Evening star., 1952-11-06
His World Problems

The greatest of all the problems confronting
President-elect Eisenhower are in the field of
foreign policy This field, though mined with
explosive trouble has been more or less quiescent
throughout the weeks of our political campaign.
It has been quieScent because both our friends
and foes abroad mindful Of our Nations impact
on the affairs of the whole world-have felt
impelled to follow course Of reservation, quail
fication and postponement pending the decision
Just reached by the American people. But now
the wait-and-see period has come to an end.
Now the free lands look to the United States
to snap out of its electioneering fever and
assume once again active leadership in dealing
with q host Of grave international issues affect
ing the lives and fortunes Of human beings
everywhere.
First and foremost of those issues is Korea.
1t Is first and foremost because II the truce dead
lock cannot be broken by negotiation, either at
Panmunjom or elsewhere, the danger of an
enlarged war-conceivably an all-out global
conf1ict-will grow with each passing day.
During the weeks-long interregnum between
now and January 20 when he will formally
assume Office, the President-elect will have the
full cooperation of the Truman administration
in any personal effort-Such as his projected
trip to the theater of battle-to And ways and
means of bringing about an early armistice and
an honorable peace. But the effort will prove to
be unavailing If the Kremln, acting through its
Pyongyang- -Peiping puppets, continues to reject
q decent settlement. In that case, short OF yield
ing to the RedS-which Is unthinkable-the
United States with its incoming new leadership
will have little choice but to strive in the United
Nations for additional political, economic and
military measures
Although not so grimly pressing as Korea,
some of the many other foreign policy problems
,aikiu Ror %ha DraS liant a least
equally important in terms of the security and
well-being of our own country and the free world
at large. They include ~ the struggle against
the Reds in Southeast Asia, particularly Indo-
China; (2) tensions in North Africa and Middle
Eastern lands like Iran; (3) complex questions
bearing upon the pace and scale OF the defensive
build-up of the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza-
tion-questions calling for a reappraisal OF the
balance to be struck between economic and mill
tary requirements; and (4) the need for prompt
and effective action-Such as stepped-up invest
ment in underdeveloped regions and lowering
of tariff barriers in America and elsewhere-to
close the bankrupting gap caused by unbalanced
trade between dollar nations and non-dollar
nations, one of the most serious threats to the
durability of the Western alliance.
All this is but a sampling Of the issues that
must be worked out between the United States
and its friends abroad, not to mention the issues
with the Kremlin. In preparing to deal with
them, President-elect Eisenhower will need what
ever kind of cooperating machinery can be set
up between him and the Truman administration
until he takes office. Beyond that, and more
imperative than anything else, he will need
bipartisan help in the new Congress. Since both
parties, in their platforms, have adopted essen
TALLY the same foreign policy, he has right to
expect-and the American people should demand
~ IaAlrn tSA Ynrdf1
The fateful international burden now passing
on to him is cruelty heavy. If he cannot count
on strong legislative support, If he must contend
instead with factional responsibility, this Ma
tion and the free world Is whole will be IN
q dangerous way.