“LOSS OF INITIATIVE”

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 70, 4 January 1950, Page 3

“LOSS OF INITIATIVE”

AMERICAN POLICY CRITICISED NEW YORK, January 3, “One result of America’s ‘wait and see’ policy in regard to East Asia has been a total loss of initiative on our part,” says the “New York Times’ in a leading article. “Whatever we do now lias to be provoked instead of inspired. Any decision now will probably have the great handicap of bad timing. . “On the positive side, technical and economic aid to Formosa, we will start ‘exploring.’ The formulation of a policy meanwhile is to be held in abeyance until the meeting of foreign service officers with Dr. Philip Jessup, United States Ambassador-at-Large, to be held in Bangkok in February. “Long before this meeting the United States will be faced with urgent immediate problems to which a ‘wait and see’ answer cannot be given. Decisions will be forced on us, rather than arise from our own choice. We shall have to make them while we are still exploring the possibilities of actions that could and should have been taken long ago. “Congress months ago voted money to be spent in the China area at the President’s discretion. That discretion has not been exercised.”