The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-02-21
The World Today
BY JAMES MARROW

| SSnnOWSI udS Sdlu SINCE taxing Of
fice-it was In his State of the
Union message Feb. 2-was on the
subject of war time secret agree
ments.
BY putting together various
statements since then. this seems
to be what he had in mind: He
wants Congress to denounce Rus
sia, which has been roundly de-
nounced in the past by this coun-
Try, for breaking agreements.
And this week Eisenhower said
he personally knows of no agree.
ments which are really still secret
in the sense Of not being known.
Some parts of the Roosevelt hur-
chill Stain agreements in 1945
were kept secret for awhile.
The three men agreed that the
people in the Eastern European
countries, now under Russia's heel
but then just being freshly liber-
ated from the Nazis, should choose
their own governments in free cleo
tons.
| Russia violated this agreement
by making Communicated sateI-
lites of these countries.
Eisenhower has expressed belief
that denunciation of Russia as an
agreement-breaker viii give anti
Communist people among the sat-
elites renewed hope Of freedom.
But hope seems all they can ex-
pect right now. Communists con-
troll them so completely that moth
ing short Of war seems capable
of freeing them soon. And no one
In the Eisenhower administration
Is talking of war.
When he first raised the subject
Of secret agreements, Eisenhower
was trying to live up to a pledge
contained in the Republican cam
paign platform of last July. It said:
"The government of the United
States, under Republican leader
ship, win repudiate all commit
ments contained in secret under
standings such as those of Yalta
which aid Communist enslave-
ments. It win be made clear, on
the highest authority Of the Presi-
dent and the Congress, that United
States policy, as one of its peace
full purposes, looks happily for
ward to the genuine independence
Of those captive peoples"
The word "repudiate' is far
reaching. If this country tried to
repudiate one agreement made
with Russia, the Communists, if it
served them, could promptly re-
pudiate other agreements which
might hurt this country.
Berlin Is q good example. The
Americans, British and Russians
made wartime agreements on di-
viding up Berlin and Germany.
American officials in Berlin this.
week said not all those agree
ments have been published.
| When it came time for him to
deliver his message Feb. 2, Eisen-
hover did not go SO far as to
talk Of "repudiating'' agreements.
This is what he said.
Eve shall never acquiesce in
the enslavement of any people in
order TO purchase fancied gain for
ourselves. shall ask the Congress
ut q later date to Join in anap-
Ipropriate resolution making clear
that this government recognizes no
kind Of commitment contained in
secret understandings with foreign
governments which permit this
kind OF achievement"
But from the language, no one
could tell for sure what Essen
hover meant or what agreements
he might have in mind or whether
he meant some wartime agree
ments still secret.
So reporters asked for clarified
ton when he held his first presi-
dental news conference this week.
Then, for the first time, he used
the word ''repudiate." He said he
didn't assume it was desirable for
the government TO say everything
agreed to was repudiated.
II was ct this conference that Eli
senhower said he, personally,
knows of no agreements still Sc
cret only In the sense the Senate
has not formally approved all of
| them.
But when Secretary Of State Dull
les held his news conference the
following day, ne said no "repu-
diation Of any legally effective
agreements" was intended. Max
ine II clear that Eisenhower was
proposing . joint resolution By Con-
gress, Dulles said:
The. declaration by the Con.
gress and the President has two
primary purposes: One IS to reg
ister dramatically what We be-
lievs TO be the many breaches by
the Soviet Union Of the wartime
understanding; ard, secondly, to
register equally Dramatically the
desire and hope Of the American
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