Evening star., 1953-06-03
Mr.. Dulles Reports

The broadest of Secretary Dulles remarks
in reporting on his recent trip contained his
soundest counsel.
1T is high time" he said, "that the United
States Government paid more attention to the
Near East and South Asia. The situation calls
for urgent concern"
It is not surprising that there has been
greater public and governmental preoccupation
in recent years with the problems Of Europe
and the Far East. Europe, a traditional center
of our interest abroad, has been an armed camp
where. 1.-The cold war has been most intense and
most threatening In its implications. In the.
Far East the cold war turned almost three years
ago into outright military conflict
But in the area recently visited by Mr.
Dulles and Mutual Security Director Stassen
live nearly one-fourth of the worlds population
and nearly one-half Of the population still free
of Communist domination. It is an area
strategically important in geographic terms and
perhaps vitally important In natural resources
It is an area that is trying desperately to make
centuries Of political and economic progress in
decades, plagued by quarrels within itself and
by uncertainties as to who its friends may be.
Communism as such has no appeal, but the
anti-Western and anti-capitalist preachingS Of
Communist agents carry powerful persuasion.
In this stage Of its development the Near
East in particular is not really the master of its
own fate. If Western influence, even in its ques-
tionable health today, should either be driven
out or be Withdrawn for any reason, the vacuum
remaining would almost inevitably draw in the
only other major outside power-that of Com
munist Russia. The costly consequences to
freedom, for the Near East itself and perhaps
eventually for the rest Of the non-C Communist
world, are easy to foreSee.
Mr.. Dulles discussion of the area demon
Strated that he now appreciates the gravity
and the urgency OF the problems Quite prop
erly, he stressed the explosive Anglo-Egyptian
dispute over the Suez area, the armed division
of Jerusalem into Arab and Israeli camps, the
tragedy Of 900 Arab refugees already having
an impact upon second generation-an Of
these in the Near East-and the problems Of
Kashmir and of threatened famine in Pakistan,
in South Asia.
1t is not easy to find answers to all Of these
problems, and Mr.. Dulles proposed no quick
acting remedies He announced this Govern
ment'S preparedness to assist in resolving the
suez controversy, its support for an orderly
development OF greater political freedom as
against colonial type of domination, for de-
velopment Of the agricultural potential Of the
Arab lands, and of Western determination that
the tripartite declaration of May, 1850, against
violation of the Arab-ISraen armistice should be
enforced. His expressions Of interest and willing
ness to help in the India-Pakistan troubles we're
similarly friendly.
Mr.. Dulles has said, however, that it is
high time to pay more attention" to the area.
Having said this, It now behooves him and our
own Government not to let this attention rest
with his remarks thus far. There is much to be
done and it is, indeed, of urgent concern"
University of Wisconsin psychologist says
that with monkeys curiosity is a stronger force
than hunger. With the human of course, the
two motivations often are combined, as when
ordering hash In q strange restaurant