Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-11
For the Long Pull

In his speech to the Illinois Manu-
facturers' Association, Secretary Of State
Dulles has said nothing that he has not
said before. But the American policy he
has once again outlined calls for re-
emphasis at time when the Bulganin-
KhruShchev tour of Asia mocks the
Geneva spirit" and raises questions as
to how the free world should cope with
the apparent new Soviet offensive in the
cold war.
To begin with, despite the harsh anti
Western character of what the iunketing
Russian leaders have been saying in India
and Burma, Mr.. Dulles has made the
point that the violent phase Of the cold
war-the decade of armed Communist
aggreSsion-Seemst to have undergone an
eclipse" since last spring. Nevertheless,
although this development is welcome
one as far as 1t goes, he has reminded
everybody of the Kremlin's technique Of
zig gag" and he has warned that I'VE
must act on the assumption that the
present Soviet policies do not mark
change of purpose, but a change of tao
tics" In other words, the purpose re-
mains the same as it has always been
namely, to win mastery over the entire
globe.
Accordingly, to preserve themselves
in freedom, and to maintain peace, the
United States and minded nations
must continue, as Mr.. Dulles has said, to
rely primarily on two things. The first
Of these is the political warning system"
inherent in such defensive alliances as
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
And the second is "selective retaliatory
power" which already exists and which
must be, and is, massive in order to
deter all forms of aggression" The Sec
rotary has not had to labor this point.
Quite obviously, without an interallied
common front and the capacity to strike
back with tremendous force against any
attacker we and our friends abroad
would have no way of discouraging our
potential enemies from unleashing war
of total conquest; instead. we would be
flirting with suicide by leaving ourselves
acutely vulnerable to annihilating assault
by superSonic planes laden with atomic
hydrogen weapons
But alliances and retaliatory power
are not the only things that must be
maintained by the free world In addi-
ton, as Mr.. Dulles has made clear, the
United States, in concert with It's friends
and allies, must keep on striving to
establish effective arms control and build
up international moral pressure of sort
designed to persuade the Kremlin to relax
its grip on the satellites and end such
injustices as Germany's partition. At
the same time with economic aid and
other means we must speed up progress
in the underdeveloped lands that are now
the targets of Soviet guile" And we can
take on that task with confidence, for
1t is wrong to assume that the leaders of
those lands-in Asia and elswhere-are
blind to the danger implicit in Moscows
current overtureS.
On the whole, in setting forth these
and similar points, Mr.. Dulles has drawn
a reasonably hopeful picture of what can
be accomplished by steadfast adherence
to the policy he has restated 1t is
policy for the long pull-for a fateful
struggle that is likely to continue for
years to come between our world and
the world of the CommuniSts-and If we
go forward with it resolutely, without
wavering, 1t may yet bring dividends of
incalculable value in terms of peace and
freedom.