Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-17
BY JOHN HIGHTowER

When Sir Anthony Eden resigned
recently as British Prime Minister,
various polite suggestions were made
IN London and in private talks
among foreign diplomats here that
Anglo-American relations would be
improved If Secretary of State
Dulles also stepped aside.
These flashes of antagonism to-
ward the Eisenhower administra-
tion's top diplomat had hardly
faded on the horizon when group
OF Senate Democrats thundered into
action against Mr.. Dulles.
Events like these have raised the
question whether Mr.. Dulles is
about washed up as director of
United States foreign policy. I'm
less there is some radical change In
the attitude of President Eisen-
hover or Mr.. Dulles himself the
question will be available for debate
for a long time.
Mr.. Eisenhower has shown no
sign Of weakening in his support
for his Secretary Of State; the Sec
rotary has shown no sign of giving
up the position for which he
dreamed. schemed and trained over
more than 40 years.
Yet there can be no doubt that
nearing the age of 69-his birthday
is February 25-John Foster Dulles
is facing one Of the toughest fights
Of his long. combative career. He
is coming now to realize what his
predecessors have all found out:
Alone among Government minis
tiers the Secretary of State has no
constituents Gas the Secretary of
Agriculture has the farmers. He is
always suspect for dealing with
foreigners. and he is held respon-
sible for mishaps beyond his con-
troll.
Turbulent Four YeoTs
Mr.. Dulles has now been in
charge of United States foreign af-
fairs four years. He Is not APP
preaching a record for durability:
the late Cordell Hull held the post
for more than a decade. But four
turbulent years of struggle with
Russia. of Surging hope and crush
ing despair, of war fears and
Shrink" diplomacy plus serious
erosion of allied relationships has
been enough to saddle his record
with an accumulation Of errors,
failures and criticisms.
Together with the normal handi-
caps attendant on being Secretary
of State, these developments have
reduced Mr.. Dulles efficiency both
as a diplomat and home-front
shaper Of national policies. He has
paid out much of the reserve OF
good will which almost always at
tacheS to new man in the job. He
has achieved some results, such as
stalling the British-French attack
on Egypt over Suez last fall. at the
cost of confidence of others in his
word and intention. He has lost
the aura of a reputation for almost
infallihle knowledge of foreign al
fairs which once blunted the ques-
tions of Congress.
Through it all. Mr.. Dulles has
shown q capacity to work from IL TO
IS hours day. He has demonstrated
serious upset only when. he. has lost
control of a situation, or failed OF
the success he seems to expect OF
all his enterprises. or has been
showed out of the spotlight.
He was clearly distressed by the
failure of his efforts to block the
loss of half of I1do-China to the
Communists in 1884. He was badly
worried by French rejection OF the
European Defense Community that
same year. He had harassed ana
weary face during much OF the
summit conference at Geneva In
1855 when he was the No. 2 man
for the United States. Mr.. Eisen-
hover being No. /.
He Acts. on the Moment
One thing which never seems to
upset Mr.. Dulles is an inconsistent,
even a glaring contradiction, IN ms
own position. This has repeatedly
astonished friends and critics alike.
1t may be one of the reasons why
the heavy burden of his work never
seems to weigh him down. He acts
on the moment as measured by his
concept of major United States In
terests and his own position IN
achieving them.
At least a key to understanding
this fundamental characteristic In
his behavior Is to be found in the
fact that Mr.. Dulles functions as
three different persons with three
different techniques and points OF
view.
The three personalities are those
of the diplomat, the lawyer and the
politician. He developed them in
that order.
He began his diplomatic career
back in 1907 at the Hague peace
conference where he went with his
grandfather, former Secretary Of
State John w. Foster. Mr.. Dulles
had wanted to be a Secretary Of
State and work for world peace
through a system Of international
law from the time he uGed to go
fishing with his grandfather on
Lake Ontario near mis- home town
OF WATERFOWL, N. Z.
Mr.. Dulles was educated as a
lawyer and after he went into prac-
tice converted the New York Arm
of Sullivan 81 Cromwell into one
Of the worlds great international
law offices.
Mr.. Dulles got into politics late.
He associated himself with New
York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey in the
1905 as an adviser on foreign
policy. He was in line to be Sec
rotary OF State in 1914 and again
in 48, but Gov. Dewey lost. Mr..
Dulles thus learned the need for
political maneuver and broad base
OF support. He served briefly In the
Senate under appointment by
Gov. Dewey. Later he associated
himself with Mr.. Eisenhower early
in the Presidents own political ca