Evening star., 1951-02-10
The Political Mil
The Political Mil
9. O. P. Lacks Cohesion
On Foreign Policy Stond
Taft and Eisenhower Pulling
In Opposite Directions
By Gould Lincoln

py SouIo Lincoln
The Republican Party still lacks CO.
hesion and leadership on foreign policy.
Furthermore, the two men most talked
about in connection with the party's
presidential nomination next year, Sena-
tor Taft of Ohio and Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower, seem to be pulling in op-
posite directions.
week ago, Gen. Eisenhower, as su-
preme commander of the projected
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
armed forces, returned to this country
and reported on conditions in Western
Europe. He declared vigorously that the
United States should do all things
necessary to prevent Europe's falling
into the hands of Communist Rus
sia. His reports were made to the
people, to Congress and to President
Truman. They were persuasive and en-
couraging. He said not only that Eu-
rope had the willingness to fight IT
attacked, but also that Western Europe
was proceeding on rearmament pro-
grams
On Thursday, however, Senator Taft
arose in the Senate and threw cold
water on Gen. Eisenhower's reports, de-
scribing them as "hazy," and even the
position of Gen. Eisenhower himself as
nebulous.
Tongues Start Wagging.
his address before tongues started wag-
ging. despite the fact that the Ohio
Senator had spoken in praise of Gen.
Eisenhower and applauded him for
raising the morale of the European
iyH
some quarters of undertaking to scuttle
at least in large part-the program OF
the administration for arms and mill
tary aid to the NATO nations in Europe.
which Gen. Eisenhower has been di-
rected to build up. While this is unfair
to Senator Taft, who says he is willing
to have more American troops sent to
Europe and has no desire to abandon
Europe to Red Russia it is nevertheless
true that Senator Taft wishes to clamp
hard and fast ratio on the number
of American soldiers to those of the
European members Of the NATO.
Gen. Eisenhower, while in Washing
ton, told the members of the Foreign
Relations and Armed Services Commit
tees Of the Senate he believed the mum
Der of American troops to be sent to
SllOu1O C4aotN, bi4ob'W 'W4ldI
might be a proper number for one year.
or one month, might not be the right
number for the next year or next
month.
AS a soldier Gen. Eisenhower did not
undertake to say whether the policy
should be fixed by Congress or the Pres
ident. Mr.. Taft contends that Congress
should make the policy and also pass
%kA nf Tho
erals insistence, however. that there
should be an elasticity seems to place
him squarely on the side of having the
executive, not the legislative, determine
how many men to send and where to
send them.
Question Now Raised.
Already the question is being raised:
SIS the G. o. P. going along, in the
matter of foreign policy as it relates
to rearming Europe, with Senators Taft
and Wherry of Nebraska, or is the party
going along with Gen. Eisenhower and
Gov. Dewey of New York;" Eisenhower
is Dewey's choice for the Republican
presidential nomination in 1852, and
Senator Wherry may be in the Taft
camp.
The first test of strength can come
III GIle SENATE, WIleIl IL VOCcS on u IcSO.
luton expressing it as the sense Of
the Senate that the United States
should send additional troops to help
build up the NATO forces. Senator
Wherry has a resolution pending which
says that the matter of sending Ameri-
can troops to Europe should be passed
upon by Congress before the President
acts. Senator Wherry is expected to
force a showdown on his proposal cr
some modification of it when any resI
olution bearing on the subject is laid
before the Senate. 1t will be interesting
to see how the Republican Senators
divide. A healthy number of them are
not in sympathy with the Wherry pro-
posal and these are the Senators who
hoped that Congress could give general
approval to the policy of aiding Western
Europe after receiving Gen. Eisenhower's
report.
Because of the political implications.
Republican Senators hesitate to throw
off on Gen. Eisenhower. Senator Taft.
who believes that Congress, not the
President. should say whether the policy
should be to send American soldiers to
Europe in peacetime, it is believed, had
no intention of raising personal poll
tical issue between himself and Gen.
Eisenhower.