Evening star., 1949-01-23

vidual can aspire. People from al
Washington to see the little man"
battle was that he had confidence
wanted somebody from the grass rot
The popular applause has now
Mr.. Truman and his intimates are
US. and more than Immediately
after the November elections he IS
taking stock of the situation which
he himself realizes is more difficult
than any of his predecessors have
had to face.
Big Riddle Remains
Politicians and newspaper and
radio commentators are emphasiz-
ing the large program of social
legislation and the inherent heavy
taxation which the Chief Executive
has already sent to Congress and
will continue to send in the next
few weeks. Mr.. Truman intends to
live up to his pledges and will
present demands for legislation on
the basis of his electoral promises.
How much of this will be enacted is
q matter for Congress. The Presi-
dent has very little to say about it.. J.
But there is one type of problem
confronting the Nation which can
not be settled by legislation alone.
1t is the complex, difficult and
threatening world situation.
In spite of the emphasis which is
placed on domestic matters - and
this neither the executive nor the
legislative branch of the Govern
ment is willing to admit-all the
far-reaching social program which
the administration considers so
vital these days will yield no re-
suits so long as the international
situation remains as dark and
threatening as it is today. So long
as we have to spend between S20,-
0OOO0O.OOO and s25. 5.OO0OOO,OOO year
on national defense and economic
and military aid to the West our
financial and economic stability will
remain precarious
In fairness to President Truman.
his cabinet and advisers, there is
nothing much that can be done
about it.
There have been a number of
statements, hints and innuendoes
that Mr.. Truman is prepared to
pull a rabbit out of the hat and
improve the stranded Soviet-Amer-
lean relations, on which hinge the
whole difficult international situa-
ton. 1t has been whispered since
last October, When Mr. Truman
suggested sending Chief Justice
Vinson to Moscow, that the Chief
Executive was ready to embark on
an all-out appeasement policy which
would settle the East West conflict
at least temporarily. Mr.. Truman's
inaugural address seems to have
completely discredited these rumors.
Soviet Unyieldin9
Regardless of what the admins
tration may or may not have in
mind, appeasement of the U. S. S. r.
is impossible today. 1t takes two
to get married-even when it is a
pistol-point wedding-and the Rus
slams won't play.
1t is true that for reasons Of
diplomatic strategy and tactics the
Kremlin may now and then give
the impression that it is not opposed
to a policy of reconciliation. But
all those who have spent their time
in actively studying the present
problems agree that nothing short
of complete surrender on our part
would satisfy the Soviet leaders.
And there is no indication that
Mr.. Truman has been influenced by
the suggestions of the only man
who has made such a proposal, his
former Secretary Of Commerce,
Henry A. Wallace.
The Russians, according to those
who have Scrutinized their policies,
not only recently but for many
years, have intended to establish
Red supremacy over all the world.
America is the only obstacle in their
path today.
Unlike the United States, Russia
set its sights long ago and knows
exactly what it is doing and where
1t is going. Ideologies are for ex-
port consumption. The Politburo
has none. 1t made an alliance with
Hitler not because it feared the
German might but because the Red
leaders were convinced that only
by unleashing a second world war
could they hope to become the
dominant power in the world, on
the ruins of the Western nations.
For a while after VI Day it
looked as if the Politburo would
attempt to establish its cherished
policies by anothef war IN "Hlcli
the United States would be the
principal target.
Reds Hope Well Go Broke
But a new element apparently
entered into their calcula ations. So
Wet economists have been working
overtime studying the various curbs
of Americas economic and social
structure. They have come to the
conclusion that the world recovery
policies initiated by American
statesmen could but bankrupt this
Nation if they were continued for
a long time.
And the cold war was adopted
by the Politburo rather than the
somewhat risky shooting war
We hit upon solution to counter
the Red menace by rehabilitating
Europe through the Marshall Plan.
It soon became the American
"Maginot Line" in Europe. When
some realistic legislators declared
that the amounts nvolved-some