Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-24
The Political Mil
Administration Policies
Aimed at World Peace
Brituin and Fronce Blamed
For Failures in lndo- Chino
By Gould Lincoln


The Indo- China settlement. called in
many quarters great Communist
victory, might have been far different
had the Eisenhower proposal for coll
lective defense against aggression In
Southeast Asia been backed by the
British and the governments of other
free nations before Geneva.
That is water over the dam.
The British and the other nations
interested In hating further Commu-
mist inroads In Southeast Asia now
have an opportunity to take effective
action. This is in the making, with the
lead for conference to set up South
SEATO as counterpart Of NATO In
Europe. In it will lie the hope Of peace.
Democratic criticism of the Eisen-
hover administration for the role it
played in the Indo-C China situation
charges inconsistency on the part Of
the. President and Secretary of State
Dulles. Nothing could be further from
the truth.
Collective Action.
Since the very start Of the Eisen-
hover administration the basic prin-
ciple of its foreign policy has been
straight along the line of collective
action for defense and security. That
was the administrations demand.
when it turned its eyes toward the
Indo-C China situation-with the Com
munistS seeking to take over that Inn
portant gateway to the whole of South
east Asia.
That is its demand today. With all
its energy, the administration sought
to win the British and the French over
to the formation of a collective defense
agency and to present it as fait
accompli to the Geneva Conference.
Stumbling blocks were the French un-
Willingness to offer independence to
the states of Indo-China and the
British insistence that the Geneva
talks should take place in advance of
the creation Of any defensive organiza-
ton for that section of the globe.
The administration believed that II
had the assent of Winston Churchill
and the British government to the plan
Tor an immediate meeting to talk over
SEATO-before the Geneva Confer
ence began-only to find that the
British had backed water. II peace is
not again to be assailed by Communist
aggression in Asia. it is essential there
be no delay in the creation Of such an
instrument, President Eisenhower. in
his statement on the Geneva agree
ment. declared that "any renewal of
Communist aggression would be viewed
by us as q matter Of grave concern"
And he added: "The United States Ia
actively pursuing discussions with other
free nations with q view to the rapid
organization Of collective defense In
Southeast Asia in order to prevent
further direct or indirect Communist
aggression In that general area"
The Way to Peace.
II the other free nations will follow
the leadership of this country In this
matter. long step toward hating
Communist aggression will have been
taken. II they do not-then the United
States may have to redesign its foreign
policy. no matter how painful an opera
tion that may be. The hopeful note In
the situation lies in the fact that now
the lighting has been halted in Indo-
China and an agreement reached with
the Communists. the way has really
been cleared for the course long urged
by the Eisenhower administration for.
collective defense in that area of the
world.
Senator II. Alexander Smith of New
Jersey, chairman Of the Senate Foreign
Relations Subcommittee on the Far
East, Is a staunch supporter of the
Eisenhower-Dulles foreign policy. In a
recent discussion before the Town Hail
Meeting Of the Air, Senator Smith
forcefully expressed the opinion that
the United States has a sound overall
foreign policy; that it has been built
up, ever since the founding of the
United Nations under our leadership.
that it has been strengthened and re-
vltallized under the Eisenhower admin
istration. He pointed out our success
with the establishment of collective
security agencies in the Americas and
IN Europe. He said we had endeavored
to apply the same policy in the Pacific
area, entering into defense agreements
with the Philippines, Australia. New
zealand, Japan and Korea. The next
move. in line with the policy, he said
viii be creation of a collective defense
organization.