TRUMAN AGAIN BLUNDERS IN FOREIGN POLICY

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 October 1948, Page 6

TRUMAN AGAIN BLUNDERS IN FOREIGN POLICY

WASHINGTON, October 9.

President ,Truman announced today that on the advice of the Secretary of State (General Marshall) he had abandoned a plan to send the United States Chief Justice (Mr Fred Vinson) to Moscow for peace talks. The announcement followed two conferences with General Marshall, who returned to Washington today from Paris.

A British United Press report from Paris says: “United Nations delegates were shocked and dismayed by reports that Mr Truman had considered sending a special envoy to Moscow to discuss the Berlin situation with Mr Stalin. The delegates shared the fear that the disclosure that Mr Truman was even contemplating such a move might endanger the whole of the negotiations on the Berlin dispute within the United Nations.” Atom Energy Problem.

In his statement today Mr Truman said that when he talked with Gen-; eral Marshall by teletype last Tues-: day he had told him that he was par- ' ticularly concerned over the attitude' taken by the Soviet representatives about the atomic energy problem. “I said I was wondering whether their attitude did not reflect a misunder- i standing in the minds of the Soviet 1 leaders so serious from the standpoint j of world peace in general that we; would be remiss if we left undone] anything that might .conceivably] serve to dispel it,” said the President. 1 He added that he had asked General Marshall whether any useful purpose i would be served by sending Mr Vin-| son to Moscow in an effort to make l the Soviet leaders understand the! seriousness and sincerity of the people of the United States about these matters. i

“General Marshall described to me the situation which he faced in Paris, and in the light of his report and the possibilities of misunderstanding to which any unilateral action, however desirable otherwise, could lead at present, I decided not to take this step,” said Mr Truman. “My talk with General Marshall has been gratifying to me. I was ‘glad to hear his report of the unity which has prevailed between ourselves and the French and British representatives in Paris in all phases of the handling of the Berlin crisis.”

“Reaction Unfortunate”

General Marshall called a press conference today and categorically denied that there had been a difference between the President and himself over the proposal to send Mr Vinson to Moscow. He said that reactions in Paris to the press reports of differences were most unfortunate. Asked what was to have been the purpose of the proposed Vinson mission, General Marshall said that Mr Truman was concerned with the broad question of peace in general, but in particular with the atomic problem. “The President, due to his very special position, was deeply concerned by the intransigent attitude of the Soviet representatives during the United Nations debate on atomic problems,” said General Marshall. He himself had opposed the proposed mission because the Security Council was about to discuss Berlin and atomic problems and there was danger that any such unilateral action by the United States would be misunderstood. The strongest card of the Western Powers now was unity. General Marshall reiterated that the United States was ready to negotiate with the Soviet in the Foreign Ministers’ Council at any time, provided the Berlin blockade was lifted first. m He added that he hoped Mr Truman’s statement would have a calming effect on fears in Europe that the United States was about to make a singlehanded approach to the Kremlin.

Would Not Elaborate

Reporters at General Marshall’s press conference interpreted his remark that the President had “a very special position” as an indication that General Marshall was convinced that the Soviet did not have the atomic bomb. Asked what he meant, General Marshall replied that the President’s position was unique in all the world, but he would not elaborate. Reporters clearly understood that he meant that Mr Truman was the only human being who had final control of the atomic bomb. According to the Chicago Tribune the plan was developed at'the White House without consultation with General Marshall. “It was advanced as a dramatic move to attempt to solve the Berlin crisis, which would probably have a salutary effect on Mr Truman’s Presidential election campaign,” said the Tribune. “It is believed that General Marshall said that the mission would reduce his stature at the United Nations Assembly and in any dealings with Russians in the present critical state of Russian-American relations.”