Evening star., 1949-06-27
Easing Of Cold War
Could Bring Big Cut in
Military Spending
Arms Budget Is So High
That Whole Domestic
Economy Is involved
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
It has been said often that the
key to American domestic policy
is Russian policy. But that point
has never seemed so pertinent as
it does In surveying the most
acute problem that is faced by
Congress today.
If the United States could be
sure, for example. that there
would be no war with Russia for
the next 10 years or more, 1t
would not be necessary to spend
$4,000, 100000 a year on re-
armament budget.
This is such an unprecedented
amount for the United States to
be spending on military defenses
that the whole domestic economy
is involved. The choice between a
balanced or unbalanced budget
has TO be made soon and. while
there are economies that can be
made in the nonmilitary seq
ments of the budget. everybody
would be happier if the prospect
of war were diminished so that
the military expenses could be
cut deeply.
The military folks quite nat
urally insist on as much money
as possible with which to fight
a theoretical war. They do not
say merely that enough arma-
ment must be provided to defend
the United States, but enough to
deter Russia from starting war.
This is an age-old thesis and
nobody has ever been able to de-
fine persuasively the exact amount
of military preparation that acts
as a deterrent.
Reds Think U. S. Bent on War.
An easing of international
tension is, therefore, welcomed
though it always carries with it
the customary warnings not to
be caught sleeping or lulled into
fancied security.
Curiously enough the Russians
have begun to believe that the
United States is bent on war.
Soviet propaganda harps on this
point continuously and quotes
from the speeches and statements
of military leaders on this side
who in the last year have openly
discussed targets in Russia as If
the next war were certainly not
far distant and would be fought
with the Soviets.
Diplomacy, which has for its
prime object the cementing of
friendly relations, cannot function
successfully where there is basic
attitude of mutual distrust. The
Paris conference just completed
was far more Of a success than
meets the eye. 1t represented at
least an effort on the part of
Russia to resume discussions and
to try to find some way of ad-
justing relations-if not agreeing
completely.
In these dispatches last year,
reference was made to the posi-
bility that an old device used in
diplomacy-the "modus vivendi'
might be revived. This is the
name given to an informal ar
rangement which, translated liter
ally, might be called "a method of
living" Actually II comes closer
to being a pattern for accepting
that which is unsolved. It means
that both sides. recognizing that
for the time being agreement on
vital points is impractical. agree
to find way to live with the ex-
isting disagreement.
European Problems Complex.
This is exactly what has been
developed at the Paris conference.
It Is always encouraging in diplo-
macy to see a "modus vivendi"
introduced. For it means that a
deadlock is not going to be per-
mitted to develop into such tense
relations as to make it possible
for some isolated incident to in
flame passions and provoke one
or the other or both sides to war.
The fact that the term cold
war" has been used for such a
long time has led many to be-
lieve that a hot war" was the
next step. The Paris arrangements
tend to mitigate any such i'm
preston, if not to erase 1t. .
The problems of Europe are SO
complex that even if the Russians
were disposed to agree on a pro-
gram there is always the differ
ence Of view as between the Brit
ish and the French. and some
times as between the British and
French on the. one hand and
the United States on the other.
This Is one reason why the Rus
slams have tried to maneuver
America into the position OF
direct negotiations with Moscow.
But these tactics have not sue
ceeded because the United States
must first consult and agree with
the British and French. The point
is that even with the best inten-
tions, the West and the East
would find 1t difficult to reach an
agreement on what should be done
about Germany.
Wars leave an aftermath OF
problems which physical force or
threats of force by themselves
cannot solve. Therein lies the
real challenge to human ingenuity
and patience.
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