Evening star., 1948-03-15
The Free World Must Act

Most Americans-indeed, most free men
retary of State James F. Byrnes when he
says that the time has come to "act," not
just protest, against the aggressions of
the Soviet Union. Events within the past
several weeks have made grimly clear that
hand wringing, bitter words, appeals to
the United Nations and the weight of our
dollar assistance to our friends abroad are
not enough in themselves to check or
reverse the advancing Red tide What is
needed, in addition, is a program of con-
crete deeds calculated to discourage the
Kremlin from embarking on new adven-
lures. Only the sleepwalkers and the
Wallaces among us will argue otherwise.
But though there is general agreement
on this point, there is no easy way of
defining precisely the kind of action the
United States and like minded nations can
and should take now. What complicates
the situation is the fact that Soviet
aggression-such as in Czechoslovakia-
has been indirect. In substance 1t has
been the same as Hitler's in the prewar
days, but in form it has been considerably
different. The Red Army has not marched
in to smash independent governments and
take over control The job has been done
internally by native traitors-the dis
ciplined and ruthless Communist minor
tiles working just long enough within the
democratic process to worm their way into
strategic cabinet positions and then cut
loose with subversion to hand over their
countries to the Kremlin. Exactly how
can the free world move to protect itself
against conspiracy of this sort? Every
body says "act," but how act?
For his own part, speaking as private
citizen, Mr.. 'Byrnes. besides putting into
effect great economic measures like the
European Recovery Program, would do
these things right away: CD Address
new and solemn warning to the Kremlin
against further direct or indirect "coer-
Give" expansion-a warning specincally
aimed at safeguarding Greece, Turkey,
Italy and France; and (2) back this up
not merely with an increase in our air
power but also with a prompt revival OF
the wartime draft to bring our armed
forces up to the minimum strength de-
manded by the situation. OF course, any
effort to revive the draft would meet with
the most violent domestic opposition, but,
still, Mr.. Byrnes has made proposal that
Congress and the American people may
find vital to the Nations safety in the not
too-distant future. Viewed optimistlcally,
moreover, If coupled with our participation
in western European mutual security
pact and with a showdown on Chlle's
demand for United Nations action on the
Czech coup, it is proposal that could
conceivably persuade the men OF the
Kremlin to adopt a markedly less aggres-
sive policy.
At any rate, Mr.. Byrnes is right IN
declaring that to the Russians actions
speak louder than words" He is right, too,
in warning that IF we are going to talk
strong, we must be strong" The world
situation. as Secretary Marshall has said,
is very, very serious" and President Tru-
man himself has admitted that his faith
in the outlook for peace has been shaken.
The Soviet march has gone far beyond
the last limit of liberation. 1t must be
stopped now, but it cannot be stopped by
verbal offensive If they fail to act to-
gether against it-promptly, and with real
power behind what they do-the free
nations, including our own, will be inviting
a one-by-one catastrophe upon them
selves The danger is too real to be wished
away; it must be met head on.