Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-09-10
Operation Good Hope


arms to Jordan serves to emphasize the
serious nature of our Governments
recently reafflrmed warning that the
United States stands ready, under the
So-called Eisenhower doctrine, to extend
active and direct help to any nation of
the Middle East facing the threat Of
possible aggression from international
communism"
In the present instance, the threat
emanates from the Damascus clique that
has swung Syria to a pro-Soviet policy
OF sort that has alarmed not only Jor-
dan, but also IraQ, Lebanon and Turkey,
as well as other Middle Eastern coun-
tries friendly to the West. The alarm
stems from the fact that the new Syrian
regime, far from conducting. itself as a
good neighbor, or otherwise taking a
reaSSuring line, has been rafting sabers
and Spouting poisonous propaganda in
manner that seems to have been de-
hberately calculated to help the Kremlin
C"1nternational communiSm'O make fur
ther gains in that strategically crucial
part Of the world.
Thus, particularly as far as Jordan
Is concerned, Syria'S anti-Western lead
erS appear to have embarked on q pro-
gram Of Subversive activities (including
acrosS-the-border arms smuggling) con-
shutting very real potential menace
to the security and peace Of the entire
area. That IS why the delivery Of de-
fensive ornaments Is being expedited
by air to the Jordanian government, and
by other means to Iraq, Lebanon and
Turkey. And 1t explains, too, why Sec
Rotary Dulles, speaking for President
Eisenhower, has strongly intimated in
his statement Of last Saturday that the
United States is prepared to give the
help OF its own armed forces to any
country Of the region that may ask
for such help when or If attacked by
international communism"
Radio Moscow and President NaSSer
Of Egypt. together with the Damascus
Saber-rattlerS, have attacked all this
as evidence Of American imperialism"
planning to unleash aggression"
against Syria. But the truth is, Of
course, that our airlift to Jordan and
our comparable Speedup of military
shipments to other friends in the Middle
East are aimed solely and simply at the
objective of diScouraging Soviet directed
international communism" from un-
dertaking, through internal subversion
or direct external attack, to subjugate
the whole region to the Kremlin. Ger
tainly, II we did nothing but sit on our
hands in this situation, II we were ir-
resolute, If we were not prepared to act
as forcefully as events might require,
every pro-Western country over there
would face the prospect Of ultimate Red
conquest.
Appropriately enough, our airlift to
Jordan has been called Operation Good
Hope" The good hope is that Inter
national misunderstanding spe-
cifically the Kremlin-will see IN our
extension of this aid q profound and
unwavering American determination to
do whatever may be necessary to help
the independent nations Of the Middle
East to remain on the free side Of the
Iron Curtain. II Mr.. Khrushchev and
Company think otherwise, and If they
are still intent upon pushing their Syr-
ian and other agents into war-breed-
ing adventures, they are making the
gravest and the most dangerous kind
of miscalculation.