Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-08-13
Korean Crisis Changes
Political Picture
Writer Outlines Views
Of Rival Parties
By Fronk R. Kent

1t seems agreed by the politicians in
both parties that so far as the November
elections are concerned Korea has
drained public interest in all domestic
issues The feeling is that the Korean
war, in particular, and foreign policy, in
general, will influence the voters capable
of being influenced.
For many reasons this is unfortunate,
but it is true. Two views as to the politi-
cal scene exist. On the Democratic side
there are admitted liabilities as well as
assets Administration strategiStS place
high among the former the fact that Mr..
Truman's plans for another whistle-stop
swing around the country have had to
be Scrapped. In a crisis such as this,
that kind of presidential demagoguery.
however successful in the past, would
not be tolerated. A second liability is
that the popular appeal of the expensive
and expansive Truman Fair Deal to
hell-with- economy" program has been
measurably lost by its enforced post
ponement.
On the other side, it is pointed out
that in time of any foreign threat to
the national security there always is
disposition to support the President This
was evidenced by the quick and favor
able response to Mr.. Truman's firm &C.
ton against the Russian-inspired in
vaSion by the North Koreans. 1t is
further asserted that it was the nearneSs
of war in 1910 and the actual war in
1914 that proved of immense aid to the
late Mr.. ROOSEVELT they did not
actually elect him. At such times there
is great power in the Don't change
horses appeal.
AS for the Republicans, they see in
the present state of affairs nothing but
political profit. They believe their pros
poets for gaining control of Congress are
greatly enhanced. While conceding the
tendency to uphold the White House in
cumbent in a foreign war, they are con-
WINGED this will be offset by the made
quacy of Mr.. Truman personally and the
weakness of the men by whom he is sur
rounded. There is considerable evidence
to sustain this contention, and also to
bolster the three-point indictment which
the Republicans are preparing to pre-
sent.
This is as follows: First, that the Tru-
man foreign policies directly contributed
to the creation of the Korean crisis; that
they have been feeble, futile-and worse;
second, that Mr.. Truman failed to keep
the defenses of the country in reason
able state of preparedness for exactly
the sort of mess that now has arisen and
which should have been foreseen: third,
that having through lack of foresight,
permitted us to be forced into a dis
advantageous and difficult war Mr.. Tru-
mans course has been inexcusably fla
vored by politics.
They will charge that he shrank
from the indisputably sound Baruch
plan for curbing imitation because it
involved putting a ceiling on wages. In
brief, it will be alleged that Mr.. Truman
took no real step to prevent dangerous
imitation or to effect economies obviously
necessary to restore health to our in
ternal fiscal position-the first requisite
of strong defense.
And, despite the failure Of the
bungling Mccarthy to Substantiate his
specific charges the Republicans will
point out that good many top secret
State Department documents probably
were stolen by employees and turned over
to Communist agents. that from the
start of the Hiss case, the Administra-
ZION mas refused 10 Acknowledge Tic
facts and has taken the utterly unten-
able position that all charges were "red
herrings" Considering all this, it Is
easy to understand why it is believed the
war in Korea has rendered the Admin
istration far more vulnerable than be-
fore. To most of these charges there
seems no convincing answer. The only
person in Washington who holds that
hotfpr
ever is Democratic Chairman Boyle. But
that is his business.