Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-08-11
Soviet Chiefs Blamed
For Growing Spirit Of
American MiIifarism
Even Mention Of Arms
Reduction Is Ridiculed
By Diplomats, Soldiers
By David Laurence

BY D0pfd Laurence
Four years have passed since
the fateful week when the first
atomic bomb was dropped on
men, women and children in
Japan.
Four years have seen no re-
pentance and no regrets for what
a decade ago might have been
characterized as an act of in
humanity.
The state of American public
opinion has changed materially
indeed from the days in 1889
when the late President Roose-
welt appealed to all belligerent
nations, in the interest of hu-
mainly, to forgo the bombing of
innocent civilians and to aim
their bombs solely at military
installations.
Today the American armed
forces have built their entire
strategy for a third world war
on the concept Of atomic bombs
to be dropped on men. women
and children in 10 cities in
Russia.
The atomic bomb, far from
being a weapon, therefore. that
is to be outlawed, is now the cen
trail point of American strategy.
Not a single voice is raised
hereabouts to urge that some
practical means be developed to
reduce ornaments and put an
end to the barbaric customs
adopted by all so-called civilized
nations. Negotiations on this
point have taken place and have
been abandoned on an overall
background of inept diplomacy.
Militaristic Views Pervasive.
Even the mention of arma-
nent agreements today is ridi-
culed.
What Is perhaps more signifi-
cant is the way the spirit of mill
tarism has grown. 1t now per-
vades the State Department as
we'll as the Defense Department
its civilian as we'll as its military
chieftains.
International policies now are
written by military men. The
drafts of memoranda later to be
embodied in presidential speeches
or in announcements of policy by
the State Department have their
origin in the so-called General
Staff" at the Pentagon Building.
where the thinking is very much
along the same lines as that of
the general staff" of Prussian
militarism.
Soldiers think in terms of
soldering. They are sincere and
patriotic men. They frankly do
not believe moral force can be
efficacious. They think that only
physical force can be effective.
This Is the natural thinking for
a military man in his own juris-
diction but, when he indoctrinates
civilians and officials in the State
Observation-Disclosures war preven-
ton is the paramount obligation
of diplomacy-a tragic cycle can
begin. One of the most pene-
trating comments on this point
comes from the pen of Professor
Hans Morgenthau of the Univer-
sity Of Chicago in his recently
published book, Politics Among
Nations" He says:
Given the nature of the power
relations between the United
States and the Soviet Union and
given the state of mind which
these two superpowers bring to
hear upon their mutual relations.
diplomacy has nothing with which
to operate and must of necessity
become obsolete. Under such
moral and political conditions, 1t
is not the sensitive. flexible. and
versatile mind of the diplomat,
but the rigid, relentless, and one
track mind of the military which
guides the destiny of nations. The
military mind knows nothing of
persuasion, of compromise q.
he knows only of victory and of
defeat"
Crisis Psychology.
The foregoing describes what
has happened to American diplo-
macy in recent months. Nobody
talks today about adjusting rela-
tions peacefully except in the
vaguest terms. The real fear ap-
parently is that the military pro-
gram might be upset or that Con-
gress might not appropriate
enough money for European arms
aid if there is the slightest posi-
bility of working out an agreement
or easing tension. One almost
suspects that the development of
a crisis psychology is deliberately
conceived as a piece OF world
strategy.
The strange incident at Paris
mentioned by Senator Dulles In
public debate in the Senate a few
weeks ago has not been forgotten.
He said members of the United
States delegation had before them
a proposal to create an artificial
state of alarm in the United States
as a piece of maneuvering. This
would have been regarded as alb
surd but for the authoritative and
official confirmation given the in
cident ID the New York Senator
who was present in Paris.
The main culprits-the evil
geniuses who are responsible for
our plight today-are Messrs.
Stain, Molotov, Vishinsky, Gro
myko and the whole politburo. BY
their stupidity they have played
into the hands of American mill
tarists and have almost completely
deadened the initiative of the per-
Brakes Refined
While You Wait