Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-07-15
Politics and Foreign Policy

There is nothing to be said in favor OF
the spirit animating the foreign policy
plank OF the Democratic platform. 1t Is
a bad spirit. 1t is politically small-minded.
If injected into the presidential campaign,
1t can have blighting effect on our vitality
necessary bipartisan approach to the grave
international problems confronting us.
Mr.. Truman, who has striven hard for
such an approach, ought certainly to make
sure that his speeches are not keyed to
this mistake, and Mr.. Dewey, as the Re-
publican candidate, would be we'll advised
to ignore 1t as much as possible.
In platform, of course, it Is traditional
for political party-whether Democratic
or Republican-to heap loose praise on
itself and even looser criticism on its rival
But in this day and age at this particular
juncture, the American people have right
to expect a more mature and more whole
some handling of foreign policy issues.
They have a right to expect that those
issues will be discussed and debated-1f
they need to be debated-on statesman
like plane, high above the petty politics,
the demagogic distortions and the gross
decentralization often characterizing our
campaign oratory on domestic matters.
Generally speaking, in its essentials, the
Democratic foreign policy plank does not
differ much from that of the Republicans
Like the latter, it is open to question IN
some of its pledges-such as the one on
Palestine-but on the whole 1t Is sound.
In tone, however, and in spirit, 1t tends to
invite a cat-and-dog fight. 1t does so by
making it seem as If the Democrats alone
are to be credited with winning the war,
founding the United Nations, inaugurating
aid to Greece, establishing the European
Recovery Program, and in general doing
all the things that need to be done to
build a good peace and better world.
To read the plank, in short, one would
suppose that the COP did not exist except
to obstruct, that such men as Senator
Vandenberg and Representative Eaton did
not play large and indispensable role In
making NEST of these measures possible.
and that Republican controlled Congress
did not actually cooperate with President
Truman, the State Department and the
Democratic minority in developing senai-
inc bipartisan foreign policy. Nowhere
IN Gne platform QU GIic 1eAloCAdH oS-
knowledge the cooperation or appeal for
It's continuance. Instead, by dwelling
upon the element in the House that sought
unsuccessfully to undermine the ERP, they
suggest that that element was typical Of
the majority party as whole.
Nothing could be more misrepresenta-
tive or distorted than such a suggestion.
Nor could anything be more out OF keeping
with Senator Barkleys keynote speech or
with the wise and persistent bipartisan
effort of the President, Secretary Marshall,
Senator Vandenberg and others to put an
end to politics at the waters edge. That
effort must be continued without letup
The temper of the Democratic foreign
policy plank must not be allowed to dilute
or disrupt it. Mr.. Truman has special
responsibility to see to that during the
campaign. In the interests of the Nation
and the world, both he and Mr.. Dewey
must be as one on this point.