Evening star., 1950-08-04
America Seen Resfiyt
After Many Defeats
By Red Propaganda
PoIiey-Mokers Blamed
In Failure to Denounce
Soviet as Ageressor
By David Laurence

0V D0Ut0 Laurence
When is the United States Gov
ernment going to wake up on the
propaganda front, where the So
viets are administering defeat
after defeat?
The fault does not lie in the
'Voice Of America" or in the ma
chinery for distributing informa-
ton but In the policy-makers here
at the very top.
For Warren Austin, American
ambassador to the United Nations,
takes orders from the government
here. He cannot speak a single
word of policy without approval
here in advance.
So the question again is why
does the United States Govern
ment stand Indifferent to the facts
of international life today? Why
does the United States hesitate
timidly. perhaps cravenly. to pro-
nounce Soviet Russia the aggres-
sor and disturber of world peace?
Why is Russia allowed to sit in
the UN without standing trial for
her crimes of aggression?
Answer Whispered.
The only answer that has ever
been whispered hereabouts is that
this might perhaps offend the
Russians and make them mad and
1t might possibly mean war. This.
however, is not the language of
American statesmen. 1t is not
the language Of the men who
have ventured forth under the
American flag to assert American
rights and to express American
courage from the days the repub-
lie was founded.
President Truman must make
the fateful decision about pro-
nouncing Russia the aggreSsor.
II he is waiting for his cabinet
officers to tell him what to do,
then he Is not asserting his own
leadership, which everyone who
knows him is aware is not lack
ing in fortitude.
Has the President been i'm
pressed by the Fancy Dams" of
diplomacy who say it isn't digni-
fed for the United States to ex-
press itself vehemently? Nor is it
dignified perhaps to use flame
throwers and bombs in Korea. It
Is the inexorable fact of Ameri-
cas- survival which must be taken
into consideration in these crit
tcal times and not some rule in
the etiquette book of diplomacy.
The American people are res
tive. Every bit of evidence of the
way public opinion is manifesting
itself shows that the people are
tired of being pushed around in
the court Of world opinion by
Soviet propaganda and that they
are beginning to resent not only
the military lnpreparedness of the
administration but also its diplo-
matte Illustration.
Personal Aspects.
Too often these matters are af-
fected by personal aspects. Just
yesterday Representative Priest.
Democrat, of Tennessee, prodded
by veteran groups who wanted to
know where he stood on the eve of
a primary election in which he
was candidate for renor1laation,
said that he would use his influ-
ence to secure the resignation of
Secretary Of State Acneson and
Secretary Of Defense johnson.
The President told mis- news con-
ference that a member of the
Democratic leadership in the
House in which Mr.. Priest holds
the title of assistant whip should
not have made such a statement
and that, so long as Mr.. Truman is
in the White House, both of these
cabinet officers would remain in
office.
Whatever personal ties OF devo-
tion Mr.. Truman may have toward
his appointeeS, it was a mistake
for him to underwrfte the texture
of Office of members of his cabinet
that way. For Mr.. Truman there
by opens himself up to the charge
that personal sensitiveness or
stubbornness would allow him to
keep in Office anyone when the
best interests Of the country in
wartime require changes.
There are many members of
Congress-in the Senate as well
as the Housewife think that
new leadership in the State and
Defense Departments would give
the country a lift in morale that
would be stimulating indeed. But
they may or may not be right as
to whether the country desires
such removals. For it may well be
that this is merely the usual hys-
terra when it isn't easy to fix re-
sponsibility on the persons really
to blame for our clumsiness and
blunders.
Signs of Lost Confidence.
Certainly, however, there are
signs that Mr.. Truman himself
is not as confident of the worth
of the two cabinet secretaries as
he used to be. Otherwise, it is
asked, why did he create at the
White House the Office of "Spe-
cial Assistant on Foreign Affairs"
and appoint Averell Hartman to
that job, which certainly is rather
a novel substitute or supplement
to the position of Secretary of
State. Also it is being said that
the recent formation of the Joint
Board of Secretaries of the Army,
Navy and Air Force, under the
Craftsmanship Of Secretary Of the
Army Frank Pace, was a step ap-
proved by the President but hat
it was taken on the initiative of
the three secretaries themselves.
Could 1t be that Frank Pace is to