Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-17
HIS ROAD IS HARD
Dulles: Three Men
With One Mission

was regarded by his old associates
in the State Department as violent
and on occasion irresponsible.
Mr.. Dulles troubles with Britain.
which have broken out periodically
through the years, reached cres-
cendo of anger and confusion last
fall when Britain and France at
tackled Egypt to regain control Of
the Suez Canal.
Diplomat Dulles had the goal Of
peaceful settlement for Suez.
Lawyer Dulles had the task Of
achieving it. Politician Dulles con-
fronted the job Of selling whatever
package he could get to skeptical
Congress.
The Users Association
After initial efforts failed in Au-
gust and early September to bring
Egypt into profitable negotiations,
Mr.. Dulles was afraid that Prime
Minister Eden finally would go to
war. In extreme urgency he con-
cocted a plan for a Suez Canal
users association" Sir Anthony got
the impression that this could be
an instrument for blockading Egypt
and pressuring President Nasser in
to agreement.
The impression is strong, based
on some private talks Mr.. Dulles
had here at the time, that once the
crisis was passed and Sir Anthony
had been diverted from going to
war. Mr.. Dulles began to weaken
the users association project to the
point where Col. Nasser would have
a veto over anything it wanted to
do.
Only history and the publication
Of all the secret papers can show
the full facts. But the British, and
by then the French also. were furi-
Gus with Mr.. Dulles and had lost
confidence in his stand on their
side. This fact was cited in both
London and Paris-when finally
they did attack Egypt-as q reason
for the decision by Sir Anthony
and Premier Guy Mollet to resort
to force.
The break with Britain and
France put Mr.. Dulles in a bad
position politically at home because,
like all other foreign policy ex-
pertS. he has urged for years that
preservation of the Atlantic ALI
ance was the primary target Of
United States foreign policy. Under
questioning, he told a news con-
ference that the United States has
always had differences with its
Atlantic allies in areas beyond the
region of the alliance and particu-
larry with the "So-called colonial
powers" over the Middle East.
The colonialism remark hit Lon
don and Paris like kick in the
face. They were resentful and they
said so. But it illustrated a develop
ing policy trend in the mind Of
Mr.. Dulles and the President which
later was dramatized by the visit
to Washington Of midas Prime
0AllliSbcI NcllI v. 1IlC G4oClllAONCI
administration was becoming much
more solicitous Of the good will
and support Of countries in North
Africa and Asia and much less
solicitous about the attitudes Of
the Western European powers.
This policy development. which
seems to be hardening into a very
fundamental change. had been
foreshadowed as early as last June.
At that time. Mr.. Eisenhower at
a news conference defended the
rights Of neutrals to their neu-
trality and appeared to question the
wisdom of allies who had lined
UP with. the United States. This
alarmed and saddened leaders Of
countries like Turkey which had
been American allies for years.
Mr.. Dulles undertook to correct
the balance which had been upset
by the Presidents impulsive pat
on the back for the neutrals. On
June Q the Secretary said that
neutrality was obsolete" and gen.