Evening star., 1948-10-20
Truman Statements
On Foreign Policy
Held Contradictory
Presidents Condolences
Questioned in Defense
Of Vinson Mission
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
When the campaign is over and
President Truman settles down to
contemplate the historical record of
what he said In the campaign, 1t
may be wondered whether his con-
science will hurt him a bit as he
realizes that too often he rational
lied the importance of winning
votes as justifying curiously con-
Trajectory statements about his con-
duct of foreign policy.
Mr.. Truman tried in his Miami
speech on Monday, for example. to
defend his erratic move in starting
arrangements for Chief Justice Vim
son to 60 to Moscow and asking for
radio network time to make an an
nouncement of that plan even be-
fore he consulted Secretary of State
Marshall.
Was the President wholly candid
in what he told the American Legion
about the episode? Here Is what
he is quoted in the official text as
having said:
I'm recently considering the send
ing Of special emissary to Moscow,
my purpose was to ask Premier
Stalin's cooperation in dispelling
the present poisonous atmosphere
of distrust which now surrounds the
negotiations between the Western
Powers and the Soviet Union. My
emissary was to convey the serious
ness and sincerity of the people of
the United States in their desire
for peace.
Marshall's Objections Cited.
This proposal had no relation to
existing negotiations within the
scope Of the United Nations or the
Council Of Foreign Ministers. Far
from cutting across these negotia-
tious, the purpose Of this mission
was to improve the atmosphere in
which they must take place and so
help in producing fruitful and
peaceful results"
How Is 1t possible for q President
Of the United States to make such
o statement now in the face of the
vehement objection which his own
Secretary of State, Gen. Marshall,
made, to the plan when he first
heard Of 1t? Likewise, If the plan
was az innocently conceived as Mr..
Truman claims, why did Gen. Mar
shall tell the press after his confer
ence with the President that he
could hardly estimate the great
damage that had been done by the
publication Of the story of the pro-
posed mission?
When Mr.. Truman says the
proposal had no relation to exist
Ing negotiations within the scope
Of the United Nations or the Coun-
Gil OF Foreign Ministers" how does
he reconcile that observation with
his statement just a few sentences
before that his purpose was to dispel
"the present atmosphere of distrust
which surrounds the negotiations
between the Western Powers and
the Soviet Union? Certainly not
only are the subjects that Chief
Justice Vinson would have discussed
related to the problems of the Coun-
Gil Of Foreign Ministers but 1t will
be recalled that about 10 days ago
Mr.. Truman said the Vinson mis-,
sion was to be concerned mostly
with the atomic energy controversy
and not the negotiations at Paris.
Certainly the atomic energy prob
lem was being considered at Paris
by the United Nations Committee
at the very time Mr.. Truman said
he was thinking of sending an
emissary to Premier Stain to dis
cuss that same subject.
Undercut U. S. Delegation.
Mr.. Truman would have the pub
Lie believe now that he wanted to
send Chief Justice Vinson all the
way to Moscow just to dispel the
poisonous atmosphere" and that he
could accomplish such an important
mission without saying anything
either about the atomic energy con-
troversy or the Berlin blockade or
the other issues that have arisen
between the Western Powers and
the Soviet Union.
The President seems to ignore en-
tirely the fact that he appeared to
be undertaking his own delegation
at Paris and also was planning to
announce to the world a plan of
sending a new emissary without
consulting the governments of
either Great Britain or France, to
say nothing of the members Of the
United States delegation at Paris,
where the pledges of bipartisan CO.
operation at least required consul,
tation in advance on such an i'm
portant step.
There was another statement in
that same speech which muddies
the waters still more. Mr. Truman
reviewed the three steps he took in
European policy in the last two
years-namely, the offer OF "eco-
nomic and military aid to Greece
and Turkey" the Marshall Plan,
and the setting up Of separate zones
IN Germany. He declared that each
move has been tied in with the
work Of the United Nations" Not
many people will agree that the
phrase tiled in' was particularly
candid or without ambiguity.
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