Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-16
Sunshine in Paris

The major conclusion which seems In
Dictated by the happy turn Of events in Paris
Is that the forces working for Western unity
are stronger than the forces working for
Western disunity. This is merely another
way Of saying that the dictate of the logic
inherent in the relationship which prevails
among the British, the French and our
selves is that we shall stand together or fall
separately.
One should be wary Of oversimplifca-
ton. There are many points on which there
is no mutuality of western interests. And
where national interests tend to diverge
rather than coincide there will be much
pulling and hauling. When this happens,
the Western Alliance, If the relationship
which prevails can be called that, will seem
to be in danger Of cracking up. No doubt
there will be numerous occasions in the
months and years to come when we will be
at odds with the British or with the French.
But nations as well as individuals are In
huenced by the instinct of self-preservation.
And the men who control the deStinies of
our respective Western governments know
that our chances Of survival as free nations
depend upon the maintenance rather than
the destruction Of the alliance, or associa-
ton, Of Britain, France and the United
States. This knowledge Is the powerful force
which, when the chips are down, will always
work for unity and against disunity.
AS Secretary Dulles returns from Paris
and as General BedelI Smith, his deputy
prepares, to return to Geneva for the crucial
conferences on the Indo-C China settlement,
there would seem to be some wisdom in
awaiting developments. The picture of what
actually happened, and what actually was
agreed upon, in the meetings among Mr..
Dulles, Premier Mendes-France and For
eign Secretary Eden is much less than clear.
Obviously, it would seem, the three men
have been through hard bargaining proc
eSs. Perhaps Mr.. Dulles has received aSSur-
anceS that France will not settle in Indo-
China on peace at-any- price basis. If this
is so, it may be that we have agreed to under
write the settlement, while trying to main
tain detachment which would not clearly
put us in the position Of abandoning any Of
the VietnameSe to Communist enSlavement.
Some Of the reports suggest that Mr.. Dulles
has received new assurances from the
French and British of support in his project
for kind of Southeast Asia NATO. And it
may even be that our Secretary of State has
been good enough trader to obtain from
the French some firmer commitment with
respect to ratification of EDO.
This, of course, is guesswork, and it
would go out Of the window if the Commu-
nists at Geneva should decide to kick over
the applicant. There is no guesswork, how
ever, about the fact that the United States
must lead If it is to be the leader Of the
Western world. And leadership cannot
always be matter of giving away dollars
or of what we like to think Of as moral ex-
ample. Sometimes it is necessary to use
pressure. This should always be done wisely
and with caution. The point is, however
that whenever pressure is applied, the re-
action is apt to be one of anguished protest
Yet this will not necessarily mean that the
alliance is falling apart.