Evening star., 1951-02-25
Partial Text by Dewey
A martial tert of cor. De,peu's

A partial tert OF Coz. DeDey's
statement to the Joint Senate
Committees on Foreign Relations
and Armed SerUices tollotDs:: !
I shall not trespass upon youl
hospitality by posing as an ex.
pert In any of the specialized
fields of military strategy, diplo.
macy or economics from which yol
have heard the testimony of man.
able specialists. The final deci-
sion on the matter before vol
will rest upon a sum total Of al
these specialized approaches.
The essence of the matter boil,
down to one of judgment of what
is best for the safety OF the
United States.
The resolution before you !.
designed, I gather, to instruct the
Executive Branch of the Govern.
ment that it may dispatch nj
further ground forces of the
United States TO duty in the
European area without affirmative
action of the Congress. This reso-
luton is the elimination of a de.
bate which has occurred period.
cally throughout American history
It is interesting historically that
the power has been exercised by
various Presidents over a perioc
of the last lat years. These ac-
tions ranged from the Expedition
ary Force which Thomas Jefferson
sent into Tripoli against the
Barbary pirates in 1903. through
the bombardment of Shimonoseki
Japan, under President Lincoln
the dispatch of 5000 troops te
Pekin by President Mckinley dur
ing the Boxer rebellion in 1900
the sending of marines to Hon.
duras by President Coolidge, tc
the present action in Korea. The
power was exercised by is Presi-
dents no less than "a times.
Despite this imposing array oi
historic opposition to the resolu-
ton before you, let me say Inn
mediately that I believe the Con.
gress probably has power to act
or by resolution to forbid the use
of our armed forces anywhere
The power to raise troops and to
withhold or grant funds for their
support carries within 1t the power
to withhold approval of their use
Opposition Is Explained.
Therefore. I do not oppose the
resolution on any ground OF lack
Of Constitutional power.
I should like also to have ii
understood that my opposition to
this resolution does not, by any
means. imply approval of all as
poets of our foreign policy. of the
present fiscal policies of the gov
ernment, of its wages and price
control policies or of the national
budget.
oppose it on the broad grounds
that its adoption would be unwise
in the extreme and would paralyze
the capacity of this Nation for its
own defense. It would discourage
and probably terminate the pres
ent virile effort developing in
Europe for its own defense. 1t
would certainly invite imperialist
Communism to move, into the
vacuum we thus created.
I can remember the tine-and
1t seems only yesterday-when
many were saying that the Mar.
shall Plan for Europe was Oper-
alton Rat-Hole. Today the Mar
shall Plan has been such an i'm
mense success that Europe will
In the year 1851, produce more
goods and services than she was
expected to produce in the target
year 1852. -.
I can remember the time-and
quite recently-when it was be-
ing said that to send a single gun
to Europe was a mistake because
we should be merely presenting
It to Stain.
I can remember the time-and
again very recently-when 1t was
being said that any aid to the
recognized Chinese government
and any attempt to hold Formosa
was the height of folly. So far
as I know. no one is arguing now
for any Of these ideas. :
One ToehoId of Isolationism.
This resolution does not oppose
sending ground forces to Formosa
to Japan or Korea, or even te
Africa. It does not oppose send.
ing air and sea forces to any OF
these or even to Europe. The
issue has narrowed down to one
little toehold of isolationism con-
cerning the sending of ground
troops only to one area-West-
ern Europe.
But this is a powerful toe.
hold. =.
This is clear because every
leading expert among the three
branches Of our armed services
has testified that the mere USE
of naval and air forces woulc
never hold Europe against a Rus
sian attack. If Europe were tc
be lost. then so also would be oul
bases in Britain. North Africa ane
the Mediterranean from which
our bombers now keep the Rus.
sian bear in check.
In the face of this testimony
the supporters of this resolution
are driven inexorably to the po.
sition that they do not believe
Europe could be held under any
circumstances and do not expect
1t to be held; that the sending ol
our air and naval forces is really
a waste and that all our grouno
troops now in Europe are in g
position where they could not de-
fend themselves and from which
they could not escape.
I am sure that no one woult
care to admit that our countr.
would so callously treat American
fighting men and I am sure tha