Evening star., 1948-10-08

Lend Force to Russian
Argument Thot America
Soon Will Foee Collapse
By David Laurence
It Is most fortunate for America
today that Gov. Dewey Is not making
the kind Of campaign President
Truman Is making.
For If the Republican nominee
threw caution to the winds and
made charges on a purely political
basis, the Nation would probably
hear a little more on foreign policy
than 1t has heard thus far.
In view of Mr.. Truman's pre-
dictions of catastrophe If Mr.. Dewey
Is elected, the latter might even feel
justified in discussing the ineptitude
Of the Truman administration in
handling the Russian problem.
1t is we'll known that the British
and French are influenced by the
American governments policy and
that the guiding policies are those
formulated here in Washington by
q small group to whom the President
has delegated considerable power.
Psychology of Fear.
Mr.. Dewey might ask to what ex-
tent the military viewpoint" has
dominated American policy and to
what extent the civilian point of
view" has been more or less brushed
aside. The military viewpoint" sees
physical force as the present and
future answer. 1t is a viewpoint
governed by fears Of what another
nation will do. So it usually con-
siders intermediate steps to be aca-
demic, If not futile.
But the truth is that the history
Of Americas record since VI day
reveals many mistakes, enumeration
OF which is not just hindsight now
Those mistakes were argued at the
time and vehemently protested by
many observers.
The chief weakness in the Ameri-
can record is that it has assumed
from the start there was little or
no basis for cooperation with Rus
sia and it has entered into the cold
war" on the supposition that Rus
Sia could be coerced. Russia, pro-
testing that she is sovereign equal,
has adopted again and again an
obstructive attitude but she usually
points to an adamant position on
the part OF the Western powers as
an excuse for her retaliatory &C
ton. A record that would be unim-
peachable might well have been
made by the allies. Perhaps it
would not have led to solution, es-
pecially if the Russians were bent
on a disagreement anyway. But
there is no certainty that relations
with Russia would have been any
worse If experienced negotiators of
the civilian school of thought, in
stead of the military, had been in
key posts handling the negotiations
In Berlin, Moscow and Washington,
respectively.
The discussion Of the military
viewpoint" does not mean that indi-
viduals who possess it are unduly
belligerent or that they do not hate
war as much as do those with a
civilian viewpoint" It means mere
" that they are governed by a psy-
chology Of fear in negotiation and
that usually diplomatic conferences
surrounded by such a psychology |
are doomed from the start,
1t Is fortunate that Gov. Dewey
isn't making an issue of these
things, that he isn't accusing Mr..
Truman of having abdicated his
presidential Office to the point
where the Nation is drifting into
q crisis because he happens to be
of steering the foreign
policy of the Nation into peaceful
waters.
Aid to Russian Strategy.
1t Is unfortunate, on the other
hand. that Mr.. Truman has so far
forgotten the biggest argument that
the Soviets have been using to un-
dermine American prestige in those
countries, like France and italy.
where the Communist sympathizers
are trying to cause the people and
their governments to veer away from
the economic recovery program. The
argument Is that America is in a
boom and bust cycle and will soon
face economic collapse and be un-
able to meet her commitments to
Europe and that hence the coun-
tries now leaning on America had
better make friends elsewhere while
there's time.
Mr. Truman. by going up and
down the country predicting that
economic collapse is coming for
America II the Republicans are
Is probably doing so as a
bit Of Campaign oratory." Ameri- ,
cans understand such extravagances
OF statement and exaggerations and
tend to discount them. But the
Europeans do not know why Presi-
dent Of the United States would say
anything was going to happen that
he didn't really believe was going
to happen.
So the Russians are preparing
tnelr strategy on the assumption
that Dewey's election means a big
depression and a chance
to move in throughout Europe. Such
a faliacy can be of dangerous con-
sequence and could conceivably I
strengthen the hand of those ex-
tremists in the Kremlin who NAV ;
think the present year is the time !
TO start war. There is plenty of Y
talk about bipartisan foreign pol I
Icy but President Truman is not I
aware apparently that he is strain |
Ing 1t considerably by his speeches.
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