Evening star., 1950-06-24
1ydings Suggestion
OF Talk With Russia
Termed Dangerous
Thirst for Solution
For Everything Called
PeriIous TO America
BY Dorothy Thompson

ny DOfOIHy HOmpSOn
Senator Tydings' proposal that
the United States and the Soviet
Union "get down to a conference
table and stay there until they
have explored every possibility OF
achieving a Just and decent un-
derstsnding," reveals two Ameri-
can characteristics against which
We should be warned.
The first is that international
differences can be ironed out II
opponents will sit down and talk
The second is a characteristic
most dangerous to peace. which
is impatient thirst for immediate
solutions" to all problems.
Conflicts between great powers
cannot be settled by process re-
sembling collective bargaining
The notion that Stain is, at heart
good fellow who will listen TO
reason (our type) brought on the
present crisis. Each previous con-
ference with Russia was sought
by the United States-not Russia
and from each the Russians
alone won victories.
Conflict Is World Wide.
Sitting down and talking" has
nothing to do with diplomacy.
When the agent of a hostile power
approaches another, it must oe
with specific proposals, over spe-
cif1c points of conflict. Ours with
the Soviet union are worldwide.
There is. for instance, the oper-
alton of the Communist Interna-
tional. which Stain promised
President Roosevelt to liquidate.
Shall we ask him again?
There is the question of Com
munist China, and of holding
Formosa. South Korea, and
Southeast Asia. Can we keep the
Russians sitting in a conference
on these issues, when they won't
in the United Nations?
There is the question of Ger
many, where Russia demands we
withdraw.
There is the Atlantic Defense
Pact. which Russia is determined
we abandon.
Attitudes Are Known.
We need not explore" what the
Russian and Communist attitude
is. We know it, as the Russians
know ours. And unless one side or
the other is prepared to retreat,
a conference is useless. For. if it
succeeds, at the cost of further
appeasement, the people of this
country will become more. not
less, inf1amed and more, not less,
divided.
And if it fails, nothing will have
been accomplished for peace, but
exactly the contrary.
For the United States to take
the initiative at this time in an
other conference will be inter-
preted by Russia and our allies
as weakness. The inference that
I'VE" are prepared to lend the cold
war" assumes that we are guilty
of it, which is the Russian claim
but not the case. Our guilt" is
belatedly to organize defensive
resistance. The Russian campaign
is to persuade us to abandon it in
favor of point-by-point surrender.
A nation should never open ne
gotiations with an opponent when
it is relatively weak. That is an
axiom of successful foreign policy
Only a nation or alliance of supe-
rior strength can afford conces-
sions for the sake of agreement.
The West today is relatively weak
but growing stronger. The time
for negotiations is not yet.
Unworthy Of Great People.
The second characteristic - of
wanting an immediate solution, :"
and anticipating ultimate horrors
otherwise-is unworthy of great
people. Life has been relatively
easy for America. with the result
that we have never learned to &C
cept the fact that there are his
torical moments when no solution
is possible. There are, however,
many such moments. Such crises
are not overcome by impetuous or
hysterical action but by mobiliz-
ing all ones resources, standing
firm, preparing to weather the
storm, and keeping an open eye
to changing opportunities.
Many things happen in the
course of time, and history has a
way of playing strange pranks -
even with Russians.
The concept that war is the
only alternative to present ten
sions is hysterical-and can lead
to war, which is only another way
of forcing solution" Actually,
more people today are militant.y
against war than are for it. The
Russian system is unfavorable for
an aggressive war. The danger, at
present, does not lie there. 1t lies
rather in Russian anticipation
that the American people will
prove incapable of sticking out a
long and costly psychological
siege. And every such move as
Senator Tydings' encourages
them.
(Rsleased by the Bell Syndicate, Inc)