Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-01-16
Essential to Our Own Safety

1SSSVAsAs w WI SWV SAbSty
In its first official public outline Of
American policy regarding the project, the
State Department has effectively set forth
the major arguments in favor Of having
the United States associate" itself with
the proposed North Atlantic security pact.
The central argument revolves around
Soviet policy. That policy-a policy Of
chaos breeding obstructionism in the
United Nations and direct and indirect
aggression aimed at spreading the Krem-
Inns dominance over the whole of Europe
has created such fear and insecurity that
the governments Of the free Western world,
in order to safeguard that world must
unite in carrying out program of afarma-
tive counteraction.
Up to now the counteraction has been
made up primarily Of three key enter
prises: Cd American aid to Greece and
Turkey; co the Marshall Plan for Euro
pean recovery; and 81 the Brussels Treaty
Of March, 1948, under which Luxembourg,
Belgium, the Netherlands, France and
Britain have formed the so-called Western
Union, committing themselves to cooper
ate economically and politically and to
render mutual military assistance in the
event of an armed attack on any one of
them
But these three measures, as the State
Department persuasively argues, are not
going to be enough in themselves, though
their continuance Is vital and indiSpensa-
BILE, to make success of the overall effort
to hold back the Red tide. What is needed
in addition, is a resolute welding together,
within the framework of the U. N Charter,
of the North Atlantic community of ma
tons. To that end, the United States,
together with Canada, must join in
mutual assistance or mutual-security pact
with the five signatories Of the Brussels
Treaty, and with other like minded powers
if they are willing to join, such as Portugal,
Denmark and Norway.
Under the proposed pact, the United
States would not only pledge itself to
mutual assistance against aggression
affecting its own security, but would also
as the only country equipped to do So
help to strengthen the other signatories
with kind of peacetime military lease
lend. Wholly apart from the dollars and
cents costs involved, such a commitment
would, of course, constitute far-reaching
new departure in our traditional peacetime
foreign policy, which heretofore-as in the
Rio de Janeiro 1nter-American Treaty
has limited our participation in defensive
alliances to the Western Hemisphere. But
the world has changed profoundly. Things
like the atom and supersonic flight have
reduced it to small neighborhood. And
we are under a compulsion, in terms OF
our own interests and safety, to do every
thing possible to right the balance of
power in way that will save the remain
ing free nations of Europe from falling
one by one, like Czechoslovakia and nearly
a dozen other lands, to direct and indirect
Soviet aggression.
The reason why we must do this is self
evident. For if we do not do it, If we
waver before the threat and fail to cope
adequately with it while there is still time,
then it is more probable than possible
that the day will come when this Nation
will find itself alone and isolated in a
hostile world, with a Communicated
mated Asia on one side and Communist
dominated Europe on the other, and with
the oceans between offering only negligible
protection in the age of jet propulsion,
guided missiles, rockets and atomic and
archaeological weapons of mass deStruc-
ton.
1t is because of this towering menace
that the United States Senate-through its
overwhelming 64-to4 vote last June for the
history making Vandenberg Resolution-is
already on record in support of the basic
policy just outlined by the State Depart
ment. 1t is policy Of realism designed
to tip the balance Of power in favor Of our
own Nation and the rest of the free world,
and to persuade Russia, sooner or later,
to substitute cooperation for aggression
Our participation in the North Atlantic
security pact-which would be carried out
in accord with the specific conditions set
forth in the Vandenberg Resolution-thus
is matter of the utmost Importance, and
it should have the support of every Amer
lean awake to what is happening in the
world Without it, the ultimate security Of
America, will be as much in jeopardy as
that of Western Europe.
Walk With Truman