Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-01-08
The Political Mill
Acheson Choice Raises
Questions on Reds Again
Senators Ask if American Policy
Toward Russia Is to Be Altered
Bv Gould Lincoln

by oOHu AWtUSs
The appointment Of Dean Acheson to be
Secretary Of State poses, in the congressional
mind, a number Of questions which certain
members Of the Senate would like to have
answered.
First, is the administrations policy toward
Communist Russia to be altered?
Second, will the new Secretary Of State act
energetically to rid the Department of fellow
Travellers" If any remain, and be energetic in
keeping out of the Department any who seek
to worm their way in? Also, what connection,
If any. did Mr.. Acheson have with Alger Hiss,
now under indictment?
Inner administration circles make no at
tempt to deny that some new effort to bring
about better relations between the United
States and U.S.S.R. may oe in the ofing, They
do deny, however, that any policy of appease-
ment will be tried. That, they say, is out.
Further, they expect the bipartisan foreign
policy to be continued under the new Secre-
tary In fact the administration is very earn
est in its desire to have the country continue
to show united front.
Qualified for Office.
There is apparently general agreement on
Capitol Hill that Mr.. Acheson is qualified for
the high Office to which he has been appointed,
both through experience and his own Abilities
His service in the State Department, Assist
ant Secretary at one time and as Undersec-
rotary at another, is quoted in his favor. 1t is
pointed out, also, that it was before a con-
gressional committee in 1947 that Mr.. Acheson
did not mince words in describing Russian
Soviet policy as both aggressive and expansion
list. He was speaking then for the Depart
ment, and the Russians Immediately demanded
that his statement be withdrawn, taking the
matter up with Secretary Marshall. Gen.
Marshall, however, backed up Mr. Acheson to
the limit.
The Republicans -or some OF them are
likely to probe as deeply as possible into Mr..
Acheson's relations with Alger Hiss, formerly
of the State Department., who has been charged
with providing confidential documents and
information for transmission to the Soviets.
Mr.. Acheson accompanied Mr.. Hiss once when
he appeared before the House Un-American
Activities Committee Administration Demo-
Gratis make light of this, however, and insist
that Mr.. Acheson and his record are above
suspicion. In the light of the Presidents many
charges that the House committee was merely
trying to draw a red herring across the I'M
happy trail Of the S0th Congress, the Republic
cans may be expected to make as much capital
as they can of any connection whatever be-
tween Mr.. Acheson and Mr.. Hiss.
Democratic supporters of Mr.. Acheson are
confident, they say, that he will do everything
in his power to help strengthen the United
Nations, in which, they add, he has been
greatly interested
Move Unexpected.
The announcement, of the resignation Of
Gen. Marshall and the appointment Of Mr.
Acheson struck Washington at an unexpected
moment. Belief had been growing for some
time that Gen. Marshall would retire-but it
was also the opinion that the President would
hold on to him as long as possible in the hope
of avoiding any embarrassment over the selec-
ton OF a successor 1t now appears, however,
that the administration had been working on
the matter much more rapidly than had been
supposed. g e.
While the Supreme Court has not been raided
to find a new Secretary of State, there is
good reason to believe that the President did
make an effort to obtain Chief Justice Vinson
for the job. The Chief Justice, however, ex-
pressed a strong preference to remain in his
present position on the bench. So far as AS
sociate Justice Douglas is concerned, except for
some of his close friends who have been work.
ing to get him the Secretary of State appoints
ment there seems to have been no move what
ever. Again the New Dealers who would like
to see Justice Douglas succeed Mr.. Truman
in the White House have been disappointed.
Justice Douglas mistake, if he wished to get
into active politics, was in declining to leave
man as vice presidential candidate.