OCR Text |
Show International Unity Aided By Moscow Conference Results of Famed Tripartite Meeting Continue Con-tinue to Grow; Spirit of Compromise Achieved in Moscow. By BAUKHAGE ' Veij Analyst and Commentator. ( : WNTF Service, Union Trust Building Washington, D. C. Some weeks before Secretary Hull left for his Mission to Moscow, I interviewed him in his office in the state department. Shortly after he returned, he received a number of us In that same office and gave us an informal talk about his trip. One of the things which impressed me greatly as I heard the secretary in the course of the hour-long meeting, meet-ing, telling us sidelights on his re-markable..experience, re-markable..experience, was the way .-.- one 'word which he had used in his talk with me kept cropping up again and again. It was the word "understanding." "under-standing." He applied it to personal relationships and exchanges between be-tween the members of the tripartite meeting and to the whole discussion and the decisions which grew out of it. It seemed to be a case of progressive progres-sive understanding. In our first conversation, the secretary, sec-retary, indicating the papers which covered his great desk, said they all dealt with Russia. I did not know then that there was to be a Moscow meeting. And he made the point with considerable emphasis, that there was so much suspicion on the part of persons discussing the Russian Rus-sian situation that it was exceedingly exceeding-ly hard to work toward an agreement. agree-ment. Open Discussion Then, In his talk on his return, he repeated this thought, saying that many people, because of their deep 4 prejudices, had made it hard to bring about an understanding between be-tween the three nations. He said that when he left for Moscow, he felt that much of the misunderstanding misunderstand-ing was due to misinformation which aU the parties shared concerning the y others. In order to correct that, every effort was made at frank and open discussion and, as a result, questions which had been considered consid-ered most difficult to solve automatically auto-matically disappeared. And the secretary pointed out that as the conference progressed many points immediately developed where what might be called the "selfish interests" in-terests" of each nation were discovered dis-covered to be common interests. He explained how military co-operation had been achieved as the need for it grew and how, with this development, it became clear that similar co-operation must be established estab-lished along political and economic lines, especially regarding an international in-ternational organization to preserve peace. The secretary set off for Moscow under a hail of attack from one section sec-tion of the press which labeled him "anti-Russian." If there ever was ( justice In such a charge, which Mr. Hull emphatically denied, he came back with no such feeling. In fact, ... he made it clear that he was now convinced that few countries had more in common and less in conflict, con-flict, especially in the economic field. Unconvinced Although all of the official statements state-ments issued in Moscow and in London Lon-don and Washington after the delegates dele-gates had returned to their respec-tiv respec-tiv homes, stressed the accomplishments accomplish-ments of the conference, their importance im-portance and the probability of their effect on future negotiations, still there were those who chose to see great gaps yawning and unbridged between the three nations. Of course, only time can tell how thorough the common understanding really is and how far the respective nations will be able to go to hold to a unity of purpose through the stormy times ahead. But there have already been evidences that a spirit of compromise was achieved which did bear actual fruit. This was true in the case of Italy. Some time ago, a magazine article appeared which purported to outline out-line the plan by which the countries liberated from Axis domination would be governed by the successful Allies. The plan was a pretty rigid one, with the AMG (Allied Military Government) seeming to be rooted deeply into the governmental fabric of the liberated nations. There was criticism here to the effect that the United States was taking on the responsibility re-sponsibility of running the world and it was predicted that there could never be an agreement between three victors, one with a hereditary monarch, Britain; one with a communistic com-munistic form of government, Russia; Rus-sia; and one, a democratic republic, the United States. The test came in Italy. After the parleys at Moscow, the AMG was limited in its functions, taking over only the districts nearest the front. An Allied military commission was formed which is making maximum use of the local native civilian officials. offi-cials. Italian Government But what about the government which the Allies would accept as satisfactorily representing the will of the Italian people? Surely Britain would demand that monarchy be given a chance to remain in power. Surely Russia would have no traffic traf-fic with kings and would instead demand de-mand a strong left-wing set-up. The supposed American compromise compro-mise was a temporary regency, that is, a liberal regent such as Count Carlo Sforza who was in exile from the Fascist regime and who left America shortly after the surrender of Italy. The little son of the crown prince would remain the symbolic head of the state. Many said that neither Russia nor Britain would accept ac-cept this suggestion. However, although no definite step has been taken, semi-official sources have indicated that when Rome is recaptured and Marshal Badoglio, now premier, steps out, there will be virtual agreement on the part of the three victor nations on the American Amer-ican compromise. All that remains will be an agreement on the part of the Italian people. Even if the latter lat-ter is not achieved, there is evidence evi-dence enough already of tripartite compromise and unity to seem to confirm the success of the Mission to Moscow. Economic Questions The ways and means committee of the house has only been able to agree on methods of raising one-fifth one-fifth of the money which the government govern-ment says it is necessary to have to continue the war. Not only has it been unwilling to tax the higher brackets further but it also is afraid to recommend the sales tax because be-cause that affects the largest group of voters everybody. Naturally the first thing that a citizen citi-zen leaps to defend is his pocket-book. pocket-book. The administration has attempted at-tempted to lay down as a goal a maximum net income of $25,000 in wartime, perhaps twice as much in peacetime. Now perhaps the American Amer-ican people don't want to put any limit whatever on incentive. Nevertheless, Never-theless, there is always an outcry against the accumulation of wealth and we know that when wealth becomes be-comes concentrated, panics result If the various influences resisting taxation which will bring down their ceiling on incomes succeed in forcing forc-ing congress to defeat such laws, and granted the rest of the people accept ac-cept the defeat, democracy is not to blame. The selfish group has won and it has won, not because congress con-gress wants to please a few voters but because congress has been convinced con-vinced that the special interests are represented by a majority of voters in other words, tfae majority wins. Another current issue which is very much before congress is the threat to little business. Right now, 70 per cent of the war contracts are held by about 100 firms. Senator O'Mahoney is proposing a measure which would produce an incentive on the part of the investors, invest-ors, that is, those with large capitals to spend, to invest in small rather than large business; that would be done by making taxes on big business busi-ness so heavy so that the profits resulting re-sulting to the investor would not be as large as if he had his money in small business. Small business has to be protected, protect-ed, it is admitted, if free enterprise in America is to continue. If any single group or groups manage to convince the elected officials of the country that they can muster enough votes to defeat the people who are responsible for such a tax plan, it is obvious that the majority's will will be frustrated. There again it goes back to the individual. Individuals In-dividuals who do not vote destroy the democratic processes by permitting permit-ting a minority of the people to become be-come the majority of the voters. |