Evening star., 1950-05-30
Lie Should Be Given
All Encouragement
In Peace Mission
U.k. Head Undiscouroeed
By American AIoofness
To Mediation Efforts
By David Laurence

undiscouraged. He is apparently
the only man who sees possibil-
ity of bringing the cold war to an
end, and he thinks it can be done
II someone stays in the middle
and doesn't become the partisan
of either side.
Again, as has so often happened
In world history, an opportunity
presents itself for governments to
be mindful of the awful conse-
quences of arrogance and stub
bornness and to try to find a
healing formula instead of re-
signing themselves to the ulti-
mate business of organized mur-
der"-more euphemistically re-
ferred to as war"
Mr.. Lies mission to Washing
ton is of transcendent Importance.
1t cannot be dismissed as the
journey Of a meddler. What else
was the United Nations created
for but to furnish mediation ma
chinery when rival powers seem
unable to compose their differ
ences through the ordinary chan
nels Of diplomacy?
Treated with Scorn.
1t is most unfortunate that be-
fore Mr.. Lie had conferred with
Stain, before he had visited Lon
don and Paris and talked with
high officials everywhere, his er-
rand was treated with scorn in
dispatches rejecting Official atti-
tudes. Even before it was pub
liShed that he would come to
Washington to talk with Presi-
dent Truman and Secretary Ache
son, the unofficial word was dis
seminated here that it wouldn't
do any good.
The tragic fact is that this is
characteristic of closed minds. It
emphasizes hazardous disregard
of the risks of drifting from a
cold war into hot war. No high
official. of course. thinks he is
guilty of such indifference. Yet
men in positions of responsibility
often develop kind of blind con-
f1dence in the rightness of their
own judgment. They leave no
room for doubt as to their own
infallibility.
Trygve Lie didn't discuss with
the press what he said in his in
innate conversations with the
President and the Secretary OF
State. But it is apparent that the
American attitude of the moment
Is one of aloofness to any sort OF
mediation which does not start
with some conspicuous act of re-
assurance from Moscow. There is
such deep distrust about confer
ences themselves that they are
considered superf1uous. This is q
dangerous state for the relations
between major powers to reach
and indicates more than ever the
need for a bold Intervention and
some persistent effort to change
rigid positions.
Barrier Can Be Overcome.
The United States Government
processes to be interested only in
peace-making. 1t also fears that
the word of the Russian govern
ment is meaningless in any pledge
that would be given. Distressing
as is this barrier, it is by no means
lnsurmountable. Usually two par
ties to a dispute reach that par
tlcular point of mutual distrust
and yet experience teaches that
there are always ways to solve the
unsolvable when there is a will to
do some solving.
Basically, Trygve Lie can as
sure the American Government
that Russia has a will to settle
the cold war. and he can assure
Russia that America has a SINH
lar desire. To get a formula for
peace is not just to suggest a re-
treat or advance of one particular
issue. The dispute, for example.
over whether the Chinese Com
mun1st government shall be seated
in the Security Council is not now
and never has been the real is
sue in the u. N. There are many
more points of friction, and about
all that the controversy over rec
ognizlng Communist China adds
is just one more tangle in the
skeln OF controversies which must
be disentangled entirely before
progress ,can be made.
Politically. it is risky at the mo-
ment for the Truman administra.
tion to agree to give the Chinese
Communist government a seat ir
the Security Council, but it i.
even more risky politically to fol-
low a course that can make the
administration appear to be stun.
bling into war with Russia. The
time to stop war is long before
the casualty lists start coming in
and the cities of the United States
begin to be bombed. Peace is q
better political issue than any
other.
Trygve Lie is the only man in
the world who in this critical mo-
ment in the affairs of mankind
can keep the doors open in Mos
cow and Washington. He can
NY back and forth and submit
proposals and COUNTER proposals
II desired. That was the spirit
behind the creation of the U. N
itself. The world will be patient
while Trygve Lie tries to bring
some sense into the situation. It
could be the most important me-
dlation OF all time, and hence Mr..
Lie should be given every encour-
agement.
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