Evening star., 1948-10-17
Politics Hurts
Our Diplomacy
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the country and was on the verge
Of changing . policy which he him.
self had fully approved and sup
ported.
This ill-timed and fanciful di-
plomacy has increased further the
doubt in the minds Of Western Eu-
ropeans, who feel that America
cannot be relied on
The practice of not letting the
right hand know what the left is
doing has become 50 general in the
top Government levels that nobody
in Washington is surprised by the
changing attitude toward the diff
cult problems which confront us
abroad and which are bound to
influence our national life.
For several months the National
Security Council, which studies and
recommends defense politics to the
Chief Executive, has urged that we
resume full diplomatic relations
with Spain. The Council has shown
Mr.. Truman conclusively that our
gesture" of November, 1916, when
We urged the Spaniards to over
throw their strong man, has yielded
only one result: Gen. Franco is
stronger today with his own people
than he was at that time.
Ambassador Urged for Spain
The watchdogs of our military
and diplomatic interests have
pointed out that under present
world conditions to make an issue
of who heads the Spanish govern
ment is silly and an unjustified
interference in, the affairs Of
country which neither fought
against us nor interfered with our
war effort in World War II.
The Council, backed by Gen.
Marshall, who is one Of its men,
bers, went on record emphatically
to the effect that in event of war
with Russia, Spain would be one Of
our main points of support and
resistance in Western Europe. 1t
urged Mr.. Truman to send a full
fedged ambassador to Spain, in
place Of the minor official who acts
now as charge d'affaires.
The President himself has recog-
nized the validity of the Councils
argument. But he is unable or un-
willing to act because of the effect
resumption of ambassadorial rela-
tions would have on liberal minded"
voters next month. 1t is true that
neither Britain nor France want to
take the initiative on this matter,
because of possible domestic political
reactions among the strong leftist
groups. But, since the security of
Western Europe now has become an
affair of the United States, there
can be no real reason why we should
not take the first step, regardless
of how the French and British feel
about it.
It is to be expected that Foreign
Secretary Bevin and French Foreign
Minister Schuman will grumble and
protest, for the sake of their own
political interests. But in the end
they will follow us, fully satisfied
that their political necks have been
saved and at the same time the
views of their own general stats
complied with.
Ammunition for Reds
The prospect of a concert of pro-
tests from a minority of voters has
led Mr.. Truman's advisers to reject,
temporarily at least, the urgent
pleas Of the National Security Coun-
ell to send an Ambassador to Ma
drid.
In Paris the Secretary of State
intimated last week that we would
favor resumption Of full diplomatic
relations with Spain. The very same
day the State Department vigorously
denied this hint by its own chief.
Once more the right hand did not
know what the left hand was doing.
and we placed ourselves in a posi-
ton which baffled our Western Eu-
ropean associates.
This does not affect our prestige
alone, It gives a great deal Of am
munition to those in Western Europe
who advocate submission to COM
munism. They exploit skillfully the
vagaries of our political conduct, and
point out to the masses that we have
no policy but dollar diplomacy. Our
current blunders have offset much
of the good effect produced by the
European Recovery Program.
In Germany our policy might be
described as schizophyenic. On the
one hand, we urge the Germans to
get together and resist Eastern DOM
ination. We are spending hundreds
of millions of dollars feeding our
former enemies and taking grave
risks of finding ourselves without
military transport aviation If the
Russians decide to strike and de-
stroy our transport planes. Over 80
per cent of our military air trans
portation now is engaged in Opera
ton Vittles."
At the same time, however, we are
still following many of the policies
Of the sinister "Morgenthau plan"
Although some Of its provisions now
have been discarded, the wrecking
crew we sent to Germany in 1945 is
still there. jamming the wheels of
Germany's economic and political
rehabilitation.
The Western European nations,