Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-01-09
Marshall Foes Hone
For Shifts in FOREIGN
Policy Under Acheson
By the Associoted Press

Critics of Marshall-Lovett diplo-
macy are expected to press the State
Department to reverse itself on sew
, eral major issues after Dean Ache
son and James E. Webb take over
foreign policy direction.
President Humans declaration
that the switch from Gen. Marshall
to MIR. Acheson as Secretary of State
late this month will bring no change
in foreign policy is taken by most
informed persons here at face value
But it does not preclude the posi-
bility that Mr.. ,Acheson will go
about carrying out this foreign poll
cy in a manner quite different from
Gen. Marshall.
Policy issues to which Mr.. Ache
son may have to give considerable
attention in the first week include:
l. American operations in Ger
many and Japan.
z. The question of aid to China.
3. The state of relations between
the United States and Western
European countries-including the
Netherlands which have been taking
an American beating over the fight
ing in Indonesia.
Optimism Expressed.
One indication of reviving hope
among critics of recent American
actions came to light yesterday
among leaders of the Cooperative
League of the United States of
America, an organization promoting
the cooperative movement. The
league published a letter from the
State Department rejecting its lat
est petition for the United States
to support international, co-opera-
tive ownership of the Ruhr indus
tries of Germany.
Jacob D. Beam, chief of the de-
partment's Central European Divis-
sion, advised the league by letter
of the present basic Government
policy; that international owner
ship of the Ruhr resources would
interfere with German production
and therefore with the European
Recovery Program.
In making public Mr., Beams re-
ply, the league added In footnote
that the leagues president, Murray
Lincoln, aid his associates were
faced with momentary pessimism
on receipt of the Beam letter but
this was supplanted by hope and
optimism when the State Depart
ment changes were announced"
On another aspect of the problem
In occupied countries, there has
been over the last two years a
gradual shift of emphasis in
American policy away from reforms
of German and japanese basic
economy and toward measures to
make both countries self-support-
ing.
Recovery Advocates Win.
The shift of emphasis has been !
accompanied by running contro-
versy in the State and Army De-
partments here and among occupa-
ton authorities abroad as to wheth-
er 1t was a good idea to give meas !
ures for recovery priority at any
point over measures of reform. The
recovery advocates have won out to
this point.
In the case of China, Gen. Mar
shall and Mr.. Lovett, on the advice
Of their diplomatic experts. have
blocked any move by the United
States which would deeply involve
the country on the side of Chang
Kai-shek. Diplomatic authorities
would not be surprised if Madame
Chang makes appeals to Mr. Ache
son for about China aid.
Even on the European recovery
program itself Mr.. Acheson may
have to answer some difficult ques-
tons. The Europeans, for example.
recently came up with figures to
show that at the end of four years
when the program is supposed to
expire they still will not be self
supporting.
Critical Question.
The critical question here is
whether the United States should
now tell the Europeans to pull their
belts tighter and make greater use
Of their own resources, or whether
1t should hold out hope that even
when the Marshall plan ends
American dollars will still be avail
able for needy countries.
In the case of Indonesia, Under
secretary Lovett, again on the ad-
vice of his diplomatic experts, ran
into a conflict between American
interests in % winning the good
will OF colonial peoples throughout
Asia, and CD American co-opera-
ton with The Netherlands in hold
ing communism at bay in Europe
Mr.. Lovett chose to back the
1ndonesians in American moves
through the United Nations Secur-
ity Council. Opponents thought
Americas major interest lay with
the Dutch. There seems no doubt
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