Evening star., 1950-09-28
Daniels Biography
OF President Truman
Stirs 6. 0. P. GIee
White House Stuff Aide
Hos Revealed Hypocrisy
Of Public Utterunces
By David laurence

pralSing JonaLnan Daniels ana
passing the ammunition around.
They are also quoting with glee
from the book of Job, who cried
out, 'Oh. that mine adversary
had written a book"
For now a member Of the
White House staff-an authority
on Misunderstanding in all
friendliness to paint favorable
picture of President Truman, has
revealed the hypocrisy of certain
public utterances. The citizenry
might well wonder what to be-
lieve hereafter when a missive
comes from the Chief Executive
speeding the departing Cabinet
officer or valued member of his
official entourage.
Jonathan Daniels in his biogra-
ply of the President attributes to
Mr.. Truman direct quotes-hith-
erto undiscloSed - condemning
former Secretary of State James
F. Byrnes as a miserable failure"
who fell down in his dealings with
Russia by being too easy with
them at the Moscow conference
of foreign ministers in 1945.
Yet the record shows that for
nine months thereafter Mr..
Byrnes remained as Secretary of
State and when he resigned he
got fulsome praise in letter that
didn't seem at the time to be in
sincere or hypocritical.
Stirs Public Skepticism.
In what an awkward position
the Daniels book puts Mr.. Tru-
man! For. in effect. it unwitting-
ly tells the public to be skeptical
about the f1rst-name Salutations
and the letters of praise that go
out to officials who resign. 1t also
underlines the tragic fact that the
American people are often de-
ceived on the trend of foreign
policy and that the President of
the United States keeps from the
people the truth about what is
being done on foreign policy by
his Secretary of State. If suppress
sion and cover-up is the rule in
one case, why will not the same
thing be inferred in other cases?
If Mr.. Byrnes failed at the
Moscow conference. why wasn't
he summarily removed? 1t will be
recalled that Mr.. Byrnes was
known to the public as the spon-
sor of the policy of 'get tough"
with the Russians. 1t appears
now that Mr.. Truman wishes to
be known as having been tougher
than Mr.. Byrnes and he would
like the public to believe Byrnes
was a weakling.
This is the kind of thing con-
gressional committees would like
to probe. But the President can't
be put on the witness stand
against his will, and it is probable
that Mr.. Byrnes. who is about to be
elected Governor of South Carolina
on the Democratic ticket, will not
wish to carry on the feud.
Non Political Speech.
On the same day, however, that
the Daniels book was being re-
leased to the reviewers for their
comments, Mr.. Truman was max
ing radio speech under the aus
piceS Of the Women's Division of
the Democratic Party. He was
making an appeal for the election
to Congress of a majority of his
own party. He didn't come out
and say so frankly, because the
speech was billed as "non-polit-
ical." Yet it does not tax the
credulity Of listeners to come to
the conclusion that speech spon-
sored by the Democratic National
Committee has some reference to
the election of Democrats. This
bit of political nonsense, INDUCED
In unashamedly by the officials of
our Government nowadays-pre-
sumably to get free radio time
would not be consequential except
that it helps to build up the i'm
preston that in Washington
everything is fair in politics-even
untruth.
Mr.. Truman made in that
speech a curious statement. He
said in part:
"The Congress you vote for on
November 7 will have much to do
with whether we are to achieve
our goal of peace or be plunged
into another war. In that Con-
gress. there should be no room
Tor men or women who put
partisan advantage above their
country's welfare.
above all, be sure that the
candidates you vote for are not
the kind of people who will try
to divide us over petty issues or
weaken our international position
for purely partisan reasons"
How, it might be asked, can
Congress direct foreign policy
when it is the constitutional power
and duty Of the President to do
that job? The inference is that
Congress of its own initiative
and a Republican Congress-can
plunge the country into war. The
inference also is that there are
men in Congress who would delib-
erately sell out their own country
for partisan gain. Mr.. Truman
ought to name those men and
prove his case. Otherwise it'll
viii be said that he is merely try
Ing to out-McCarthy Senator NC
Carthy.