Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 16, Number 22, DeMotte, Jasper County, 12 April 1946 — NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS

By PAUL MALLON

Ralttxd by Wtiurn Newepeper Union. ■ELECTION OF SMITH TO RUSSIAN POST WISE WASHINGTON. The condition of foreign afTaira la apt to become more deeply Involved before It gels better. The military man, Lt. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, (elected by

Mr. Truman to go to Rusaia as ambassador, has now been sent or his way to Moscow, presumably with new instructions on the course of Soviet - American affairs. <4y guess would be General Smith will enter Into the confusing diplomatic fray with

■ purpose of establishing the usual direct non-political approach. Diplomats seldom say what they mean; military men speak directly. With them it is a question of "What do you want?" "What have you got?" end "What do you propose to do?" The West Point schooling always has taught practical considerations. For these reasons I Judge the permanent mission of General Smith represents a fresh effort by this administration to establish some reasonable and practical grounds for future Russian negotiations. IRAN DEVELOPMENTS REMAIN DEEP MYSTERY This ander - Interpreted venture seems to me to be equally as Important as the Iranian developments which are deeply Involved In diplomacy. The filing by the Iranian government of a protest against Russia with the United Nations security council In Its provisional nature, may have been too happily Interpreted In this country. On Its face, It represented a decision by the Iranian government to stand for Ita Independence. This naturally has raised American hopes that a new stanchion has been built to resist the encroachments Russia has been making upon the basic peace doctrine of the four freedoms. The wiles of diplomacy are such however, that this conclusion must bo hedged. Some underlying doubts In the situation can be found upon analysis of the strength of the stanchion. In the first place, the new premier of the Iranian government was established after the Soviets had protested the resistance policy of the former government head. The protest of his minister here to UNO was made after his recent visit to Stalin out of which many rumors have grown.

One gtory accredited to BritIsh circles |g that the premier was told by Stalin not only that an appeal to UNO would be considered an unfriendly act aa announced—but hla government would be replaced If he tried It. On the other hand, an unaccredited rumor here anpposes that the protest will not be pressed before UNO as It occupies only a status on the provisional agenda of the council that la, It may not be taken np. Regardless of rumors or reports on either side, the status of the protest, of course, Is provisional. It can be taken up by a vote of seven members but a veto by Russia would shelve It. With matters in this Involved dip. lomatic state, the dispatch of General Smith represents the most encouraging development, and a firmer one. As nearly ss 1 can Judge, few authorities sre being swayed by the appeasement efforts such as represented most conspicuously by the speech of Senator Pepper. Big Three gatherings were Important from a publicity standpoint and were necessary when the foundations of peace had not been laid. But now that the agreements have been established, the problem is to put them Into effect. My latest Information suggests Russia has nothing of a military nature which we need fear. Specifically she docs not have the atom bomb or early prospects of getting it The bomb formula is so deeply covered by arrangements for secrecy made during the war, that It may be assumed to be safe. The need for appeasement in the face of Russia’a threatening diplomatic position la therefore not apparent. * * * The bellows of diplomacy blow faster, hot and cold. Although President Truman stood by the side of Mr. Churchill when he proposed an Anglo-American alliance. State Secretary Byrnes celebrated St. Patrick’s Day shortly thereafter with a definite rejection of tha Churchill plan. He submitted the counter-pro-posal of maintaining sufficient armaments to enforce our influence in world affairs through Joint co-opera-tion of UNO. Mr. Churchill likewise dropped hla firm manner and pinked Stalin with a needle dipped in humor.

Gen. Smith