Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-01
BY GABRIEL II. VOGLIOTTI

GdSt- WcAl u duG, I1OG~I SIll-
pered Senators barely avoided
accusing American officials of
cabinet level of siding with
Russia.
The Senators were angered
by reports that our biggest
allies have abandoned restraint
and gone overheard in trade
with Russia. One of their
questions was: How can Off
Gals claiming loyalty to the
United States excuse this
almost seditious trade with the
enemy? What mystic rea-
sons compel the White House
itself to condone the traffic
and even try to keep it secret?
Almost identical wrangles
have occurred some IL times
in eight years. Each time, as
Senators and administration
men approach the point where
they begin challenging each
others patriotism. the State
Department invokes secrecy.
Repeatedly, the hearings have
adjourned behind closed doors,
excluding the press and even
Senators who are not members.
The diplomats then explain
the secret story of the dipio-
matte maze; what goods so
through the Curtain and just
why We can't stop the traffic.
In the end, the Senators are
asked to continue the secrecy.
In the past they have
usually been sufficiently paci-
fled to pass the word to COL
leagues that, on this issue,
the United States is in box,
that the President is doing all
he can and that Congress
should lay off. This shelves
the issue until word comes out
about new patches of war
goods reaching Russia.
Specifically, what the Sena-
tors want is White House en-
forcement of the Battle Act,
or public explanation for
non-enforcement. The Battle
Act, basic law on trade with
the Soviet bloc, instructs the
President to persuade all ma
lions to cut sales of strategic
goods to Russia. When ma
tons do not cooperate the
President is instructed to get
tough and stop all United
States aid. military and eco
nomic.
Congressman Laurie Battle,
who wrote the law, became
fascinated with the morass of
secret diplomacy it engendered
and took a swing through Eu-
rope several years ago to study
its enforceability. He was dis
mayed to learn that his law
collided headon with EuropeS
determination to conduct some
trade with the Soviet bloc
and that We have no coercive
weapon to stop it.
Just why We are licked is
presumably one of the things
being explained again this
spring. Mr.. Battle once said
that this standard explanation
should be recorded on tape
for replays as long as we
send military aid abroad, and
as long as some so recipient
nations trade with Russia
without a breakdown from us.
The explanation does not
hold for all nations. But it does
apply to a half dozen West
European powers. Since we
cannot force these TO 90 all
the way on the embargo with
US, We can't crack the whip
on scores Of other nations.
They tell us they shouldn't be
asked to do what we can't get
England, France or Denmark
to do.
The Cose of Denmork
The situation in Denmark Is
an Illustration.
1t is still something of a
diplomatic secret that Den
mark did not want to join
NATO. Denmark had neu-
tralists i'll parliament and its
Cabinet who thought the coun-
try should copy Switzerland.
Danish generals hated to an
tagonize Russia by allowing
United States Army Engineers
to build the Thule airbase on
Greenland. They feared giving
our Navy privileges would
make Denmark a target of
Russian bonn bers. Finally,
they dreaded the cost of their
share of NATO's armament.
The United States was
months pursuading Denmark
to join. The consideration
that decided Denmark was our
agreement to pick up the mill
tary check. Denmark agreed.
provided most armament costs
be on the United States ac-
count--the funds and weapons
nov called military aid. ="
Later, as a seeming AFTER
thought, we asked Denmark
to cut her trade with Russia
and threatened TO stop mill
tary aid as a penalty. The
Danes told our diplomats to
stop being idiotic.
They said. First you plead.
We finally agree. on the stipu-
lation that you contribute part
OF the military cost. Then you
threaten to stop the payments
because OF new. extraneous
issues. DO you want us in
NATO or not?"
This was the box. United
States aid, we discovered, was
not a weapon, but a contract.
The same situation applied in
different degree to most Ma
lions OF Europe. Why the Sc
crecy?
Here too, the situation is
complex. No allied nation was