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Military government weekly information bulletin
No. 42 (May 1946)
Press comments, pp. 15-18
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Page 15
C§ress ciomments Bvrnes ProIDosal een As I i d p'a HE GIRISTIAN SCIENCE ONIfR Jurning point in~merican~oreign~olicy The New York Times berms Secre- tary of State James F. Byrnes' proposal for a four-power treaty guaranteeing de- militarization of Germany "a turning point in American foreign policy." "It is not only a far cry from 'no entangling -=alliances"', the edit- - orial comments, "it also goes beyond any treaty ever pro- posed by the United States before ... goes beyond the Charter of the United Nations . .. means that the American government is prepared to intervene even in times 'of peace both in Europe and the Far East, whenever peace is threatened anew by -our late enemies. "Yet such an alliance is the obvious, necessary and perhaps ionly means of re- moving many misapprehensions and ambi- tions which are now delaying peace and world recovery. As such it deserves the full support of the American people ... it is in keeping with the United Nations Charter, which explicitly provides for special security arrangements during the transitional period and against our late 'enemies. "On the plea that the German menace continues, and that in the absence of any definite American commitments they might have to face this threat alone, both Russia and France have insisted on unprecedented extension of their se- curity frontiers ... the offer of alliance must now disclose whether these coun- tries are primarily in search 'of security 'or of territory. For Britain it means definite abandonment of any balance-of- power politcy in Europe in which Ger- many could serve as pawn. And for the United States is means final and irre- vocable abandonment of isolation in favor of that active participation in world affairs is not only in keeping with our military and economic power but whic1} must also be the key to world peace and prosperity."' TERMED AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Secretary Byrnes' 'offer of a 25-year guarantee 'of demilitarization of Ger- many is 'evidence -of the administration's "fresh disposition to take affirmative action in behalf of world tranquility," according to the Washington Post. "Many voices pointed the way to the assumption of American responsibility. One 'of them belonged to Senator Van- denberg, who as far back as January 10, 1945, suggested a hard and fast treaty guarantee 'of enemy demilitarization... "All history tells us that immediately after every great war victors are spoils- minded. This war has been no exception. Our own world policy, purposed against the background of an atomic arms race, has been heavely weighted with 'security imperalism', though much less so than Russia's, which has been cruder and more successful because it has not been handicapped by our own incoherence "Byrnes, move is not enough in itself. World relations have deteriorated so ra- pidly that, having gotten the initiative 15
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