Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-11
The Price Of Peace

III i'm VI WIZ
Peace cannot be had merely for the
asking. In many ways, it is harder to
wage than war. To enjoy it, to preserve
1t, requires that the United States and all
like-minded nations perSevere in diff
cult common effort calling for large
and continuous investment of spiritual
energy, will power, brains, Drawn and
money.
In terms of cash alone, as Secretary
Dulles declared the other day at Iowa
State College, the cost of this peace
insurance policy" runs very high. AS far
as Americans are concerned, it means an
annual outlay of approximately $40 billion
80 per cent of it for the maintenance
OF our armed forces at home and abroad,
and the rest (roughly 81 billion) for for
eign economic and military aid in support
OF mutual security program that en-
braces friendly and allied nations in all
the key areas of the globe. Moreover, as
Mr.. Dulles has said and as our House of
Representatives has wisely recognized,
prudence suggests that such aid should
be earmarked even for a "neutralist"
country like Communist Yugoslavia as
long as that country is determined to
remain genuinely independent.
Why is it necessary for us to engage
in this costly undertaking? The answer
can be found in things like nuclear
weapons and intercontinental strategic
bomberS. The day has long since passed
when the oceans protected us and when
we did not have to concern ourselves con-
Stantly with our own preparedness or
with that of our friends and allies. That
was when we could count on having plenty
OF time to arm ourselves after the out
break of aggression. But now our situa-
ton is altogether different. In Mr.. Dulles
words, mans capacity to destroy has
suddenly expanded to degree that passes
comprehension Potential enemies
could destroy so much, so quickly, If ini-
TALLY unopposed, that we dare not gamble
on developing military power after an
attack has occurred. To deter aggression,
to prevent miScalculation, we need not
only to warn, but to back that warning
by forces-in-being, which include retail
latory striking power"
That is why our peace insurance
policy is inescapably expensive, and why
foreign aid is an indispensable part of it.
For such aid, far from being a "give-
away" adds to our own safety and
strength just as it adds to that of our
friends and allies. 1t does SO, among
other ways, by enabling us to maintain
throughout the world numerous and di-
verSified positions where war-deterring
armed power-formidabl forceS-in-b being
can be poised effectively enough to keep
would-be aggresSorS from striking. And
this policy must continue, as Mr.. Dulles
has warned, as long as the Soviet rulers
persist in their gigantic effort to build
up their military establishment and to
extend the area of their dominance" The
dollar costs involved are high, but they
are incomparably minor when measured
against what would be the costs of
nuclear Armageddon.
In Mr.. Dulles judgment, there are
Soviet signs that the day may come when
we can enjoy peace on less expensive
basis than this. But such prospect
seems much too remote at the moment
to warrant the kind of bargain counter"
slash that the House has made in foreign
aid. Dream as wishfully as we will, the
reality still confronting us is exceedingly
dangerous, and the law of self-preserva-
ton demands that we pay the price we
must pay if we are to have effective
ul,t,1ol Soci1ritv