Evening star., 1953-01-16
Mr.. Trumon's Farewell

In his farewell address to the people whom
he has served for nearly eight years, President
Truman adhered to the good tone OF his State
of the Union message to Congress. It was an
address in which he sought to give an account
ing, as he sees of it, of his own administration,
but there was nothing in it designed to
embarrass the next President
1t was also an address, however, which
exposed what may be thought of as the Achilles
heel of the Truman administration.
He brushed aside impatient" people who
want to end the cold war by issuing an ulti-
matum or by dropping the atomic bomb. The
President, instead urged patience, believing
that time is on our side and that the Commu-
mist structure eventually will collapse of its
own internal weaknesses. We, he said, are
moral people, and we cannot, of our own free
will, violate the very principles that we are
striving to defend.
This is a point of view which, in the age
of the atom and the H-bomb, accepts frightful
risk-the risk of announcing to potential
aggressor that he will have the privilege OF
striking the first, and what might well prove
to be- the last blow. Still, it is difficult to
quarrel with this, for the President quite prob
ably is correct in his estimate of the American
character-a character which would rebel at
the thought of using these catastrophe weapons
before an enemy has struck openly at us.
But even though MIR. Truman may be right
in thinking we have no choice except to fight
the cold war with weapons short of real war,
it does not follow that he is also right m apply
ing what is essentially the same philosophy to-
ending the war in Korea. For the war there
is not a cold war, but very real and very
costly war.
The President warmly defended his decision
to fight in Korea and indeed, that decision
was almost unanimously approved in this coun-
try when it was made. It was bold decision
a decision which accepted the risk of war with
Russia and which, instead of bringing on that
war, served to check the Communist aggression.
There is also something in the character Of
the American people, however, which rebels at
fighting hot war now in its third year, in
cold-war state of mind And it is in this respect
that Mr. Truman is most Vulnerable. In his
talk last night, he had not one suggestion to
offer for bringing the Korean war to successful
end. He did not even discuss this question:
question which is close to the hearts of the
people and which had much to do with the
Democratic defeat at the polls. Presumably,
because of the risk involved. he is opposed to
an enlarged effort aimed at winning the Korean
war, preferring the watch-and-wait policy
which he recommends for the cold war.
Perhaps the military situation is such that
the Korean war cannot be won without resort
ing to measures that would make World War III
inevitable Mr. Truman seems to think this is
the case and in any event, it is clear that he
has nothing to offer on this score. But the
Eisenhower administration while it may concur
in the main with Mr.. Trumans cold-war think
ing, cannot go along with his do-nothing atti-
tude in Korea. General Eisenhower was elected
in the expectation that he would prove to be
more aggressive, more resourceful and more
determined in finding the means of forcing
decision in Korea. This being so, he can Ill
afford to sit back and let the Korean war seek
its own solution.