Foreign Policy: An Issue in Search of a Party

...Moreover, the Democratic leaders in Congress have gone along with the Administration, even after the Democrats gained control, and even when the Congress knew and feared the policy as involving the risk of nuclear war...

...As long as hundreds of billions are poured into the creation and maintenance of widespread military bastions, and as long as hundreds of millions are spent to help "friendly" governments around the world build up their military forces, any economies that any government makes will be in the area of economic development and welfare, both at home and abroad...

...Dulles, in effect, told the Chinese people that if their government attempted to remove a hostile force from their own territory he would call this a "conquest", and the U. S. government would feel free to bomb China...

...On the contrary, Administration spokesmen blandly tell us that their policies are consistent with their campaign promises...

...Campaigning for office, the Republicans were highly critical of the Democratic Administration's "entangling foreign alliances...

...It is a matter of record that the most effective propaganda the Soviet government offers against us consists of direct quotations from our official government statements, or description of our government's motives and intentions as interpreted by American political analysts having "pipelines" to the White House, Congress, and the Pentagon...

...And a few years later, the Middle East resolution gave the same extraordinary power to the Executive in an area where unresolved problems created another powder-keg situation...

...Some Democrats have argued that somewhat too much "foreign aid" goes to military procurement, and that somewhat more should go to economic development...

...The secret ballot is an indispensable tool of political democracy...

...When the leadership of both major parties moves away from the deep desires of the people, the people move away from that leadership...

...Then workers got jobs in uniforms or in war plants...

...Moreover, the Democrats in Congress have supported the Administration's "Peace Through Strength" policy in situations where many Democratic Congressional leaders were highly suspicious of the government's intentions and recognized that the policy was a provocation to war rather than a safeguard of peace...

...In 1952 it was far from clear what the Republicans intended to offer in place of this misleadership...

...In theory, Congress will be given time to debate major policies and oppose them if they feel they are unwise...

...but if those who use it have no real choice between alternative programs, then -the act of voting becomes an empty ritual...

...The Formosa resolution of February 1955 and the Eisenhower Doctrine resolution of early 1957 put Congress on record as backing the right of the Executive to use the military might of the United States, as the President might decide, virtually without restrictions, and for ambiguous if not actually aggressive aims...

...And to emphasize this intention the Seventh Fleet was reenforced and put on "special alert" status...

...The confused electorate is not likely to get much help from the Democratic Party as such...

...As long as hundreds of billions are poured into the creation and maintenance of widespread military bastions, and as long as hundreds of millions are spent to help "friendly" governments around the world build up their military forces, any economies that any administration makes will be in the area of economic development and welfare, both at home and abroad...

...But in a democracy the electorate has the responsibility to scrutinize the policies and attitudes of those who speak and act for the people...

...tails, rather than with basic assumptions and principles...

...military power around the world, ready for all-out war, to cover the landing of marines and paratroopers in Lebanon...

...And in this situation, bi-partisanship is obviously dangerous since it deprives the people of any effective opposition...

...On the contrary, we are now confronted with a condition of perpetual crisis...

...and some Democratic Senators have actually gone so far as to accuse the Administration of "starving" the military services by an alleged "economy policy...

...In a war, whether hot or cold, policies inevitably will be designed to further strategic and military aims, instead of working to solve the problems which lead to unrest and revolution, or resolving conflicts of interest which lead to war...

...It is clear from the record that if the Administration's policies have been designed to achieve peace and security, and to find ways of attaining prosperity without an underpinning of war production and war-related jobs, the policies have been a conspicuous failure...

...This means that in a real democracy the people have an obligation to make a clear distinction between "my country" and the specific administration which is currently acting as a government...

...Nobody questions the fact that these offshore islands belong to China...

...During the campaigns of 1948 and '52 the Republicans made this charge incessantly, and after gaining power, the Republican spokesmen boasted that they had fulfilled their promise of achieving both prosperity and peace...

...Foreign Policy: An Issue in Search of a Party by HELEN MEARS rpHE most important question facing -"- Americans today is this: Are our elections becoming as meaningless as the elections in the "Peoples' Democracies" of the totalitarian world...

...In view of such charges, and their strange parallels today, it would seem that the electorate has the right to ask whether the the Republicans' "clear and consistent" policy includes a policy of recurrent crises to provide a pretext for the tremendous military budgets which underpin "prosperity...

