Evening star., 1950-04-22
Gillette Seen Rigging
Proposed Inquiry Into
U. 5. Policy on Reich
Pepper and Lehman,
Moreenthou Plan
Bockers, Join Him
By Dorothy THOMPSON

oC41oOOA OAJ 4N4' A444SbOSB OCAA4o-
crat. of Iowa, and seven other
Senators will request President
Truman to name a commission
to inquire into United States
foreign policy in Germany. They
note reports from that country
which tell of revived German
army under Communist command
OF "intimations of political black
mail by Western Germans who
threaten to jump into the arms
Of Stain if their demands are not
met" and of "the resurgence of
anti-democratic forces in that
country"
The Senators contend that the
American people need more facts,
and wish to send a commission to
learn "how grave is the threat of
conspiratorial movements in that
country"
A glance over the members of
the group suggests that some of
them are the last people fitted to
advise Americans regarding Ger
man policy. In the past they have
pressured our Government to
adopt the measures, animated
solely by revenge, which have most
contributed to create the crisis
which they now pretend to
deplore.
Backed Morgenthau Plan.
Senators Pepper, Kilgore and
Lehman, for instance, supported
the notorious Morgenthau plan.
which the Kremlin itself might
have designed as American policy.
Senator Gillette observed, from
Western Germany come stories
that new demands on the occupy
ing powers are being prepared in
anticipation of the forthcoming
foreign ministers conference in
London" and it is in this connec-
tion that he reported threats ito
jump into the arms of Stalin."
Herewith the Senators who
want to investigate" rig their in
vestigation in advance.
The Bonn government is, in
fact, greatly perturbed about the
forthcoming foreign ministers
conference. It has extremely good
reasons to believe that, despite
growing unemployment, the West
ern Allied high commissioners in
tend to continue the reduction of
German industrial potential into
1952-a sure way of losing the
German masses-and that at the
foreign ministers conference, Mr..
Acheson "for the sake of Western
unity" will make further conces-
sions to France at the expense of
Germany, and as a prelude to an
understanding with the Soviet.
Seek No Axis with Soviet.
The German people and intel
1ectual leadership want no axis
with the Soviet Union. That is
more than can be said of the
French masses and of outstand-
ing French intellectuals.
But politics has it's inevitable
dynamics.
And there are American forces
who would bear investigation
who sabotage every encourage
n1ent to German Western orienta-
tion.
Any government, in any country
Except, apparently our ownD
must win victories for it's foreign
policy, or face being supplanted.
A German-Soviet axis can only
come out of despair and in pref
erence to another squeeze play
between the West and Russia.
= Chancellor Adenauer has staked
his political future on winning
something for his dismembered.
destroyed and divided land out of
wholehearted cooperation with
the West. especially France. But
he is encountering a repetition of
the perpetual German experience
that a weak and cooperative
Germany is rebuffed, while a
strong and aggressive Germany is
needed.
Why NatiOnalism Grows.
This is the explanation of the
growing nationalism in Germany.
It is a political response to a
political experience, so inevitable
that it could be foreseen by any
one with political sense. even if
he had never set foot in that
country.
Nobody, furthermore. loves
democracy as an abstraction. De-
mocracy must fulfill the needs OF
the people at home and prove
capable of defending them abroad,
or it will hold no followers-in
Germany or anywhere else.
We gravely suspect the purpose
of the proposed investigation. We
suspect that most of the eight
Senators want to create a publicity
sounding board for revival of
their own disastrous policies; poll
cieS more dangerous for the United
States than are those of Far East
ern experts.
We suspect that they want to
pave the way. by a public cam
paign, for projects already formu-
lated in Mr.. Acheson's mind, for
the forthcoming foreign ministers
conference: projects which-if
carried through-will add another
foot to the grave being dug for
Western civilization, not by the
Russians, but by the West itself.