The people's voice., 1958-04-25
The Eisenhower 7ragedy--


way. While the American nation be
gan to build higher standard of liv
ing the Russians were quietly build
ing rockets. At the precise moment o.
American relaxation the supreme cris
is was at hand. I'm fairness any Ca
madam reporter must add that his owl
country was more complacent than it:
neighbor, softer in policy, greedier fol
an easy life and proportionately less
generous to it's foreign friends.)
Thus led by an amateur and man.
aged by the professionals, the Repub-
lican campaign of 1852 was launched
with lofty hopes and it succeeded be-
yond expectation.
Nevertheless, a dispassionate OBJ
server must have noted, even in this
first phase, meaningful portent. Ig-
norant of politics, depending too much
for advice on the professionals and
too little on his own sound intuitions,
Eisenhower held his nose and ap-
peased Senator Joseph Mccarthy.
In office he continued to appease
McCarthyism, restraining with diff
Guilty an explosive temper and deli
cate sense of decency. 1t was not the
president but the nation, through a
band of courageous senators, that de-
stroyed McCarthyism-not before it
had done great damage to American
society and American prestige abroad.
No one can say, of course, that a
different presidential method in this
ugly episode would have succeeded
better; it might have wrecked the
party, as the bolder Theodore Roose-
Telt wrecked it in 1912. 1t was clear
anyway that the Republican gulf had
1ot been effectively bridged by Eisen-
lower's methods. nor the party as a
whole recreated in his progressive
mage.
All these organic Republican schisms
.schisms existing the the Democratic
'arty as we'll but usually better hid
Ien) were forgotten in the first tri-
Imphant advance of Eisenhower's
crusade toward a better life for
IL. Forgotten, too, or little noted as
he nation embarked on euphoric
DOM, was the Messianic parsonage
ow installed in the State Depart
lent.
TIME BOMB PLANTER
Dulles proceeded to plant series
time bombs in American society
nd in the Western alliance and was
imself the largest time bomb inside
lie Eisenhower administration. First
e divided American society by indict-
lg the former Democratic govern I
tent for bungling foreign affairs.
he lunatic fringe of the Republican
arty, thus encouraged, went on to
ldict the Democrats for twenty
ears of treason" Then the assault on
lie opposition became, in McCarthy's
eyday, and in the Bricker constitu-
onal amendment, an assault on the ..
itself.
Next, Dulles terrified and divided {
lie alliance with such inspired phrases :
J massive retaliation" and "brink of
ar" Finally it was Lester Pearson ]
ho rescued American diplomacy
ON the Suez debacle; it was Dem
:ratic opponent, Acheson, who I
lshed to the defense of Dulles few
onths ago when he was challenged
? George Kennan on the proposition h
withdrawal from Europe. +,
Three years after his election Eisen- 4
wer appeared to be in perfect
alth and was enjoying a popularity
corded no predecessor, but as
ltesman he began to wear, under
e boyish grin, the first faint tinge
tragedy.
On the night of Sept. "a, 1866,
me the heart attack at Denver.
agedy was no longer theoretical or a,
litical. 1t was physical. It's immedi- fl
: effect was to fracture not only a,
: presidents bodily strength but Fl
executive power. CO
While Dulles now grasped complete ne
1trol of foreign policy, domestic ar
icy in it's financial and economic 81
,ects had fallen into the hands of su
much aBler man. Sc
George Humphrey, Secretary of the tn
sincerely held an orthodox 70
'iness philosophy, distrusted the IL
ynesian theories planted in the Th
W Deal of 1888 and believed, above
that the budget must be balanced IN
its continued deficits produce an m,