Evening star., 1950-11-20
The 'Re-Exominists'- or Bad?

Secretary of State Dean Acheson in his
address to the National Council of Negro Women,
has used humor, tinged perhaps with sarcasm,
to make clear that although American isolation
lists are said to be as extinct as the dodo or the
saber -toothed tiger, he himself has some serious
misgvings about the new species that seems to
have come on the horizon to supplant them.
This new species according to Mr.. Acheson,
Is what II call the re-examinist because the
re-examinist says, want to re-examine all our
policies and all our programs" Plainly enough,
although he has mentioned no names, the Sec
retary has in mind type of person whose
resemblance to Senator Robert A. Taft-"Mr.
Republicans much too close and striking to
be purely coincidental.
Thus, it will be recalled that MIR. Taft-in
his lively press conference of, November 13-
declared that isolatonism is impossible in these
days and that anybody is an idiot who calls
anybody else an isolationist" It will be recalled,
too, that the triumphant Ohio Senator went on
to say that he certainly not opposed in principle
to giving military assistance to Western Europe
In the form of arms shipments and additional
American divisions; but "aS to the scope of the
aid, the methods, as to the character of it, that
whole problem ought to be thoroughly re-
examined by the new Congress"
What bothers Mr.. Acheson, apparently, is
that Mr. Taft and others of like mind are vague
as to just what kind of re-examining they con-
template. Will they resemble "a farmer that
goes out every morning and pulls up all his crops
TO see how they have done during the night?"
VIII they act like "some one who comes down to
breakfast in the morning and looks at his wife
or at her husband and says, DO really love that
man or woman? How did ever turn up here
with her or him?'" VIII they emulate "the sound
navigator who on long fight or a long voyage
cnecKS his course by the sun and stars every
day?" Or will they play the role of tickle and
vacillating ship captain who wonders, "How did
I ever get started on this? Do really want to
take this trip after all?"
In other words, at this highly critical moment
In history, Mr.. Acheson is frankly anxious to
know whether the "re-examinists" will seek to
criticize constructively without upsetting the
momentum and changing the basic character
OF our American program or whether they will
tear up and examine the very roots of the
policies upon which the whole future of the
free world depends" the policies
expressed In the North Atlantic Treaty the
Military Assistance Pact and the concept of
unlfled armed Western force to serve as a de-
fensive shield behind which the non-Soviet ma
tions can build up their economic power and
promote their common welfare.
Actually, judging from the tone of Mr.. Taft's
November Is remarks, there is some reason to
believe that Mr.. Achesons misgivings about the
"re-examinists" may prove to be quite unwar-
ranted. Moreover, as he himself has acknowl-
edged, it is certainly fact that our operations
throughout the world-as regards Spain, for
example, or France and German rearmament-
are not so perfect as to be above and beyond
Improvement through careful, level-headed
and realistic review by Congress
That said however Mr. Acheson hos dora
well to emphasize that we are in situation of
great complexity requiring constancy of purpose,
fidelity to our Allies, and "year after year after
year OF ehort"-an effort calling for courage and
steadfastness of kind that will enable the
United States and the rest of the free world to
achieve sufficient unity and strength to surmount
the grave perils of our time. If the "re-exam-
inists" keep that in mind and act accordingly
they will be helpers, not hinderers.