Evening star., 1948-05-14
Russian Note Episode
Sure 10 Be Debated
By Congress, People
Lack Of Vision Shown
By Trumun and MorshoII
On Open Door QuibbIine
By David Laurence

way lIom puIDlcmeHt ana QlSIney 70
grave concern.
The main preoccupation seems to
be that at critical moment in the
history OF the United States, when
billions upon billions Of dollars are
being appropriated to strengthen
defenses and q peacetime conscrip-
ton bill is under consideration,
there should be such confusion
about American foreign policy.
To argue that the Russians in
discreetly made q note public that
should have been kept confidential
merely implies that perhaps the
American Government was trying
to do something clandestinely which
1t was not willing to avow publicly.
To say that the outstanding differ
ences can best be approached
through the machinery of the
United Nations Is to allow the i'm
preston to be built that questions
which have hitherto been regarded
as outside the U. N. and subject to
four power or fve-power considera-
ton now should be taken up by the
U. N. Both implications are er-
roneous but they could be derived
from the administrations clumsy
statements.
Vision Shown Lacking.
The fact Is that the President
and the Secretary Of State were
caught of base. Even If the pub
lication by Russia of the notes was
. clever piece of propagandizing,
the administration showed itself
not quick-witted enough to take
the ball on the rebound and turn
it to the advantage Of this country
In public declarations.
What Is lacking Is vision and
irnagination-both of which are the
primary attributes of craftsmanship.
The spectacle Of the President and
the Secretary of State q,libbling as
to what was meant after months
Of q cold war" by direct state
ment that "the door is wide open
to discuss differences" is not likely
to inspire confidence either here or
abroad.
Too much has been made about
the Russian action in making pub
lie . confidential exchange. There
was no agreement In advance to keep
the notes confidential. There is al
ways risk that things put in writ
ing will become public. And even If
they are, cannot the American
Government stand by what it wrote7
II not. 1t will be the Russians who
will be saying that the American
Government doesn't believe one day
In what 1t writes the previous day.
Had the President and Secretary
Of State welcomed the publication
Of the notes and then promptly
given to the world list of the
outstanding questions on which
there are substantial differences of
opinion. the public generally would
have seen at glance that mere
decision to sit down and talk does
not convey much Of an idea as to
what kind of agreements are going
to be made and what guarantees
are forthcoming as to how the
agreements will be fulfilled. It was
4 splendid chance for the Ameri-
can Government to re-state its
whole case.
Missed Whole Point.
But the American Government
overlooked something else 1t seems
to have missed the whole point OF
the Russian action. Why did the
Soviets make public the exchange
Obviously there could have been
only two reasons-to start peace
offensive" for propaganda purposes
without any sincere intention OF
carrying it out. or else really tc
find an honorable way Of extricat-
Ing itself from the cold war;
There is much evidence to sup.
port the latter view. The very
manner In which the news was
handled in Russia-the absence OF
attacks on the United States In the
propaganda and the manifest at
tempt to calm the fears Of the Rus
sian people with respect to war indi-
cate that Russia had her own inter-
nal situation in mind in trying to
find way to reverse her external
policies.
If this is the basic purpose, then
the giving Of publicity to the notes
was the only quick way the Russians
could show the whole world that
they were changing their approach
II they didn't intend this. then
subsequent inaction or failure to
agree would readily expose the arti-
ficiality of the device In few days.
Hence the belief that the Russians
intend to follow up the peace ap-
proach with some action seems more
logical than the theory that the
whole idea was merely a trick.
The point that the State Depart
nent failed to advise Britain and
France in advance is labored one.
The United States didn't intend to
make the notes public and presum.
ably in due time would have con-
fidentially advised the allies. The
latter now understand that the
Russian decision to make the notes
public prevented earlier dispatch
TO London and Paris Of these notes.
Right Of Single Action.
But even II the United States de-
sired to initiate informal discus.
sions alone at Moscow, there is
certainly no rule in diplomacy
which requires that such decisions
be made known in advance. Sow
ereign governments have the right
Of independent action in the discus
sion stages. 1t is only when COM
mitments or agreements are about
TO be made that consultation is
necessary for allied harmony.
The whole episode now will be
debated inside Congress and by the
people The administration seems
to have been bewildered by the
incident and public opinion may
have to crystallize before the Pres
ident and Secretary Marshall will
realize that what they started to
do-talk things out with the Rus
sians-is not sin and should not
be disavowed. Nobody meanwhile
Ia suggesting that armament prep.
arations really necessary for defense
be abandoned. The American people
don't want to see any weakening
where America Is in the right, but
thev Also don't want their leaders