Evening star., 1949-08-10
Historic Policy Of u. 5.
In Pacific Has Ended,
White Paper Shows
Reasoning in New Steps
Is Likened to Argument
OF Americu-Firsters
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
Somewhere in the recesses Of
the neither world where his satanic
majesty dwells, many chuckle
must come from his constituents
on reading-presumably Journal
ism tilrives there, too-the white
paper on China issued by the
United States Government.
For, If one turns back the pages
of history, 1t will be found that
the main reason why the United
States clashed with Japan was
over China. Hence the main rea-
son why the United States fought
a war across the Pacific at the
cost of tens of thousands Of Amer
lean lives was to protect China
against Japan.
The growth Of the militaristic
party In Japan was fostered by
the American refusal to allow
commercial expansion by Japan
In Manchuria back in the '20s.
Again and again the United States
showed a distinct partiality Tor
China as against Japan.
Rightly or wrongly. the United
States stood UP for China and
risked the ire Of the japanese
militarists which resulted In their
blundering attack on Pearl Har-
Dor in 1941.
China Held Abandoned.
Today the United States has
not only abandoned China but has
written off Southeast Asia and the
entire Pacific.
For, while there are hopeful
references to future aid to the
Chinese people and mild warn
ings about meeting possible Com
muniSt excuses, Asiatic observ-
ers know that the historic policy
of the United States in the Far
East has come to an end.
It Is q peculiar throwback to
the argument the America -firsters
and the much-abused isolation
lists" were accustomed to make a
decade ago. They always warned
that the United States must not
bite of more than 1t could chew
In world affairs and that America
had no business spreading its
strength thin around the world.
This now is precisely the line
Of reasoning which has led to the
present policy announced In the
White Paper. For President Tru-
man and his policy-making OFF,
. GERS decided that the United
States couldn't undertake to stop
: communism in Europe and in the
Far East as well.
It's the same species Of think
ing which caused the American
forces in the Pacific to be delib-
erately neglected in 1912 and 1943,
when the high command in Wash
ington. overruling the Navy's OBJ
jections. decided that there wasn't
enough war material to go around
and hence Europe had to be given
nearly everything.
Again Europe's communism Is
given priority, but this time there
is really no expectation of sizable
aid to the Far East. The decision
actually is to Let China stew in
her own Juice.
Mockery of -Pretensions.
The new policy makes a mock
arxy ~ Aynerieor r,rctanSi0nS in
the '20's and the '30's. II the
United States Government had
taken an objective instead OF a
partisan view on Chinese matters
in the '30's. Japan would have
been an ally of the United States
in the second World War as she
was in the first World War.
Countless expense would have
been brought to speedier con-
clusion. Americas worst blunder
was its failure to handle the Far
East in such a way as to keep
the United States from becoming
involved in a two-ocean war when
it had only a one-ocean navy and
an inadequate air force.
The administration now wrings
its hands and says it has done
everything it could and that it
Just can't do any more-and be-
sides, it alleges, the Chinese gen.
erals are corrupt and inefficient,
as If that is something new in the
Far East.
What the United States has
lacked, and still lacks, is a nom
partisan world policy. 1t has al
lowed its diplomacy to be shaped
by incompetent personnel and by
changing personnel. Too often it
has allowed commercial interests
in the Far East to dictate policy.
And now the United States faces
In the Far East a rise of Russian
influence, a threat to the future
life of Japan-our new ally-and
a possible series of successful ma
neuvers on the part of the Soviet
Union in Southeast Asia as well
as in India. It's a pretty big
part Of the world to treat as
casually as was done in the white
paper.
Reproduction Rights Reserved)