...many have noted that the heads of government the Administration backs in Asia and the Middle East are often unpopular and reactionary, incapable of constructive democratic leadership...

...We are often reminded these days that "politics stops at the water's edge...

...Nobody denies that they are being held by hostile forces which use them to blockade the China coast, to interfere with legitimate Chinese shipping, and to serve as staging areas for subversion and reconnaisance deep into the Chinese mainland...

...some have noted that our powerful military installations around the fringes of Asia and in the Middle East do not "by themselves" constitute a policy but only "buy time" so that a policy can be designed...

...Anybody who would believe this would believe that the latest Army missile is made of green cheese to please its mouse passenger...

...But who is going to do this necessary job...

...And this is especially true now, since it is only too clear that the term "communism" is broadly applied to cover any situation of which our government disapproves...

...that their goals of peace, prosperity and security are being steadily and wisely pursued...

...somehow we must make "a fresh start to put the world on a new path to peace...

...During the debate on the Formosa resolution some of the Senators were so appalled by the dangers inherent in such sweeping Executive power that the late Senator Barkley called the resolution a "predated declaration of war" against China, and Senator Herbert Lehman called it "a blank check by the Congress, for such action as the President or his military advisers should decide to take action that can or may easily involve us in war...

...Here is how President Eisenhower said it back in 1954: "We have proved at last that America can go from war to peace without a terrifying depression . . . This Administration is working vigorously to bring about a lasting solution . . . Unemployment today stands much below the levels of 1950...

...yet in the brief interval that they have been in office, the Administration has led the nation to the brink of war on at least four known occasions...

...The Democratic Party leadership, however, appears to find little fault with this situation...

...yet the Republican Administration has increased them substantially, and now tells us that we must consider a military budget of $40-odd billion a year as normal...

...If anti-American violence has exploded throughout the world, even in nations whose governments are most friendly toward American leadership, it cannot be brushed off as the work of Communist fanatics, aroused by Soviet propaganda...

...But by now the answer seems obvious—nothing but perhaps a more dangerous game of brinkmanship that might actually plunge us into war...

...Comparing the Republican campaign charges with their current policies provides grounds for the conclusion that the Republicans took over as their own the very Democratic policies they most strongly condemned...

...In fact, it gives an appearance of being headed in the opposite direction from that the electorate desires and believes the government is seeking...

...They deal with symptoms of the world disorder, not with the basic issues...

...An example of this is the quotation from the President just above...

...It is based on the acceptance of the cold war as the inflexibly basic situation in foreign policy deals— with no prospect of constructive changes likely to be made...

...The Administration, however, does not admit failure...

...and that if there appears to be anything wrong anywhere it is all the fault of the Russians, the Chinese, and the subversive activities of "international communism...

...On the contrary, discussing what is wrong with U. S. foreign policy today, The Democratic Digest, official publication of the Democratic National Committee, in its August issue accused the Administration of "timidity...

...In general, Democratic criticisms of the Administration's foreign policies have been concerned with de"But How Did We Get Here, Foster...

...She is the author of two books, "Year of the Wild Boar" and "Mirror for Americans...

...In a war, whether hot or cold, policies inevitably will be designed to further strategic and military aims, not to solve the problems of human needs and welfare...

...yet under Republican guidance our national debt has steadily increased, as the Eisenhower Administration repeatedly raised the limit which was set to control it...

...or will demand a "complete reconsideration and reorientation of our foreign policies," as Senator William Fulbright did following the shock of the government's sudden intervention in Lebanon...

...It is not even one-third of the 1940 level...

...The result of this bipartisanship has been to increase steadily the authority and recklessness of the Executive, and to deprive the American electorate of the system of checks and balances for which the Constitution explicitly provides...

...Surely some political leader should have loudly and clearly challenged this statement on behalf of the security of Americans, the peace of the world, and simple sanity...

...As campaign oratory, "Peace Through Strength" kills two birds with a single slogan: it attracts all the voters who really want peace, and it simultaneously promotes the idea that peace can be gained only by the creation of that overwhelming military power which also insures "prosperity...

...Campaigning for office in 1948 and '52, the Republicans presented themselves as the "Party of Peace...

...The campaigning Republicans castigated the Democratic Administrations for their enormous military budgets...

...In theory this policy means that the Administration is pledged to consult with Congress before making major foreign policy decisions, so that Congress can fulfill its Constitutional duty to check on the autocratic use of Executive power...

