Evening star., 1950-06-11

Oh SLaEe ACIl6SOIl tOlQ Lllc AIiCl
ican people that the situation is
grave and unless we spend more
billions for defense of our Allies,
we may risk q catastrophe.
Defense Secretary johnson, who
last fall and winter started to trim
the fat of the Defense Depart
ment, and proclaimed that we
were fully prepared to repel at
s am. any attack that began at
4:30. has discovered that by trim
ming the fat he had cut out a
good deal of the lean meat.
Now Mr.. johnson has asked for
more money from Congress and
has presented a gloomy picture If
Congress does not extend the draft
bill for another two years.
The recent pessimistic state
ments by the Secretaries of State
and Defense are flagrantly con-
Trajectory to the rosy views pre-
sented by the Commander in
Chief, who is supposed to have
as much pertinent information
about what goes on in the world
as his two cabinet officers. 1t is
inconceivable that the State De-
partment and the intelligence Of
fees of the armed Offices are with
holding any pertinent information
from the White House.
Weapons Cause Optimism
In some quarters close to Pres
ident Truman it is said that the
latest development of weapons
such as atomic artillery and
atomic heads for guided missiles
assure us that we can smash any
attack from a Soviet army. This,
1t is said, is one of the grounds OF
the Presidents optimistic views.
At the same time. however, Maj
Gen. Arthur w. Vanaman, head
of the Armed Forces Industrial
War College, has warned that oui
lack of industrial preparation
makes q bleak and dangerous pic
ture.
These contributions from within
the circle of the official family oi
the Observation-Disclosures in an
election year when voters like .te
hear good news and frequently
overlook the bad news-are not al
important actually as the tragic
lack of our preparedness for 8
slobel defense.
According to Mr.. AcheSon's oWr
statement, we now have a global
diplomacy. But we do not have o
slobal defense. We are building
or hope to do so within the next
few years. strong barrier to the
Russians on the other side Of the
Atlantic. But we are leaving our
rear wide open in the Pacific.
Far East Neglected
We are spending many billions
to create q strong military force IN
Europe. But we are not doing
anything to raise barrier against
the Russian drive in the Far East,
except to create what our State
Department experts describe as
"better living conditions" for the
hundreds of millions of people who
inhabit those areas
These experts contend that since
Improvement Of living conditions
in Europe has increased the desire
Of the Western Europeans to resist
q Russian aggression. the same
thing must apply to the Far East
rs well. They overlook the fact
that as much as we talk about
equality between races. there Is
still a fundamental difference be-
tween the Asiatic and the West
ern European outlook on life. Our
policy-makers refuse to believe
that people accustomed to respect
only force for thousands OF years
can change overnight and adopt
the mentality of Western peoples
Neither President Truman MOI
his cabinet advisers nor the few
Senators and Representatives
whom he occasionally consults are
conscious of the importance OF the
Far East. They regard that huge
territory only as an area where
We could help improve living con-
ditions for the masses. But the
strategic and military Importance
Of that region escapes them alto
gether.
Thinking in Century Terms
There are a number of ofhcial'
In the State Department WHIT
know better. But unfortunately
those officials, whose advice might
have been useful, for a long time
have been won over 20 the view
that the corrupt Nationalist re
sime must disappear and make
room for the Communists, who
eventually may break away from
Soviet influence and adopt policy
Of their own.
These men may be right if WI
think In terms OF century, wher
Stain and the Politburo may be
only a memory. But from the
viewpoint of stark reality sbcut
the defense and survival of the
United States. they are as wrong
as those who advocated appease-
ment of Hitler and later Stain
They are as guilty as those who
refused to consider the potentia
threat to Pearl Harbor and left
the Pacific scantily defended ir
194l.
It is obvious to most military
students now that while the Rus.
slams are preparing feverishly fol
total war, they do not care te
start the fighting in an area where
they will have to meet real oppo.
sition. The aim of the Kremlir
dictators is to destroy the West
ern democracies which derive taeil
main strength from the only re.
naming effective opponent ol