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Show United Nations' Parley r'Cf . Holds Hope of World Russia Important Factor in Outcome of 7 (U Peace Conference; U. S. Delegation "??-s - t Working for Successful Formula. ' ?a&- By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator. (CNU Service, Union Trust Building, Washington, D. C. I walked down the cool, twilit corridor cor-ridor of the senate office building and out into the warm spring sun. As I crossed the threshold, the light on the bright white marble step blinded me and for a second I groped downward blindly. As I stood a moment recovering my equilibrium the thought flashed .through my mind that this experience experi-ence was very much like the longer one which preceded it. I had been talking with Vice President Truman, Senators Connally, Vandenberg and others about the forthcoming meeting meet-ing in San Francisco of the United Nations. I recalled Truman's nervously energetic en-ergetic speech as he assured me that he was giving his time to just Dne thing: acting as liaison between the President and the senate to keep the chief executive and the legislative legisla-tive leaders as nearly in step as pos-iible. pos-iible. I recalled Senator Vandenberg's expression as I left him plunged deep in the thousand extra tasks and worries which his function as Republican Re-publican member of the delegation had plunged him. He had said: "If San Francisco doesn't succeed it will be the greatest moral blow the world has ever experienced." I thought of Connally's careful policy pol-icy of withholding public comment or quotation concerning the coming conference, except carefully thought out statements or speeches such at the one he will make in the senate before the conference. His is the delicate task as senior administration administra-tion representative on the delegation of maintaining a balance between the views of the Republican members mem-bers represented on the delegation, delega-tion, the administration's viewpoint, and his own and other personal views. After all, as senate majority major-ity leader he is responsible for helping help-ing to carry out a policy which not only a majority, but two-thirds of the senate will accept. I also thought of the wide variance vari-ance of views expressed by members mem-bers of both houses not directly connected con-nected with the negotiations and of the great reticence of many who hesitate to express any view at this time. And I thought of the out-and-out Isolationists; a very few who admit that position and others whose doubts and suspicions battle with what they feel has been the strong trend for wholehearted cooperation which the various polls and other media of public expression appear to register. These kinetic thoughts moving now in harmony, now in friction, seemed suddenly to have generated a blinding light that burst into the shadows of the complacent assurance assur-ance which had enveloped me and left me a little, dizzy. What a tremendous tre-mendous opportunity seems to be offered to a war-weary world; what a fatal possibility if the effort fails. Fear of Russia Shades Future It is clear that such doubt and suspicion sus-picion as may have arisen as to the possibility of failure of achievement of world cooperation arises chiefly from one thing: fear of Russia. Next is the feeling in some quarters that Churchill's inability always to get along with Stalin bodes ill for tri-party tri-party harmony and some feel that the United" States instead of trying to bring the two closer together should identify American interests more closely with Britain as opposed to those of Russia. Then there is still the unhealed sore which President Roosevelt's personal emissary, Edward Flynn, has been trying to heal, the friction between the Vatican and the Krem- lin. Lastly and perhaps more disturbing disturb-ing is what appears to be unilateral action toward small countries on the part of Russia in spite of the Yalta agreement. Now those persons like Vice President Presi-dent Truman, who take the more positive and more hopeful view, feel that some of these factors have been built into bogey-men, that granted they exist as facts, that Churchill and Stalin don't always see eye to eye and that even less sympathy exists ex-ists between the Catholic church and the head of the Communist party, none of these situations need affect the creation of an international organization. or-ganization. As to fear of Russia. Well, frankly, frank-ly, I cannot understand the workings of the official Russian mind, I cannot can-not understand the hysterical attacks at-tacks in the Russian press on Walter Lippman, for instance, who has been in the first ranks of those who urge Russo-American unity; attacks on Senator Vandenberg against whom they throw their whole book of antifascist anti-fascist vocabulary when he is on record as supporting a three-power treaty for disarming the axis which would be the basis of the chief thing Stalin wants an agreement of the only two great powers besides his own country, which would guarantee Russian security. I do not understand all this. I do not accept the propaganda which tries to say that communist government govern-ment is democracy. But there is one thing which sold me on playing ball with Russia. That is the patient, pa-tient, earnest and convincing argument argu-ment of former Secretary of State Cordell Hull, who certainly has no more love for communism than he has for fascism, who was never accused ac-cused of wandering with his head in the clouds or of trying to reform the world, or square the circle, and although he has faith a-plenty he wouldn't try to move a mountain without a bulldozer. His argument boils down to this: Russia and America need each other. oth-er. Russia- knows this. There are fewer obstacles to a practical understanding un-derstanding Iretween the countries than there are reasons why we should work together for mutual benefit. Sponsors Provisions For Adjustments Though It is generally agreed that the support of the American people of any international organization of which Russia is a part depends on the conduct of the Kremlin between now and the end of the San Francisco Fran-cisco conference, Senator Vandenberg Vanden-berg goes farther than that. He says that the support of the necessary two-thirds of the United States senate sen-ate for any organization which reo ognizes 'international organization depends upon inserting into the document which defines it, what he calls an "escape clause." That escape es-cape clause would permit the readjusting re-adjusting of certain conditions now existing, certain sore spots which he feels may become cancers. The escape es-cape clause