...Unless, however, there is a strong, organized opposition party to restate the nation's aims and goals, to give the electorate honest, informed criticism of the government's policies, and to present clearly defined alternatives, a discontented electorate can do nothing more constructive than to replace one group of "rascals" with another, and the democratic tool of the secret ballot becomes merely an emotional release devoid of political meaning...

...If anything is certain it is that the overwhelming majority of Americans want peace...

...What we need today are some political leaders with courage enough to challenge the destructive direction our foreign policy is taking, and to assert the principles and aims which could get us back on course...

...By voting these resolutions, Congress abdicated its responsibility to act as watchdog for the peoples' interests against the Executive's irresponsible use of military power...

...yet during their brief term in office the Republican Secretary of State has bound us by military pacts to almost 50 governments, and most of these pacts include a commitment to go to war, under vaguely defined conditions, for highly equivocal goals...

...In other words, the government of the United States— the most powerful nation in the world—refuses even to consider the idea that its own attitudes and policies are in any way to blame for the explosive and chaotic world situation...

...Moving swiftly and secretly, overnight, our government alerted the whole mighty strength of U.S...

...Although our government insists that its aims are peace and security, and that its policies are wise and successful, it simultaneously confesses that although, since the end of World War II, Americans have contributed considerably more than $300 billion to support these wise policies, we are now in "graver peril" than ever before in our history...

...Senator Humphrey did in analyzing the crisis in the Middle East...

...It is quite certain that as long as the cold war is accepted as the basic situation which foreign policy deals with, no constructive changes are likely to be made...

...This is interpreted to mean that in matters concerning foreign affairs the proper attitude for loyal Americans is: "My country right or wrong...

...or if their attitudes seem to misrepresent us— then the electorate has the duty as well as the right to "turn the rascals out...

...and this leads inevitably to acceptance of a policy ingenuously called "Peace Through Strength...

...This position of our government needs looking into...

...Today, in respect to the crucial issue of foreign policy, the American electorate is for all practical purposes disenfranchised...

...Such a policy is desirable...

...How the Executive can cash these blank-checks was clarified by the Iraq crisis of mid-July...

...There is no point in deceiving ourselves that our government will work in good faith to relax tensions, or solve basic problems, as long as the basic assumption of its policy-making remains the idea that its chief job is to combat Communism, even if it means war...

...In other words, Americans have spent more than $300 billion presumably for security and have bought increased insecurity...

...The Democrats, in and out of Congress, have enthusiastically endorsed "Peace Through Strength...

...Then the President called for national unity in this time of national peril...

...Yet Congress passed this resolution with almost total unanimity...

...It is widely agreed today that the crucial issue for all Americans is foreign policy...

...A few Democratic Senators have dug more deeply, as HELEN MEARS has written on foreign affairs for Harper's, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, The Saturday Evening Post, and The New Republic...

...However, such a leader might be greatly rewarded...

...Back in 1952, President Eisenhower charged that the Democratic Administration was "misleading us toward a Third World War...

...In Congress they have joined the Republicans in voting even bigger military appropriations than the Administration asked for...

...The courageous leader today might find himself swept into office by the outraged rebellion of the rank-and-file Democrats, Republicans, and independents who know in their hearts and heads that you cannot get peace, or advance human welfare and democracy, by tottering provocatively and—-with luck, forever—on the brink of war...

...The President has praised "bipartisanship" as essential to his aim of achieving a "clear and consistent" foreign policy...

...In a totalitarian society changes in the governing group take place at the top, and the people have the right to assent to those changes or be quiet...

...In a real democracy, however, the people have an obligation to make a clear distinction between "my country" and "my government...

...Yet not only do we have no way of voting for or against a specific foreign policy, we have no way of knowing certainly what our government's foreign policies really are...

...Secretary Dulles, queried about U. S. policy in this dangerous situation, replied, as authorized by the Formosa resolution: "It would be highly hazardous for anyone to assume that if the Chinese Communists were to attempt . . . to attack and seek to conquer these islands, that could be a limited operation...

...On occasion some Democratic leader has called for "a fresh start [to] put the world on a new path to peace," as did Adlai Stevenson during the 1956 campaign...

...In general, however, the Democratic leaders— in and out of Congress—have accepted the basic policies of the Administration and their basic assumptions and goals...

...or if they fail to respect their obligations to the international community...

