Evening star., 1950-05-01
Red Issue Is Red Hot,
Sos Gambling, But
What About Defense!
Arms Budget Goes Up,
Yet Mary q Ripple From
Toxpoyers or Congress
By David Laurence


By David Laurence
1t is pleasing to report that
Notwithstanding the verbal vio-
lence issuing now and ther
from the congressional committee
hearings about Communists anc
gamblers, a touch of humor oc.
casionally emerges, if only to re.
mind us that governmental pol.
itics isn't always as serious as II
looks in print.
Time was when the mere men.
ton Of a "super-carrier" wa.
enough to condemn a high nava.
officer to retirement with com.
Portable pay. but now none othel
than the Chief of Naval Opera.
tions, Admiral Forrest Sherman
tells the House Armed Service.
Committee that the Navy still
wants the f1ush-deck carrier fol
the atomic-age warfare of thu
future.
Nobody says him nay-not
even Secretary of Defense John.
son. He and the President noe
approval for more planes and the
defense budget goes upward by
d half billion dollars. Not q
Nipple from the taxpayers. Stocks
in airplane companies zoom
There's no cynical Congressman
to raise an eyebrow.
Certainly not a murmur Of dis
cord comes out of any of the
armed services departments now
adays-only words of dignified
harmony. There is rarely a ref
erence to the Navy and Air Force
as rivals-indeed. whenever air.
plane procurement is proposed
it's always a unit appropriation
for the Navy and Air Force COM
bined. They both wear blue uni
forms now, too.
Everything's Serene.
So serene is everything on the
battlefront Of words that the
master mind of the publicity
battles of the Air Force in the
last few yearS-Steve Leo-is able
to leave to someone else the pilot
ing Of that service through the
controversies of the future, II
any. He moves on to the secret
moorings Of the National Security
Resources Board to maintain hi
extraordinary abilities alongside
Stuart Symington, the new chair.
man, who happens incidentally tt
be one of the keenest of the Tru.
man executives, and the Capita
is wondering if his new job is a.
nominal as 1t has been heralded
There's growing harmony OF
another front, too-the battle G.
the "bipartisans' and the "un
partisans" and the "nonparti
sans" Apparently President Tru
man has wisely agreed to wider
the cooperation between tn,
executive and legislative branches
OF the Government by institutint
a series Of consultations on for
eign policy with subcommittee
of the House as well as of thu
Senate.
In this no-man's land of po.
itical combat, good job has beer
done these last few days to help
soothe Republican critics while
opening the way for credit claim
ing on foreign policy by the
Democrats a little later on in the
year-that is. If things turn out
well.
II Russia now will only release
some of the tension in. the "colc
war" long enough for other issues
to be debated in the congressional,
campaign. the country may YET
learn who deserves the credit fol
the kind of peace" the Nation
is enjoying-and paying for tc
the tune of around $40 billion
q year.
Soon Mr.. Truman will depart
for the West on what he jovially
calls a "non-political" trip. The
phrase may literally yield less than
he thinks, especially if he doesn't
reverse the negative tide that has
set in against the party in power
Florida Watched.
Now, If the labor union leaders
can only bring about a two O,
three-week moratorium on strike.
or threats of strikes, it will re.
move some of those annoying
headlines which might interfere
with the attention given the all.
is-well speeches of Mr.. Truman
at the whistle stops"
1t won't be long now befor,
the country gets the answer
from Florida as to how Mr.. Tru.
man won out in the primary there
For, though this is written before
the people of Florida have voted
1t makes little difference whether
Senator Pepper is renominated Of
Representative Smathers gets tn,
nomination for Senator. Whateve.
the outcome, the publicity is al
written proving conclusively tha
Mr.. Truman has achieved a grea
political victory.
If Mr.. Pepper wins, it will b,
said that, despite the forecasts ane
support of nearly all the pres.
and despite the attacks from tht
so-called interests" the "can.
didate of the people" came through
and, Of course, vindicated thu
Fair Deal"
If. by chance, as most every.
body is predicting. Representativ,
Smathers is the nominee, that will
mean Truman victory, too. Fo,
didn't Senator Pepper, at the
Democratic National Convention
in Philadelphia in July, 1948, shou
loudly for someone else besides Mr.
Truman to be nominated ans
wasn't Mr.. Pepper for a long tim
considered as a running mate TO
y