Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-24
In Praise of Sukorno
HAVING long been an a

Having long been an admirer
of Sukarno, l read with great
interest his fortnight address
to Congress in which he speaks
of the desire for economic but
not military aid. NAnd in con-
trasting the progress of Indo-
neSia since its independence
with its previous colonial era.
he said: I'm the II years of
our independence. the Indo-
nesian nation has made more
human progress, and has been
the scene of greater human
happiness. than in all the
tens of generations of coloni-
alism that went before"
Strangely enough, the same
evening. in browsing over the
Life and Letters of Walter H.
Page, I came across a letter
to Col. House, written in 1913
when Page world-famous
editor and publisher - was
Ambassador to England. In
it he decries the economically
wasteful militarism of Europe
and the evils of colonialism.
IF we could only find some
friendly use for these navies
and armies and kings and
things, in the service of hui
mainly" he wrote. I'VE ought
to find a way to use them in
cleaning UP the tropics under
our leadership and under our
code of ethics - that every
thing must be done for the
good of the tropical peoples
and that nobody annex a foot
of land. I wonder if we could
not serve notice that the land
stealing game is forever ended.
and that the cleaning up of
backward lands is now in
order-for the people that live
there. Work on a world plan"
Such was the remarkably
prophetic vision of thinker
and writer who had been edi-
tor of Atlantic Monthly, Har-
per's Magazine and Worlds
Work. AS founder and creator
of the forward looking Worlds
Work, Page had formed the
habit of Analysing the worlds
affairs in the light of progress
and justice.
It has taken half a century
and two world wars to bring
about a situation in which
"the land-stealing game is
forever ended-and the clean
ing up of backward lands is
now in order"
Let us be proud that it was
one of our citizens who had
this lofty and prophetic vi
sion, and let us as Americans
welcome every opportunity to
help countries like Indonesia
ameliorate themselves. Those
who return to this country
from missions of economic and
technical aid to Indonesia re-
port a tremendous spirit Of
progress there-and a vigor-
Gus pioneer spirit in settling
new lands such as character
lied our own settling of the
West.
Sukarno told the Press Club,
"Indonesia is in a hurry be-
cause the world has no inten-
ton of standing still while we
catch up"
This is the spirit that gives
birth to great achievement
and in this ardent quest for
progress we wish Indonesia all
success, and promise her our
aid
StanwO0d Cobb,
Director, Chevy Chase
Country Day School.
In The Star Of May 10.
David Lawrence reviewed the
address by Indonesia's Presi-
dent Sukarno before a joint
session of Congress. Not only
was Mr.. Lawrence's analysis
uncharitable. in my opinion it
was inaccurate. 1t charged
that President Sukarno is UNI
aware of a potential threat by
Red China and the Soviet
Union.
This is not borne out by
the facts. Although DR.. Su-
karno is the acknowledged
leader of Indonesian independ-
ence, he has led the nom
Communist nationalist. Al
though the Dutch have been
the main focus of his atten-
ton for most of his life, he
did not join the Communists
in resisting Dutch domination.
When communism was re-
spectacle and fashionable with
American intellectuals in the
30s, DR.. Sukarno remained a
non Communist nationalist.
When Indonesia was strug-
Cling for her independence
from Dutch colonialism. the
Communists twice rebelled
against the Republican gov
eminent Tin 1916 and l948).
While the Communist Party is
one of the four largest parties