Evening star., 1948-01-25

pound Of flesh, President Wilson
was thinking in terms Of one world.
peaceful and united. He was think
ing in terms Of helping the world.
The representatives of the other
powers were thinking about what
was best for their own country, re-
gardless Of all others.
Selfish Interests Foremost
While the United States was striv-
ing to make better world globally
the others were interested only in
their own national segments of tho
world. They talked loudly about
better world, but actually were
thinking about what was best indi-
vidually for Britain, France, Italy
and the other members of the great
coalition. This explains the cat
and-dog fight at the 1919 peace con-
ference and the hostility of the
former Allies toward each other, as
shown particularly at the London
Naval Conference in 1880.
A similar situation, on O much
larger scale, occurred during and
especially after World War II. Once
more we entered the war as cru
Saders.
During World War II we ignored
the storm signals which came from
some Of the greatest European ma
tions. For the sake of harmony
among the enemies of the Axis, we
actually handed over to Russia those
nations to whose defense we rushed
with lend-lease.
Because we did not wish to Of
fend the hard-fghting and hard
pressed Russians as far back as
1943, we never placed conditions
on our billions of lend-lease to Rus
sia in keeping with the terms of
the Atlantic Charter. And, accord
ing to those who were at the center
of affairs in those days, nothing
would have been easier than to talk
with friendly but blunt frankness
to Prime Minister Stain about the
actual objectives of the American
people In World War II.
Mr.. Stain cannot be blamed for
the present situation. He intended
from the very first to enrich and
fenlarge Russia with new territories.
ffic was not interested in one world,
Prime Minister Churchill was in
terested primarily in the British
Empire. That was the reason he
so carefully avoided mentioning the
Pacific areas in the Charter which
he and Mr.. Roosevelt drafted in
the fall Of 1941. He was interested
in control Of the Mediterranean
to safeguard lines Of communication
throughout the world.
| It was for that reason that he
threw overheard the royal govern
ment Of Yugoslavia and betrayed
Gen. Draja Mihailovich by diverting
mis- support to Russia's stooge, Mar
shall Tito. In the end, he was
double-crossed by Mr.. Stain, but
when he changed horses in Yugo-
slavia he was convinced that he
was acting In the best interests of
the empire.
Acted for the Empire
It was the same reason which
prompted the British government
to send troops to Greece. No one
can blame Mr.. Stain, Mr.. Churchill
or any other head of government
for acting first in the interest Of
his own country and secondarily
in the interest of the international
community.
Not so in this country. Our leaders
did talk after 1899 in terms Of the
threat to our own security. But
they thought in global terms.
Even after Pearl Harbor, when
men-far more important than
goods or money-had to be shipped
to all parts Of the world to be killed
there, we still thought in terms Of
one big and kind-hearted world.
There were few courageous men
in Mr.. Roosevelt's immediate en-
tourage who pointed out to him the
risks of not having q definite ma
tional policy. They were either
silenced or removed from the scene.
To suspect Russia was reasonable
because it meant breaking the har-
mony between the great powers (the
little nations had ceased to count.
This country was created by those
who escaped political, social and
economic oppression by autocrats
who were ruling Europe. Men from
all nations of the Old World came
here and worked together, paying
no attention to their former social
status, religion or race. They fused
into one great, hard-working, ideal
istic nation and got the idea that
what has happened in America
could happen across the Atlantic as
well.
Idea Provokes Laugh
Our people sincerely believed that
when it became obvious that wars
did not pay, the people OF Europe
themselves would put an end to
them, joining hands to work for
their own good. 1t was for this
reason that the idea Of one world,
which provoked such laughter
among Europeans and especially the
men of the Kremlin, took root 50
quickly In the United States.
Many men In the government are
still convinced that peaceful solu-
ton of present world problems is
possible If we show continued good
will and complacency toward the
Russians. They all see the hair
raising reports of what the Soviet
lis preparing, but they are still will
ing to brush them of as inevitable
exaggerations of a new nation