Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-25
Sense Of Humor Seen
Lacking in Political
Campaign Talks
Dewey, Trumon Discuss
Italian Colonies but Fail
To Inform Public Why
By David Laurence

ny DdUd Laurence
Apparently political campaign
declarations are devoid Of a sense OF
humor. Everything seems so seri-
Gus.
Just the other day President
Truman, for example, apparently
berated Gov. Dewey for telling a
delegation of voters of italian ex-
traction that he favored the return
Of the italian colonies to Italy's
administrative control under a U. N.
trusteeship. Mr.. Truman seemed to
think Mr.. Dewey shouldn't have
touched on this subject because it
was in the course OF negotiations.
But Mr. Dewey, with equal
solemnity. said he was going to talk
about questions Of foreign policy
just the same.
Yet the facts are that If Mr..
Dewey hadn't said what he did
about the Italian colonies, Mr. Tru-
man would have done So The Re
publican nominee said in August
have said in September. Both cam
didates knew the American plan.
One just 'scooped" the other.
Neither Told Reason.
Neither candidate revealed, how
ever, what the public should know
that the influence of the United
States, in seeking to put the Italian
colonies back into some form of
trusteeship with Italy as admins
traitor, Is really exerted in that d.
rection mostly because of Americas
postwar relationship to Italy as an
ally. The policy is only incidentally
related to the fact that there are
millions of voters in America OF
italian extraction.
What Mr.. Truman didn't say
either was that he has been engaged
for quite while in counting the
Jewish vote in New York and other
big cities and that the sudden
alterations in governmental policy
here in relation to the new govern
ment of Israel is not at all discon-
nected from American politics.
Everybody knows this. including the
officials OF the State Department
who just wish this wasn't an cleo
ton year 80 they wouldn't have to
keep one eye on what they pri-
vately write ought to be our policies
and the other eye on what the
White House needs in the way of
votes.
There are about nine cities To-
Gated in nine States which, added
TO the solid South, usually control
more than majority of the votes
in the electoral college. These cities
are New York, Philadelphia, Bos-
ton. Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis.
Milwaukee, Detroit and Los Angeles.
In these nine cities there is a
huge vote of either foreign-bo or
Misrepresentation voters. The Irish.
Jewish and Italian votes play big
part in some of these cities, not
emitting of course, the German and
Scandinavian vote in some of these
States. National political head
quarters In both parties for num-
Der of years have had special divi-
Sions seeking to win the vote of
the Americans of European extrac-
ton
Truman Has Advantage.
President Truman has the ad-
vantage at the moment. He car
throw out hints and make promises
publicly about a 100000 900 loan
to Palestine, and the officials of the
Government can privately say
nothing has been consummated or
is likely to be soon. But Mr.. Tru-
man gets the benefit of the publicity
Not all the italian or the Jewish
votes or those of the other groups
of European extraction are inf1u-
enced by the foreign policy of the
United States. But there is never
theless preponderant sentiment
that Is affected by it. Politicians
make use every campaign year of
every device possible to elicit sup
port on domestic or foreign policy
issues.
Mr.. Truman last spring found
himself embarrassed by his Pales-
tine policy. When an American
Labor Party candidate won a seat
In Congress In special election, the
Administration was told that it
might lose New York City and per-
haps New York State unless the
policy was changed. When Mr.. Tru-
man recognized the government of
Israel so suddenly that 1t is report
ed that the State Department was
made aware OF the decision almost
at the same time it was made
public, there was, of course, no poll
tics at all in this-just a routine
operation Of foreign policy.
1t Is said that If Mr.. Truman
hadn't done this, Gov. Dewey would
have come out the next day de-
manding it. II one looks up the
preconVention statements on the
matter Of legislation for admitting
displaced persons" it will be found
that every candidate came out for
it. and the unsophisticated public
may believe this wasn't political at
all. Foreign policy will always ger
into politics in one way or another
II 1t makes votes for one or the
other or both Of the candidates.