would permit the United Unit-ed Nations to escape from any restriction re-striction which prevented what they feel is the righting of wrongs. "Injustice," says Vandenberg, "is a strait jacket and you can't keep the world in a strait jacket" Of course, there are a lot of Polish votes in Vandenberg's constituency and a member of congress is such by virtue of, and the powers he exerts ex-erts are delegated by, the people who put him in office. Nevertheless, he is not speaking merely for his Polish constituents when he talks about including in the jurisdiction of the United Nations, the administering administer-ing of justice: That is the trademark trade-mark he wants to put on any organization or-ganization which comes out of San Francisco. Other members of the delegation have trademarks of their own. But as nearly as I can judge all are willing to make considerable sacrifice sacri-fice of their personal views, rather than shake the world's morale with failure to produce anything The safety rtcord of the railroads rail-roads in the present war is much better than that in the First World war, the Interstate Commerce commission com-mission reports. This is true, the commission points out, despite the fact that there has been a substantial increase in the last few years in the number of accidents acci-dents arising from the operation of trains and the number of casualties resulting thereirom. "It appears," the commission says, "that for each class of person per-son the fatalities were much greater great-er in World War I than they were in World War II, the total for all classes being 10,087 in 1917 and 9,286 in 1918, compared with 5,337 in 1942 and 5,051 in 1943. In the two decades prior to our entry into the present war, notable progress was made in reducing railway accidents, acci-dents, and especially those resulting in casualties to passengers and employes. em-ployes. In 1932 and again in 1935 but a single passenger was reported as killed in a train accident, although 18 and 24 respectively in those years were killed in the train-service accidents, acci-dents, as in getting on and off cars." Notes of an Innocent Bystander: When Lowell Mellett, former aide to FDR, was asked why the President Presi-dent is a great executive, Mellett said: "Because he is never too busy to work!" . . . Add towns you should be glad you didn't name: Rising Sun, Ind. . . . John B. Kennedy, the news commentator, says now that the Nazi prisoners of war over here got their own newspaper the next thing they'll probably demand will be pensions! Sudden Thawt: Sayl Could the war department's request for Mr. Byrnes' curfew be a move to offset the war's interference inter-ference with the birth rate? . . . When one night clubman griped about "his investments" a newspaperman said: "This is a total war meaning total for everyone and everything. This is your part in the war to sacrifice sacri-fice more than others. For some people the war means to go blind. For others to go broke. Which would you rather?" Congressman Dickstein aimed a well-deserved blast at Rankin. The chip on Congressman Rankin's shoulder Is a cinder in the public eye. . . . The Allied War Crimes commission announced that Hitler and company would be tried for their war crimes. It is about time I To repeat a query: But what is holding up the trial of Hess? Sec'y of Commerce H. Wallace will be aamed "Man of the Year" by the Churchman at its annual banquet. ban-quet. Wilikie and Baruch were so honored. What we'd appreciate learning from Justice Byrnes is what he has done about the defiant Washington, Wash-ington, D. C, stay-up-late joint which (at last reports) remains open all night? . . . That Toledo theatre manager who kept open all night, too, what about him? Can't he be drafted to help pick up the wounded and dead? . , General Patton, so the story goes, was holding a meeting with his staff officers when the telephone rang. . . . Thinking it was a friend, the voice at the other end of the wire inquired, "Hello, is that you you old sonovabee?" Undisturbed, Patton looked around the room and then spoke into the phone. "Which sonovabee do you want?" he inquired. Strange Bedfellows: John L. Lewis, Lew-is, Sewell Avery and Fiorello La Guardia Americans who defied their government during the war. . . . One' wag recently remarked: "Now that the war dep't has stepped into the curfew controversy, the Little Flower of New York hasn't a pot to bloom in." . . , Telegram from Miami Beach: "What those magazines maga-zines (which rapped Miami Beach) neglected to add was that since December De-cember 7, 1941, Miami Beach gracefully grace-fully cooperated with a midnight curfew. But it was your mayor who was first to violate it. Have you any comment to make about that?" Taking the words out of our mayor's may-or's mouth, he once confessed: "When I make a mistake it's a beaut!" When General Eisenhower visited vis-ited Paris after its liberation, he and several officers inspected the Eiffel Tower. ... At tbe top, Eisenhower leaned over the rail and viewed the city. . . . After a silence of several minutes min-utes an aide said: "A penny for your thoughts, general." . . . Eisenhower, visibly impressed, turned and said: "Isn't this a wonderful place to hang Adolf?" The story In the gazettes that new motor cars may be nameless (after V-E Day) appeared here on July 10, 1944. Mr. Krug is quoted a's saying "it is very possible." . . . Draft boards have been instructed to order all "swishes" (now classified 4-F) into defense factories as file clerks, etc. Some Broadway musical shows will suffer most. Before his death A. Woolcott assigned as-signed his royalties from the sales of his book, "As You Were," to care for seamen throughout the world. To date United Seamen's service received re-ceived $10,778 from the late author's royalties. . . . Lt. Roland Hill (he was Archbishop Spellman's sec'y in Algiers) is the first G.I. to run for public office. Has a good chance to be elected mayor of Minneapolis, pals report. He went overseas as a private, and General Eisenhower promoted him with bars made from Spam cans because no lieutenant bars were available in the field. Recently we mentioned that the war manpower drive in Newark was a big flop. ... We got our data from the war department, a pretty good source, don't you think? . . But Newark officials and newspapers news-papers (and the mayor there) spanked our wrists for the report. ... So wot? So nothing! New York papers confirmed it (many weeki later) as usual. . . . You probably prob-ably heard of the Boston blueblood who saw "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" Brook-lyn" and then told friends that it wai a story "about American peasants"! |