Evening star., 1951-04-19

Gus new departure in United
States foreign policy-the voting
Iof a $400, 100000 fund to stiffen
Greece and Turkey against COM
munism in the post World War II
period. The measure provided
not only financial but some mil
Fitary assistance to those two
strategic nations.
He told his colleagues that If
Congress failed to act, then "ag-
gression gets the green light and
the rest of the world. including
America, gets the red light"
Later he threw his energy be-
hind the Marshall Plan.
Senator Vandenberg's postwar
views contrasted sharply with
those of a few years earlier. In
1899. when President Roosevelt
proposed lifting the embargo on
shipment of arms to Britain, the
Michigan Senator was quick to
oppose it.
Congress amended the neu-
trality law to permit the supply
ing, of arms to the Allies before
the United States entered the
conflict.
| When the lend-lease bill came
up. Senator Vandenberg vigorous
Fly opposed it.
/ He regarded his 1910 reelection
to the Senate as mandate" to
do his part in keeping this
country out OF war"
Other Opinions Changed.
Senator Vandenberg himself wa.
quite aware that there were in
consistencies between some of the
views he expressed over his years
in public life. Recognizing changes
In his own thinking, he said In
an interview in 1887, as he began
his 10th year in the Senate:t
II am aware that I arrived in
Washington as a complete conser-
vative, but believe every day has
enlarged my viewpoint, that ]
have progressively developed q
very liberal sympathy with many
objectives that once were anathe-
ma to me-"
He was speaking then of dom
estic issues, hut his statement
presumably could apply also to his
later changed view of foreign
relations.
Senator Vandenberg was. an
active candidate for the Republi-
can nomination for President in
1910. but eight years later when
he was prominently mentioned for
it he disavowed any wish for the
Presidency. .-.... ---. ~. --.
Harder Not to Run.
Once he wrote a letter to Life
Magazine recounting his difficult
tiles in getting over the idea that
he was not running for the Presl-
dency. Many. wouldn't believe
Thin. .se< &4,@s,-z
Il think 1t is harder not to run
for President than it is to runr
he said. II have tried both. Down
to date neither enterprise, has
been success. But in comparing
the adventure, I rather think the
former is more troublesome than
the latter $3.50.
Senator Vandenberg stepped
into his international role at the
peak of a career that followed the
Horatio Alger tradition. He knew
poverty as a boy, sold newspapers
on the streets of his native Grand
Rapids. Mich. then rose to poll
tical prominence.
His entry into public, life in
1928-when he became a Senator
from Michigan-followed % years
of active service in the newspaper
business.
Tt was five days before his 22nd
birthday whens he became editor
and general manager of the Grand
Rapids Herald.
He was born in Grand Rapids,
March %, 1884, of Dutch-Anglo-
Saxon ancestry. His father was a
harness maker. From his father
he heard stories of a grandfather
who had been a member of the
New York delegation to the Re-
publican convention which nom
mated Abraham Lincoln to the
Presidency. Possibly these stories
quickened the youngsters interest
in politics..
Studied Law for . Year.
Financial limitation threw him