Evening star., 1953-02-21


Resolution. Poee At
Capitol Hill since he promised it
in his February 2 state-of the
Union message. was made public
yesterday by the President.
It rejects the Soviet Unions
Interpretation of the understand
ings-preSumably those made at
Yalta-as license for the sub
jugation Of free peoples. It pro-
claims hope for ultimate self
government behind the Iron
Curtain in line with the pledge
Of the Atlantic charter"
The resolution was not as
strong as some Republicans had
wanted. but few seemed inclined
to challenge the President on the
issue.
Democrats Appear Favorable.
Most Democrats were ready to
go along with it. too. It did not
criticize the administration of
Democrats Franklin D. Roosevelt
or Harry S. Truman. nor did it
repudiate agreements made at
Yalta or elsewhere during those
administrations.
Democrats chuckled privately,
too, over the Republican Presi-
dents acceptance Of the princi-
Piles Of the Atlantic Charter, au-
thored by President Roosevelt
with British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill.
The Atlantic Charter, actually
q joint declaration Of the two
leaders. was composed Of notes
they agreed on aboard ship in
the Atlantic Ocean in August,
1941.
They recognized, among other
things, the rights Of all peoples
to choose their own governments
and agreed on restoration Of
self-government for those who
had lost it. The charter was
never drafted as a formal docu-
ment and had no legal force, al
though it caught on as a declara.
ton of the Vests principles.
Indo- China Draws Attention.
While Senate Majority Leader
Taft arranged to handle the
Eisenhower resolution in the
Senate, most members of Con-
greSs turned their thoughts to
the apparently increasingly crit
ical situation in Indo-China.
France is carrying the Allies
fight against Communist forces
there.
Senator Mansfield, Democrat
OF Montana, a member of the
Foreign Relations Committee,
called for heavy new shipments
of military equipment to that
area. He caused a furry by as
serting he understood a top Rus
sian general and a top Soviet
diplomat, as well as Russian
officers, had been operating in
China and Indo- China.
The State department and the
French Embassy said they had
no word of the presence of such
Russian officials in Indo- China.
The Eisenhower resolution as
sertS that the Soviet violated
"the clear intent" of wartime
agreements and understandings
and subjected whole nations to
"totalitarian imperialism"
Would Repudiate Abuses.
It says the people of the
United States will never coun-
tenance such enslavement and
calls on Congress to join in:
!. Rejecting "any interpreta-
tions or applications of any in
ternational agreements or un-
derStandings" Of World War II
which have been perverted to
bring about the subjugation Of
free peoples"
2. Proclaiming the hope that
the captives of Soviet despotism
shall again enjoy the right of
self determination which will
sustain the peace: that they
shall have again the right to
choose the form of government
under which they will live, and
that sovereign rights Of Self-gov-
ernment shall be restored to
them all in accordance with the
pledge of the Atlantic Charter"
Senator Ferguson, Republican
of Michigan, q member Of the
Foreign Relations Committee,
said he thought the resolution
could be stronger. Reached at
Detroit, he said:
I'VE ought to repudiate the
agreements which were used to
bring about the enSlavement of
peoples, as well as the interpre-