Evening star., 1947-04-06
Out in the Open

1t is a good thing, a very good
thing, that Senator George OF
Georgia has seen At to strip the
diplomatic wells from the Presidents
proposal to extend American aid to
Greece and Turkey.
At this time the outlook for con-
gressional approval of the proposal
is good. It has been reported unani-
mously by the Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee in a form ir1cor-
porating a revised version of the
Vandenberg amendment. This, in
effect, would give the United Nations
qualified power to halt the Truman
program If and when the U. N. is
able and willing to take over the
job itself. In all probability the
U. N. will never take advantage of
this proviso, for it is only too clear
that it is incapable of extending the
aid contemplated by Mr.. Truman.
Yet the amendment has the effect Of
modifying the unilateral character
of the original proposal and should
make the plan more acceptable to
those who were concerned at the
prospect of "bypassing" the U. N.
The very fact that Congress in
tends to support the essence OF the
Presidents program, however, makes
it all the more desirable that the
implications of that program should
be clearly set forth, not only for the
benefit of the members of Congress,
but also, and even more Importantly,
for the benefit of the American peo-
pie. This Senator George has done.
Conceding that more is contem-
plated than mere relief to Greece,
the Georgia Senator declared: II de-
liberately place my support OF this
bill on the belief that it is vital for
us to check Russian expansion now.
If unchecked, Russia will inevitably
overrun Europe, extend herself into
Asia and perhaps South America,
and this process of expansion may
go on for full century. We
cannot certainly say that this de-
parture in our foreign policy will
produce the desired results. (But)
we are faced with the question OF
selecting between two courses Of
action. Non-action will not check
Russian expansion. No country with
a definite policy can be checked un-
less a positive counterplan is inter-
posed"
President Truman's program is
that positive counterplan. 1t is de-
signed above everything else to check
Russian expansion, and when bal
anced against that central fact, the
protests that Greece is not de-
mocracy or that Turkey did not aid
us in the war amount to nothing.
The people who voice these COM
plants either have strayed off into
theological bypaths, which lead
nowhere, or they are incapable of
training their sights on the main
objective.
That objective, it may be said
again, Is to check Russian expan-
sion, and in order to do this Greece
and Turkey must be kept from fall
ing within the Soviet orbit. We may
not like the governments in those
countries, but that is irrelevant, for
they are the constitutional govern
ments of Greece and Turkey, and we
have to work through them.
The more clearly these aspects of
the Truman program can be put be-
fore the people Of this country, the
better it will be. For it Is inevitable
that in the last analysis his counter
plan will succeed or. fail largely in
proportion to the support 1t receives
or fails to receive from the people.
And the people can hardly be ex-
pected to support the plan for long
If they do not understand it.