" in the sense
the announcement of President Monroe has
acquired.
This calls for a visit to the dictionary, where
the distinction is made quite plain. A "doc-
trine, until it becomes dogmatic, as that of
Monroe has become, is "a speculative truth
or working principle To this construction Of
the Presidents message, including the famous
sentence, Mr.. Vandenberg wholly subscribes.
But "a policy is "a settled or definite course
or method adopted and followed by a govern
ment," and Mr.. Vandenberg declines to con-
cede that in supporting the Greek-Turkish bill
he is affirming that.
The State Department spokesman on vari-
Gus occasions have expressed a similar limi-
tatlon But their lack of candor in testimony
and In answering the Congressional question
nalre-a fault which professional diplomats
the world over hold to be intentionally i'm
posed-stands in the way of its acceptance
at the Capitol. The contrary is true of any
statement made by Mr.. Vandenberg.
He referred to what is being undertaken
currently by the government to inaugurate its
global attempt to confine political communism
as "a plan.' This, according to the dictionary
is a method proposed to carry out a design
so Tar as it can be envisaged, the Senator
described as meaning to him "a PATTERN
which the same lexicon defines as a model,
an archetype, anything proposed for imi-
tation. ,.
The distinction in the Senator's mind with
reference to a settled policy is thus made
GEAR. And a majority of Congress. is certainly
apout 10 vote on that understanding.-New