Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-03
Presidents Remarks on Is Prisoners


Now, I want to talk for Just 8
moment, with your Indulgence
about Is American prisoners
And you cannot possible tall
about them in any isolated sense
At the risk Of boring you with
some repetition, I repeat, the
world Is In an theological.
struggle, and we are on one side
and the Iron Curtain countries
are on the other.
This struggle we now are In
we call the cold war. The grea1
hope Of mankind Is that we car
find methods and means d
progressing a little bit, even Il
by little steps. toward q true o.
real peace. and that we do moi
90 progressively toward war.
Now, on our side we must make
certain that our efforts to pro-
mote peace are not interpreted
as appeasement or any purchase
OF immediate favor at the cost
Of principle. But we must. on
the other hand, be steady and
refuse to be goaded into sections
that would be unwise.
Held for 2 Years.
To fit this incident into the
global picture. let me remind
you, these prisoners have been
held by the Chinese for two
years, so their selection Of a
time Of announcement was, of
course, a deliberate act. In fact,
we find little evidence In all Of
the actions Of the Communist
states that indicates any hap
hazard actions on their part.
Everything they do Is deliberate
and well-thought out.
Now. I do not mean to say that
everything in Russia Is COM
pletely co-ordinated with every
thing that is happening in
China. I do say that when one
of these governments permits
anything to happen or makes
any announcement, 1t does it de-
liberately and with q deliberate
purpose.
Now, II this is a deliberate at
tempt out there. as it appears to
be, to goad us into some i'm
plusive action in the hope of
dividing us from our allies,
breaking down and destroying all
the work that has been going on
over the past years, to build up
q true coalition of free govern
ments. then it certainly makes a
mockery Of the softer tone that
has been used in Russia towards
Western Europe at times lately.
even approaching the tone of
Establishment.
AIMS U0CnaMgeQs
Now, we must not forget what
the aims Of communism have
always been, announced by
themselves: To divide the free
world, to divide us among our
selves as the strongest nation
of the free world, and by divid-
ing, to confuse and eventually to.
conquer. to attain through those
means their announced aim Of
world domination.
Now, for us there are two
courses, and here / should like,
in a way. to talk q little bit per-
sonally. In many ways the easy
course for a President, for the
administration, is to adopt a
truculent. publicly bold, almost
insulting attitude.
A President experiences ex-
actly the same resentments, the
same anger, the same kind of
sense Of Illustration almost,
when things like this occur to
other Americans, and his i'm
pulse Is to lash out.
Now, I want to make quite
clear that when one accepts the
responsibilities Of public Office,
he can no longer give expression
freely to such things: he has got
to think of the results. Now,
that would be the easy way for
this reason: Those actions lead
toward war.
Now, let us think of war for
q second. When this Nation goes
to war. there occurs automati-
cally a unification Of our people.
War Closes Ranks.
Traditionally, If we get into
trouble that involves war, the
Nation closes ranks behind the
leader, the job to do becomes
simply understood. It is to win
the war. There is a real fervor
developed throughout the Nation
that you can feel everywhere you
go. There is practically an ex-
hilaration about the affair.
The great Lee said, ut is well
that war is so horrible; If it were
not so, we would grow too fond
of it," because in the intellectual
and spiritual contest of match
Ing wits and getting along to
see If you can win. there comes
about something, an atmosphere
Is created, and an attitude is
to which I am not to-
tally unfamiliar.
But, ladies and gentlemen, I
have also had the job Of writing
letters Of coincidence by the hun
dreds, by the thousands, to be-
reaved mothers and to bereaved
wives and others who have lost
dear ones on the battlefield.
Urges Sober Acts.
Now, that is q very SOLDERING
experience, and 1t means that If
we are going ever to take such q
gateful decision as leads us one
step toward war, let us, by no
means, do it in response to our
human emotions Of anger and
resentment. But let's do 1t after
We have prayerfully considered It |
and found as Wilson expressed
It. mo other means Of protect
Ing our rights"
Let us recognize that we owe
It to ourselves and to the world |
"a explore every possible neace. |