Evening star., 1950-12-21
Real Acheson Issue
Seen as Question Of
Pacific Policy Change
Record Made in Far East
Is Bosis Of Antogonism
To Secretary Of State
By David La,crence

By David Laurence
President Truman has decided
not to change his Secretary of
State-but that's only half the
problem. The real issue is whether
the Far Eastern policy Of the State
Department is to be changed.
Many Of the persons who know
Dean Acheson well have been
amazed at the bitterness Of the
attack against him as an individ-
ual, for they have never discerned
in him any basis for personal
charges Of affinity for the doc
trines Of Communism or for the
policies Of Soviet Russia.
To dismiss the campaign against
Mr.. Acheson as simply Mccarthy
ism or Republican partisanship,
however, would be grave mis-
take for the friends Of the ad-
ministration to make. The issue
which is causing a widespread
campaign Of attack against the
Secretary of State-and which &C
counts for the frequently heard
contention that he has lost the
confidence of the country-turns
on the record Of the State De-
partment in Asia.
Record Not a Good One.
The record is not a good one.
Whatever the explanations may
be. the policy which led the ad-
ministration to propose at one
time that Communists be taken
into the Nationalist government
can be said to have contributed
to the downfall Of Chang Kai-
shek. The argument that he was
corrupt or Ineffective as leader
does not erase the fact that the
Government Of the United States
was partly responsible for the rise
of the Communist regime in China
through extending moral support
to the opponents Of Chang Kai-
shek.
The record toward Korea like
wise has not been good. There
was tendency to regard Syng-
man Rhee as a "reactionary"-
which is the Communist charac-
terization Of him-and the State
Department did not give whole
hearted support to the Korean
republic. Considerable debate has
developed in Congress on how
much economic and military aid
actually was extended to the Ko-
Tean republic.
But when, last January, it was
announced by the Secretary of
State that the American defense
line did not include Korea, this
was taken by the Communists to
mean that they had a free hand
to invade South Korea.
Now 1t turns out that nobody
was more forceful or positive
about resisting the aggression in
Korea last June than was Dean
Acheson. He has never been
soft" about the Russians and
his attitude toward Soviet Russia
on European questions has been,
II anything, more rigid and in |
flexible in its opposition than that |
OF anybody on Capitol Hill.
So far as Secretary Acheson's
record in Europe is concerned. It'll
Is above criticism. When Presi-
dent Truman said that, If Com
munism were to prevail in the
world Dean Acheson would be
one Of the first, if not the first,
to be shot by the enemies of
liberty and Christianity" he GER
tainly was stating the obvious to
any one who knows the record.
Easic Antagonisn.
But, when all is said end done,
the European aspects of the mat
ter do not touch the basic anita
gonism to Secretary Acheson. The
case against him is founded on
his Far Eastern policy. 1t might
be said that any one can make
mistakes and that this is not the
time to rehash them. But that's
not what the opposition to Secre-
tary Acheson on Capitol Hill is
concerned about.
The truth Is the critics Of Sec
retary Acheson fear he will, by
one means or another, seek loop
holes In procedure or will pas
sively accept moves which will
ultimately permit Red China to
get a seat on the q. N. Security
Council, that he will sacrifice For
mosa. and that he will abandon
the South Korean population.
Nobody knows at this moment
what the American policy is going
to be on these matters, but it is a
safe bet that If the State Depart
ment announced that it would
use the veto to keep Red China
out Of the Security Council, that
1t would use its influence to per-
suade other nations to vote
against any measure in the As
sembly which looks toward ad-
mission of Red China, and if
there were a positive policy to
carry on air and sea power meas
ures against Red China to protect
Korea and the American defense
line in the Far East, much, If not
all. Of the opposition to the con-
tinuance Of Secretary Acheson in
the cabinet would be removed. It
is future policy that will keep the
controversy going. and it is modi-
f1cation Of existing policy that will
end the controversy.
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