Evening star., 1952-06-25
Ike, Taft and Foreiqn Policy

In his impressive address on foreign policy
General Esenhower-Without mentioning any,
body by name-has made clear that he strongly
dSagreeS with Senator Taft's recent statement
suggesting that the two of them are not really
very far apart in their views on how best to pro-
mote American security in this time of great
world danger.
Mr.. Taft's international ideas, which have
sometimes seemed self-contradictory have
undergone frequent changes and notifications
But he is firmly on record as having voted against
the North Atlantic Treaty and for making deep
sashes-despite General Eisenhower's recon-
mendations-in foreign economic and military
aid for our friends in Europe and Asia. In addi-
ton, he has taken defeatist view of the United
Nations and reacted favorably to much of the
strategy that former President Hoover has advo-
cated-a strategy that would minimize the i'm
portance of our overseas Allies and convert the
Western Hemisphere into Gibraltar" whose
security would rest mainly on the existence of
immense retaliatory air power.
The gulf between views of this sort and
General Eisenhower's can be measured in part
by the following passages from his address:
"Those who assert that America can retire with
In its own borders; those who seem to think we
have little or no stake in the rest of the world
and what happens to it; those who act as though
fense of freedom-such persons are ignorant or
irresponsible, or they are taking an unjustified
gamble with peace Theirs >. is the counsel
of eventual self-destruction If Communist
political or military penetration should take over
sources OF necessary raw materials indispensable
to our economic survival, and if the great pro-
ductive resources of our present Allies were added
to the Communist holdings, we would be in
desperate plight. gaunt and naked America
would be encircled by savage wolf pack"
These are strong words, but they are soundly
based. For it Is true, as General Eisenhower has
said, that the problem of our security involves
zone central fact from which all our other reck-
onings must proceed. That central fact is
shrunken world in which distance has been
almost obliterated and there has developed an
unprecedented and increasing interdependence
among the nations" Certainly, in face of such
a reality, 1t Is Stupid and myopic" to suggest
that the United States should try living alone off
by itself in splendid isolation Instead if it is to
be safe If it is to serve its best interests our
country must give vigorous and unfaltering lead
erShip to the alliance of the free in great CO.
operative enterprise to build up strength and
unity OF kind that will be powerful enough to
deter aggression, prevent a global war and in
time oblige the Kremlin to join, "even If grudg-
ingly and slowly" in establishing decent peace
General Eisenhower, speaking as Mr. Taft's
rival for the Republican presidential nomination,
has given voice to firm personal faith that such
a peace can and will be achieved But he has
warned at the same time that there is mo pain
less political shortcut" to it-that 1t will require
among other things, a more positive approach
than the administrations, real spiritual strength
as well as armed strength in America, and un-
wavering support for the United Nations, the
Atlantic alliance, the Rio pact and our special
security agreements in Asia and the Pacific
AS kind of footnote to all this, General
Eisenhower has told press conference that he
"hopes ferventy" that there will be no bitter
fight over drafting an international plank for
the party platform. But the hope may prove for
lorn. At any rate, his views seem much closer to
the administrators than to Mr.. Taft's, and Mr.
Taft has once again insisted that the disastrous"
Truman -Acheson foreign policy must be sharply
attacked in the presidential campaign. Every
thing considered, as convention time approaches,
the outlook for Republican harmony becomes no
brighter.