Evening star., 1953-09-22
Mr.. AttIee's Poor Memory

If former British Prime Minister Clement
Attlee thinks that he detects, in American for
eign policy, tendency toward intolerance, he
has every right to say so. He also has right
to advocate the admission of Red China to the
United Nations, and to criticize the United
States for holding a contrary view. But MIR.
Attlee does not have right to seek to strength
en- his position by misstating the facts.
In the course of his broadcast address to
the British people, he made this statement:
eve have always held that, regardless Of the
color of a government, it is only common
sense to recognize an effective government"
Mr. Attlee, in making this statement, must have
forgotten what the record shows concerning
Britain's attitude in and out Of the United Ma
tions with respect to the Franco government
in Spain.
At the Potsdam meeting after the end of
World War II hostilities in Europe the Ameri-
can, British and Russian chiefs of state de-
clared they would oppose any application by
the Franco government for admission to the
United Nations Mr.. Attlee was the British
representative on that occasion. At the San
Francisco conference on organization of the
u NJ, Britain supported statement which
interpreted the membership provision Of the
Charter as barring from admission to the u N.
states whose regimes have been established
with the help of military forces belonging to
the countries which have waged war against
the United Nations" This, of course, was also
aimed at Spain. Then, in 1946, the U. N Cen
eral Assembly, with Mr.. Attlee's representative
voting in the affirmative, adopted resolution
recommending that the Franco government be
barred from membership and calling upon all
u N. members to withdraw their ambassadors
from Madrid. Mr.. Attlee's British government
was one of five which actually recalled ENJOYS
from Madrid pursuant to this resolution
MIR. Attlee may and probably does feel that
the government of Red China Is to be preferred
to the Franco government of Spain. If So he
is entitled to that view. But he ought not to
distort the record in an effort to support his
position. And If he is going to criticize the
United States for tendency to regard as
suspect everybody who is not entirely in accord
with the American point Of view" he ought to
give thought as to whether he is not himself
falling into that error.
There is room for honest difference of
opinion over what MIR. Attlee describes as Red
Chinas right" to U. N seat as soon as that
government has ceased supporting aggression.
However, there are many Americans who, in
all sincerity, do not concede that Red China
has any such right" and who do not know
precisely what is meant by those who say that
the fright" should become operative when Red
China has ceased supporting aggression. On
this point they could wish that Mr.. Attlee would
be more specific, for 1t Is not easy to reconcile
his support of Red China, which has committed
aggression against the U. N, and which still
maintains an army in Korea, with his diametri-
cally opposed stand in the case of Franco Spain,
which, whatever its faults, has not committed
aggression against the U. N. or any one else.