Evening star., 1952-07-16
BiddIe Defends YaIfa
And Tells Democrats
Russians Wrecked Il
BY the Associofsd Press

BY The Assoeiotsd Press
CHICAGO, July 16. Demo-
cratic platform drafters heard al
defense today of their party's for
eign policies from World War II
to Korea.
Francis Biddle, chairman Of the
Americans for Democratic Action.
delayed for the time being a prom
ised civil rights fight and took upI
the cudgels instead to reply tol
Republican criticisms of the Yalta
Big Three Conference and the
Truman administrations Far
Eastern decisions.
In a. statement prepared for
submission to a preliminary Plat
form Drafting Committee the
ADA spokesman declared: mo
American need apologize for
Yalta."
"The blunt fact is," Mr.. Biddle
said, that we would be extremely
glad If we were living today in
the world provided for by the
Yalta agreements. In order
to enslave Eastern Europe and
Manchuria and China the Soviet
Union had to break the Yalta
agreements"
Three Linked Together.
Actually, the platform adopted
last week by the Republican ma
tional convention did not single
out the Yalta conferences at
tended by President Roosevelt.
Prime Minister Churchill and
Premier Stain. Instead it liAked
Teheran. Yalta and Potsdam to-
gether as scenes Of tragic blum
derS with others to follow"
The fall Of Nationalist China
to the Communists was one of
the 'blunders," which the Repub-
licans said came later.
On that point, Mr.. Biddle in
sisted I'VE could have averted the
Communist triumph only in one
way-by the commitment of
American troops in force no later
than in 1947." He added:
II do not know one person who
proposed in 1947-or in 1948 or
1949, or in 1852 for that matter
that we should send an American
Army to the mainland of China.
Such a course-then or now
would be military madness"
~ Days of Hearings.
Mr.. Biddle was one of a number
Of witnesses scheduled to appear
before the 21-member Platform
Subcommittee at the start of AZ
days of televised hearings. The
smaller group will submit its rec
concentrations to 108-member
Platform Committee of the ma
tional committee next Monday,
the opening day of the Democratic
Convention.
The ADA describes itself as a
liberal. anti-Communist organiza-
ton which espouses the ideals of
Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mr.. Biddle
says the ADA believes there are
four great issues before the people
this year. He listed them as:
Il. The ontinuance and
strengthening of a foreign policy
which will sustain and encourage
ourselves and the free nations of
the world to prevent the spread
Of Communist tyranny.
20. The implimentation of a
sound foreign policy by the main
tenance of a sound domestic econ
ony through effective mobiliza-
ton and Stabilization programs.
IS. The fulf1llment of our pledge
by legislative and executive action
to guarantee the civil rights of all
our citizens.
-. The protection of civil lib
critics; Of the vital freedoms of
opinion. speech and political &C
tion."
Board Meeting Called.
Mr.. Biddle announced yesterday
he had called the ADA national
board to meet here Saturday and
Sunday in order to press for
adoption of strong civil rights
plank. He said it should include
demands for compulsory fair
employment practices law as we'll
as anti-lynching and anti-poll
tax laws.
The ADA statement today was
devoted chiefly to foreign and
domestic economic policy. It re-
ferred to Woodrow Wilson as the
first world leader to have "the
vision of the enforcement OF peace
through the collective action of
free nations" And it went on to
laud Roosevelt and Truman for
eign policy actions, including
what it called President Truman's
bold decision to resist Soviet
sponsored aggression in Korea"
AS it did before a similar Re-
publican group two weeks ago,
the American Farm Bureau Fed
Grafton called on the Democratic
platform drafters to reverse the
trend toward greater government
activity.
A statement submitted by the
bureaus Executive Committee,
Long critical of Truman admins
tration farm policies, said:
1--WE are moving very rapidly in
the direction of concentrating
power and authority in the hands
of central government. To an in
creasing and alarming extent the
important decisions relating TO
production, distribution. prices,
and the use of resources and ma
terialS. the distribution of incomes.