Evening star., 1952-02-26
Our Foreion Policy

TWO men OF long experience IN public life,
speaking az separate gatherings last week,
directed some challenging words OF the philese-
ply and conduct OF American foreign policy In
the cold war with communism. One Of the
speakers was John Foster Dulles, Republican
adviser to the State Department, In an appear.
ance at Princeton, The other was 6pruille
Braden, former Assistant Secretary Of state,
before meeting In New York City
The common ground on which the two men
seemed 10 be standing was that American foreign
policy has lacked the degrees Of bodneSa and
dynamism which traditonally have been part
OF the American character, which have been
reflected In 30 much Of our hi4eory and which
really reside In our national strength Both spoke
critically OF what they consider an over-emphasis
on the material side Mr. Dulles, for example,
charged that "the free world has rather badly
failed 10 draw strength from ideas, We, more
than the Communist world, think and work In
material terms" Mr. Braaen charged that we
are still trying ITO do the impossIble 10 buy
friendship by scattering our taxpayers hard
earned dollars oil over The globe In eitS and
loans"
IL IA point Of view which ID not by any
means confined 10 these Two SpekeSnien, Many
others who have given serious and h0hGpaFtisah
thought 10 The framework and ihpleaehtAti6h
OF our foreign p0iley have been disturbed 40 The
relative lack OF appeal which u appears 10 have
In certain ether parts OF the W0Fld, particularly
In Asia and Africa Unfortunately, neither Mr.,
Dulles nor Mr. BFadeh, nor any OF the other
d0ubteFs, however sincere, have f0ll0wed up their
criticism with blueprint for the bold and
dynamic aGtl0n which they suggest IA necessary,
IN all justice 10 the architects OF our foreign
policy 0f The past hVe years II must be said
that there were qualities OF b0ldness and dyna-
nj hA
Greek Turkish aid program, the f9Vmatlen OF
NATo, our Intervention In K0rea, adoption OF
the Mutual Security Act and our great influence
In support OF creation OF the European Defense
Community And while the sum OF these efforts
has not yet been the achievement OF guaranteed
peace and security In tho world these ohjeGtiVea
seem measuFahIy closer because OF the actions
taken than would have been likely u we had
confined our thinking 10 less material terms
There seems O weakness, too, In Mr., Dulles
contention that II has been primarily through
social ideas that Soviet communism has achieved
its victories. In itA central European COnqueAta,
social ideas have merely provided q front for
Soviet design, n dlAtraCtion which has taken
the spotlight away from sinister methods OF
political inhltratlon and the cynical plllaglnR
OF individual freedom. IN China, there have been
many more complex forces At work than the
simple appeal OF communist ide0loRy, Moscow
IA using the device OF social ideas In the Middle
East today but there Ia no proof YET that attack
by this means alone will add new victims 10
the Soviet catch,
TO debate the expressed views OF Mr., Dulles
and Mr., Braden ID not an attempt 10 disoredit
these views Both men have contributed con-
struetiVeiy 10 American foreign policy and u
NAV be assumed that their criticism OF u to-day
IA without utefIer motive Probably no policy
and no application OF any policy are perfeetI
they can best be improved through critical and
intelligent examination such a. can be eifeFed
by men "A we'll qualified "a Mr., Dulles and
Mr., BFaden,