Milford chronicle., 1952-10-17
WHISTLE SWEARING


Americans accept lot Cf mud-slinging
as part of the process of electing a President.
But President Truman has OVer-Stepped the
bounds of even campaign prOpriety, wide as
they are In accusing General Eisenhower of
endangering the country as commanding
general by grave" blunders, he besmirches
national hero, who is no less hero because
he is a candidate.
The President asserts Eisenhower left
America unaware of RuSSia'S threat to world
peace by saying in late 1915 that he saw no
reason why Russia and the United States
could not remain the closest possible friends.
And this, Says the President left us asleep
to the Russian menace in 1916, 1947 and
1948
1t is charitable to suppose that Mr. Tru-
man was driven to this extremity by the dew
astating testimony of General Walter Bedel
Smith that Communists must be assumed 10
have infiltrated every government security
agency. The situation called for new dead
line, and Mr.. Truman reached for it.
But the slur is still as inexcusable as it is
false.
In late 1915, General Eisenhower was
pressing for three things: for defense unfit
cation, for cooperative unity among the Eu-
rOpean nations and for an orderly demObili-
zatiOn that would permit us to maintain our
commitments throughout the world These
were not policies of amiable surrender to the
theme of Russian friendship. They were pol
lcieS that recognized the hard facts of life
even in those days before Russia had refused
to pull her troops out of Iran or given any
other decisive indication of her future course.
Moreover, the Forrestal dairies record a
significant warning by Ike in July, 1915, four
months before the statement the President
denOunces. At that time, Eisenhower warn
ed Mr.. Truman at POtsdam not to give any
thing away to the Russians to get them to
come into the war against Japan, for, the
General said, the Russians were eager to get
into the fight anyhow, and in his opinion
Japan was already thoroughly beaten. This
testimony from member of the Presidents
own cabinet reveals how much clearer pic
ture of Russia Eisenhower had than the
President.
And this 18th hour campaign slur comes
with i'll grace from the President who not
only retained Eisenhower as general in spite
OF these grave blundeTS that endangered the
country" but gave him high hOnOrs, selected
him to command the vital defenses of the
North Atlantic nations and offered him "the
highest post in my pOwer-even the PreSi-
dency."
But now the President SAYS Eisenhower
misguided the country.
When the President said all the spv talk
was red herring, even as Alger Hiss was
indicted, does he now blame Eisenhower?
Is he proposing to blame Eisenhower for
his statement two months before Korea that
there was not hot war in sight and he would
cut the defense budget?
Will he pin China on Eisenhower next
1t begins to look as if even President
Truman was unwilling to stand on the Tru-
man record.
THE PLANNERS DON'T GIVE UP
The present price control law expires
April 80. Almost every economist is con-
Vlnced-on practical as we'll as theoretical
groundS-that it should be allowed to die at
that time, unhOnOred and unsung. So are
many and perhaps most Of our Senators and
Representatives. And so are a majority of
the nations newspapers and other media of
opinion.
But that doesn't mean that the political
planners have given up. 1t is perfectly clear
that their aim is permanent price controls
and the domination of the economic life of
the country that would be an inevitable
part Of it.
Reliable authorities have said that by de-
controlling some items now, the planners
hope to convince Congress to authorize long
time control authority. It's an Odds-On bet
that the planners would welcome another
wave Of price imitation, on the theory that
this would result in demand for more and
tougher controls. It's equally likely that they
have been disappointed by the fact that many
items IN common use have been selling at
oeloW-ceiling prices for long time, and in
these cases the controls have been meaning
less.
Current and temporary price trends
whether up or dOwn-are the least important
factor in the price control argument The