Evening star., 1948-04-11

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equel to his American Foreign
series of publications, reports. stu
| dies and investigations which re-
vealed a different explanation OF
events than had been given to the
people by President Roosevelt and
the State Department. Each en-
larged the area of information until
the Congressional Joint Committee
report, although narrowly 'circum-
scribed by executive order restrict
| ing its ability to get official records,
probed as exhaustively as may ever
be needed to reveal the truth.
DR.. Boards examination OF these
majority and minority reports and
separate views of Representative
Keefe, together with his painstak-
ing sitting of the voluminouS evi-
dence gathered by the committee
and turned up in other quarters Is
an exhaustive labor in critical his
topography.
Misleading Language.
What does DR.. Beard say about
the crucial questions? Who decided
the issue of American entry into
the war, and when? Events and
conditions played a part. But the
fateful decisions, according to DR..
Beard, came from the secret COM
mitments and actions Of Mr.. Roose-
velt and his associates who pro-
gressively maneuvered not only for
the first shot," but also to shift
American public opinion in favor
of war, by pronouncements couched
in the misleading language Of peace
and American security.
The time OF decision was long
before Pearl Harbor - and long
enough in the critical days before
December Z for responsible Wash
ington leaders to put their Pacific
commanders on the clear war alert
which DR.. Beard believes they failed
to do.
Errors of Judgment"
What of the charges against KIM
mel and Short? Demolishing the
Roberts report by an analysis OF
all subsequent data, DR.. Beard finds
no agreement of judgment but ap-
parently supports the preponderant
opinion among the investigators
that the two commanders were
chargeable with "errors Of judg-
ment" and not "dereliction Of duty"
Significant omission from Boards
book on this point is the list Of
measures taken. omitted or neg
lected, from which can be formed
a conclusion that these command
ers were responsible not for the
attack on Pearl Harbor, but for the
failure to have its existing defen-
sive strength in readiness for action
appropriate to what knowledge they
had, and thereby contributing to
the disaster.
Pearl Harbor is something more
than a tragic event in the Nations
history. 1t is the elimination Of a
theory about the part America
should play in the world and OF
radical departures from the phi
losophy of government contained
in our constitutional system. 1t is
this which gives Pearl Harbor and
its preceding diplomacy significance
for the present and future.
DR.. Beard Disagrees.
The theory, as DR.. Beard inter-
prets publicists who justify Mr..
Roosevelt's conduct, is that Mr..
Roosevelt early discovered the
necessity of entering the war
against Hitler or suffer the rise of
totalitarian power which after
engulfng Europe would sweep down
upon the United States. The stark
issue was a free world of democracy
or a totalitarian despotism. But
the American people were not then
aware of this deep issue and hence
President Roosevelt had to dissem-
BILE in order to be elected and to
lead his people in the positive world
obligations of a free democracy
against totalitarianism. His du-
plicity in conduct and disregard Of
constitutional government in lead
ing the country to war was thus ex-
planned on the ground that the
great end justified the means.
Tested by consequences is this
valid? DR.. Beard thinks not. The
four freedoms and the Atlantic
Charter were discarded for all prac-
tical purposes and many nations
enslaved. A worse totalitarian
despotism, Russia, has taken Hit
ler's place, aided by commitments
Roosevelt made and misrepre-
sented publicly and privately. In
stead of the promised peace and Sc
curity, the United States must be
converted into an armed camp
while domestic prosperity and re-
forms are indefinitely blocked. The
national debt, grinding taxes and
military expenditures are enormous
Despite its entrenched bureaucracy
the Democratic Party was defeated
in 1916 and is now split in bellig-
erent factions.
Was Roosevelt Justified?
Mr.. Roosevelt's successor, bound
by his commitments and following
in his footsteps, has set out on an
unlimited program" of supporting
by money and other forms of power
for an indefinite time an indefinite
number of other governments
around the globe" while domestic
affairs become appendages to man
agement of the world. Tested by
these consequences, DR.. Beard asks,
is this the end which justifies the
means Roosevelt chose and used?
In thus sharply criticizing current
doctrines of foreign policy, DR..
Beard holds that American world