...The Lebanon crisis was still causing anxiety when the Far East powder-keg again showed signs of exploding as the Chinese on the mainland and the Chinese on Que-moy and Matsu Islands began once again to shoot at each other...

...In both those years millions of people had been without jobs until the nation went to war...

...Our own press and periodicals supply sufficient facts on which to challenge this assertion of non-responsibility...

...To an ordinary member of the American electorate this "timidity" seems comparable to that of an acrobat who walks a tight rope across Niagara Falls while simultaneously wrestling with a half dozen lusty opponents...

...For it is an unchallengeable fact that the major "threat to the peace" in the Far East is our own government's policy...

...However, it seems apparent that our government's foreign policy is not clear—either to the American electorate, or to the peoples and governments of the world...

...The virtue and responsibility of political democracy lie exactly in that distinction...

...Of course the President was right in saying that prosperity based on war production and war jobs is a "pseudo or false" prosperity...

...But it is clear that if the nation was in peril, it had been placed there by our own government...

...The inconsistency of the Administration's position is illustrated by comparing its campaign charges and promises with its policies after taking power...

...The first thing we can do is to recognize that a policy of "Peace Through Strength" is a contradiction in terms—or, to put it bluntly, double-talk...

...The only thing that is clear about the Administration's foreign policy is that it has not achieved its declared objectives of "peace and security...

...They have no choice of programs or attitudes...

...I am quite sure that Americans don't want to pay for any pseudo or false prosperity in the blood of their sons and brothers on the battle fields...

...There can be little question that this sort of statement had a profound effect on millions of Americans, who were desperately anxious for peace, especially after the Korean War...

...By now it is painfully clear that the policy of "Peace Through Strength" insures that the "blank checks" come up for cashing at regular intervals...

...But as long as they hold office, although they speak and act for the country, they are nonetheless responsible for their words and deeds to the electorate...

...What Communist propaganda ever produced a more terrible indictment of American policies than this charge made by our own President...

...Consider, for example, their charge that the Democratic Party was a "War Party," which could not give the people prosperity without war, or war preparations...

...If their policies fail to carry out campaign pledges, or if they fail to promote what people consider to be the best interests of the country...

...In all important respects, the majority of Democratic leaders, in Congress and out, accept the Administration's basic assumption of total and exclusive Communist responsibility...

...There is no point in deceiving ourselves that our government will work in good faith to relax tensions, or work for disarmament, as long as the basic assumption of its policy-making remains the idea that its chief job is to combat communism, even if it means war...

...The Republicans charged that the Democrats endangered the nation's solvency by their policy of "spend and spend, and elect and elect...

...And it is certain that as long as our government continues to pour hundreds of billions worth of our resources and labor into wasteful preparations for war, all efforts to design more constructive alternatives will be frustrated...

...Every group of men who win control of the federal government, or serve in Congress, want to be thought of as "our country...

...In this operation, which the President explained involved the risk of nuclear war, neither Congress nor the American people knew anything until after the troops had landed and the risk taken...

...While our government follows policies which our President tells us include the risk of nuclear war, spokesmen for the Democratic Party for the most part have contented themselves with partisan sniping, or criticism of some minor details of policy...

...It is certain that a "complete reconsideration and reorientation of our foreign policies" is long over-due...

...Considering the climate of opinion which has been created in our country during these postwar years of incessant cold war propaganda, it will take dedication and great courage for any political leader to come to grips with the basic issue...

...In practice, however, the Executive's consultations with the Congressional leaders have become increasingly perfunctory, and sometimes have come after the Administration embarked on perilous policies...

...This sort of instinctive patriotism is felt in every country of the world...

...And the Democrats in Congress abdicated their position as a responsible opposition party...

...Since the Republicans took office in 1952, the Executive and the Congress have been pledged to "bi-partisanship...

...The difference is that if our brink-walking leaders fall off their tight rope they will take us, and the world, along with them...

...Assuming that the record of the recent years convinces us that it is time for a change, what can we do...

...No wonder many had come to believe that America could prosper only when American blood was flowing on the field of battle...

...It would I fear constitute a threat to the peace of the area...

...Such criticisms evade the heart of the matter...

...But if, as the President charged, the Korean War saved the Democratic Administration from depression in 1950, couldn't it be said that the recent crises under the Dulles-Eisenhower approach to foreign policy appeared most opportunely to help the Republican Administration in its "recession" in 1958...