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Show UNITY ON OUR FOREIGN POLICY t It is significant of the current temper of this country that a number of prominent newspapers and people criticized criticiz-ed the President's speech to Congress dealing with the international in-ternational situation on the grounds that it did not go far enough that he should have made it even clearer to the Soviet Union, its satellites, and the European nations which are still holding out against the onrush of communism, that we are no longer going to permit our friends or ourselves to be pushed around. Some even take the extreme position that we should draw a line on the map of Europe, and inform Russia that if she crosses it war will result. That, of course, is not a generally held view, and in informed circles the feeling feel-ing that a prolonged peace is possible still exists. In any event, Mr. Truman's message was framed in strong and direct language for the chief of state. It is one thing for an unofficial person to bulge his muscles at a nation with which theoretically, we are on friendly terms it is a very different thing when it is done by those who must bear the heavy responsibility of formulating policy and evaluating risks. The fact that Mr. Truman was so unequivocal unequi-vocal in his mention of the Soviet Union is just one more indication in-dication of, the extent to which American patience has been stretched. And the fact that both parties in Congress gave the President heavy and sustained applause is another barometer bar-ometer of the thinking that is going on in hicrh circles. Mr. Truman's three suggestions for speeding up approval ap-proval of the ERP, for compulsory military training, and for a temporary renewal of selective service are not new. Approval of ERP is now a foregone conclusion. The last two, however, are of a highly controversial nature and a number of leading figures in Congress said after the speech that they would have to be given overwhelming proof that the measures meas-ures are necessary before voting for them. Even a few months ago, it seemed unlikely that the subject of military training would be brought up at all in this election year, and it seemed next to impossible that it could be a, proved. But the pace of fateful events has bep n immensely accelerated and the picture has changed a great deal in a short time. It is the view of the administration, and of the chief military men, that voluntary enlistments cannot keep the services at even their present authorized strength, and that a draft, unpleasant un-pleasant as it may be, is the only solution. Going farther, ' they are also certain that the only alternative to a huge standing Army which has always been repugnant to this country for reasons of principle as well as reasons of money, is a trained civilian reserve. It is a good sign that everyone in an official position, from the President on down, frankly admits that the policies advocated are risky. The ultimate risk is war, and it is being talked about openly. The usual rumors to the effect that this top official or that has confidentially stated that we will be at war with Russia in a matter of weeks or months, are floating about. But, as well as one can judge now, the final crisis is nowhere near as imminent as that, and for several reasons. It is unthinkable that this country would provoke a war. And it is pretty obvious that the Russians do not desire war they have been swiftly getting what they want with-out with-out bloodshed on their side. Those who are in the best position posi-tion to know though the available evidence is admittedly inadequate still think that the Soviet Union will not be ready for war for some years. Her apparent strategy is apparentto ap-parentto seal up Europe so that there will be no place for us to fight, and to make effective opposition from peoples within Europe impossible. She has come much closer toward that frightening goal than millions of us seem to realize. The 5-pow'er compact, signed the same day Mr. Truman made his talk, and which pledges Western European states to unite against aggression, is one of the heartening signs. The program advocated by the President is clearly designed vto implement it. Those who believe in this program are convinced con-vinced that the Existence of a military powerful United States will be as vital to European anti-communist elements as aid under ERP. In the meantime, there is a great deal of loose and uninformed un-informed talk concerning atomic warfare. It may be that new weapons capable of deciding a war practically overnight over-night can be developed. They have not been yet. Many military mili-tary men feel that the atomic bomb, potent and valuable as it is, will not be a decisive weapon and that, in the final stages of war at least, the classical technique of taking over the losing nation physically will again be followed. Furthermore, Further-more, if the world is to be racked with war between hemispheres, hemi-spheres, the vast distances which will separate the opposing forces will have to be bridged by planes which do not yet exist. We have no bomber which can fly many thousands of miles with a bomb and return. And no one else has either, if the experts are to be believed. Senator Taft, among others, said he was disappointed that the President has not laid more stress on enlargement and modernization of the Air Forces. Some of the opponents of compulsory military training feel that if we have a sufficient suf-ficient air force, far fewer foot soldiers will be needed. That point will be debated at length when Congress deals with military training and selective service legislation. |