Evening star., 1948-04-11


Policy in tie Making" published in
1916. Together, the two books spar
the years from 1882 to that fatefu
day in December, 1941, when waves
Of japanese planes crippled the
mighty American Fleet at Pear
Harbor.
Allowing his material to suggest
an ingenious method of showing
how the United States was finally
involved in the late war, DR.. Beard
contrasts Appearances" with Re
alities" in the two major divisions
which unfold his story. From my
experience in the Pearl Harbor in
quiry can see that DR.. Beard has
greatly enriched historical knowl-
edge by quoting the factual material
produced by the Pearl Harbor joint
congressional hearings, and with
illuminating source material drawn
from many other quarters. In this
review shall try to give the sub
stance of his book and its signlf1-
canoe In past and current foreign
policy.
Democratic Pledges.
The appearances" open with the
pledges given by the Democratic
Party and by President Roosevelt in
their covenants with the American
people whose votes were sought In
the 1910 campaign. Given in the
midst of war then raging in Europe
these pledges carried a solemnity not
usually present in times OF peace
The Democratic platform was clear
cut: 1--WE will not participate IN
foreign wars, and we will not SEND
our Army, naval, or air forces 10
fight in foreign lands outside OF the
Americas, except in case OF attack
The direction and aim OF our
foreign policy has been, ana VIII
continue to be, the security ana de-
fense. of our own land and the malh-
tenance of its peace. WI
This pledge and many other IKE
expressions of the late President alo
members of his party, according to
DR.. Beard, proved increasingly EN-
barrassing as way was sought 70
aid the Allies without compromising
the peace and security Of the United
States. 1t was apparently the graV-
tty of Roosevelt's deep moral COM
mitment to the American people
which led to the double talk which
DR.. Beard calls appearance"
The Neutrality Patrol"
Lend-lease was presented as a
s'peace measure" although 1t vlo-
lated neutrality statutes and at in
ternational law it was an act OF
war for a neutral government to
supply sinews of war to one belllg-
erent for use against another. Con-
voying lend-lease materials abroad
which even administration spokes-
men declared meant shooting war,
became neutrality patrol" when
Roosevelt ordered American naval
vessels to escort ships laden with
war materials. Greenland and Ice
land were occupied by American
forces not as steps toward war but
to guard the approaches between
the Americas and those strategic
outposts, "the safety" of which this
country regards as essential to lts
national security"
When the shooting actually be-
gan secretly in the Atlantic. as lr
the case of the American destroy
ers Greer, Kearney and Reuben
James, all three of which engaged
in hostile acts against German sub
marines in the course of patrol OF
convoy duty, the incidents were de-
scribed by the administration as
German acts of piracy and attacks
upon America. Even the bill to arm
merchant ships was presented not
as a war measure but ito defend
the Americas"
Complicated Diplomacy.
Repeatedly the plain facts and
the charges of political opponents
and others exposed this colossal dis
play of linguistic duplicity. They
made it difficult for President Roose-
welt to ask Congress for a declaration
of war on the ground that America
was attacked" within the meaning
of the escape clause in the Demo-
cratic platform. But the issues
were sufficiently muddled in the
semantics of the great debate on
foreign policy to permit the Roose-
welt administration to increase
American participation in the war
while American opinion was con-
ditioned for war in the name OF
peace. The certainty of this shift
of opinion was never clear until
Japanese bombs broke the Sabbath
peace at Pearl Harbor.
AS DR.. Beard describes it, the
complicated diplomacy in our re-
lations with Japan is an engrossing
story. A fruitleSs search for diplo-
matte settlement of Far Eastern
problems led Roosevelt to apply
sanctions against Japan in the sum-
mer of 1941. While the situation
grew steadily worse, President
Roosevelt met with Prime Minister
Churchill at the Atlantic Conference
where they secretly planned parallel
action against Japan.
Strange Counterpart.
p There then began that strange
counterpoint which so confused
what was guardedly told to the
American people (appearances) ano
what was actually said and done
. (realities) in our relations with
Japan. AS late as December 3
1941 (four days before the Pear
Harbor attack President Roose'
welt was reported in a press con-
ference to the effect that tn,
United States is at peace will
Japan and perfectly friendly, too.
But by this time Secretary HUI
shad given his final summary not
to Japan November 26) which tn
Army Board report stated was tn
Sdocument that touched the buttol
Sthat started the war, as Ambassado
Screw so aptly expressed it." B,
athis time. too, Secretary Hull ha,
ktold Secretary Stimson that tn
Japanese situation lis now in tn
shands of you and Knox-the Arm
il and the Navy But the country di,
~ lp l.. -