Evening star., 1954-06-27
A. D. A. Denounced for
Foreign Policy Attacks
Writer Says Purtison Group
Is Unfoir to Eisenhower
BY Frunk R. Kent

By Fronk R. Kent
In these days the amount Of volun-
tary- advice as to what he should do
in the matter Of foreign policy being
given to President Eisenhower is so
varied, voluminouS and vociferouS that
it is difficult to see how man can
stand up under 1t. Perhaps the reason
he does not falter is because Q great
deal Of 1t never reaches him.
It comes from all quarters Of the
country, from both parties, and often
from people who know so little about
the facts that 1t is amazing they
should have views at all-much less
the temerity to advance them. The
interesting thing is that the less they
know the more dogmatic seem their
assertions. A distinct exception to this
is John Cowles, president Of the Har-
ward Alumni Association and also
president of the Minneapolis Star and
Tribune. Recently Mr.. Cowles made q
thoughtful speech at the Harvard
commencement in which, as a result
of q lot of travel in the Far East, he
ventured to express some opinions.
4
Mr.. CoWleS' remarks have been
widely publicized, but slight attention
has been given to an exceedingly sound
and modest paragraph in the conclu-
sion of his speech. In this he says.
OBVIOUSLY. no man who does not have
access to the reports of the Central
Intelligence Agency, the State De-
partment and the Joint Chiefs OF Stan
should be too dogmatic as to what we
should or should not de-" 1t should be
said right here that this admission
that Mr.. Eisenhower, whose sources OF
information include not only the three
which Mr.. Cowles admits he himself
does not possess but q good many more
TO which the President alone has
access. IL the only such admission that
has come from any critic OF the ao"
missions conduct Of foreign affairs.
Yet the fact IL that Mr.. CowleS has
n great deal more right to speak on
this subject than most other private
citizens. Not what he says but the way
he saws 1t is in striking contrast TO
group which calls itself Americans for
Democratic Action but is generally re"
ferred to as the ADA. This organlza"
ton claims to be "nonpartisan." 1t IS
about as nonpartiSan as Speaker Joe
Martin. It is composed almost exclu-
sively of pro-New Deal. pro-Fair Deal.
pro-Roosevelt and pro-Truman Demo-
Gratis. Its honorary chairman is Mrs.
Eleanor Roosevelt. It's co-chalrman IS
Arthur SchleSinger, the Stevenson
speechwriter. Chairman of the Execu-
tive Committee is Robert r. Nathan.
New Deal economist. Among It's wee
chairmen are Francis Biddle, the for
mer Roosevelt Attorney General 9th
ers include the gay and garrulous Sem
ator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota:
the aged and somewhat embittered
Senator Herbert Lehman, Walter Reu-
ther, the slippery young head Of the
CIO: Representative Franklin D. RooSe-
velt, jr., now capitalizing his fathers
name by running for Governor OF New
York, and Senator Wayne Morse OF
Oregon, who. though elected as Re
publican, bolted the Eisenhower ticket
in 1852 and now calls himself "inde-
pendent"
Certainly, no member Of this group
is in position to have access to the re-
ports of the Central Intelligence Agen-
cy. the State Department or the Joint
Chiefs of Staff. But that does not pre-
vent this group from dogmatically pro-
claiming it's opinion. At recent meet
ing it denounced Mr.. Eisenhower pol
icy in Asia as "improvised, vacillating
and contradictory" 1t then proceeds
to tell the President what he should do
I'VE should" it proclaimS. help the
free Asian nations to give all their peo-
pie stake in their freedom, peace and
well-being worth defending
With equal vacuity, the ADA con-
tinues to assert that no military steps
should be taken without the full CO.
operation of the free Asian nations and
that these should at once be put lr
position Ito make independent political
decisions" Further, says the ADA. new
governments when established should
be guaranteed by the United Nations
against aggression and sufficient eco
nomic aid should be provided undel
United Nations auspices for full eco
nomic reconstruction of the area" A
no time does the ADA mention what
such q course would cost, where th'
money would come from, how these
nations could be solidifled into such ar
arrangement, what the Communist
would be doing while we are trying II
get them together or what facts th'
President, Mr. Dulles and his adviser
may have which they do not.
Instead. they blithely 90 ahead II
their irresponsible way to tell Gen. Tx
that everything he has done or plans II
do is wrong and that they have the rea
solutions. It seems rather silly whel
you read IL. But then. as one observe
Of politics says, considering who the!
are. what else can you expect?" Well
that Is a good question. Actually the,
are an extremely partisan. propaganda
organization working toward the re-
nomination Of Mr.. Stevenson. who Il
often Just as vague-but not quite 81
dogmatic.
Margaret Torney and Clara Kidwell
Harry Whitmore. Ralph Williamson
Percy Simpson, Harry Hardy, Edga