◆ SpookStack

@ many months after 1 had. finajly esuyweeced in gelling into uni- form, as a member of Gen, C. Li Chennaull's staff in the Four. - leenith Air Force, But although [had long before becoine a mere junior officer in the Air Farce, the effect of my letters to Harry L. Hopkins and the other repre- sertalions 1 had- mate was ac- knowledged by implication in General Marshall's first instruc- lions to General Wedemever, ‘These are, so to sprak, my eredentials. Having known th siluation in wartime China fa ie intimately than any of th gros McCarthy witnesses yo Have yet heard, 1 think it m quty to say that while I dis- puled the judgment, I never had the faintest doubt of the lovaily of any of the American officials or others whom Me- Carthy has attacked. They were serving the United States to ihe best of their abilily, with cour- age atid fidelity, This should be suffictent to protest them from the Kind of vulgar attack Me- Carthy has made, even if their judgment was incorrect. ow ALTHOUGH our views clashed sharply, 1 was particularly well acquainted with Ar. Service, To the best of my knowledge, although I thought then, and think now, that he was gravely in error, he was a most coi scientious and decent Americal | public servant, It ds difficult, 6 course, to offer hard evidence t sirport such contemporary im pressions, But I may cite one fact. at least, to show how er- rgmeous it can be io judge situ- tions from the viewpoint of a - later time. Former Vice President Henry: A. Wallace has been, in effect, a Pliable stooge for the Amer- ican Communist Party for more than two years, From this, many people have inferred {hat Wallace was a Communist stooge in wartime. In fact. however, nolhing eould have heen mere atgeert eon mere eomvary to the party line in war- dime than to urge the dismissal of General Stilwell: vel Wal- lyce recommended the dismissal of Stilwell and his replacement by Wedemeyer in a telegram from China to President Reose- velt in the late spring of 1944. Igcidentally, the telegram w “adit wilh tne full Knowledge o Nt- John Carterdyincent, *wh eplered uo protleg whatcver, al tough he loo has been under at ‘tack as a Communist stooge. _ In conclusion, there are two Spormmswhich I feel [ treeeomrit. First, i do not think I was wrong. in opposing the policy of gam- bling on winning the friendship of the Chinese Communists and inducing them to declare their independence of the Krenilin. 1 do not think I was wrong, simply because I, and the others who took the same view, could not possibly foresee that when this policy of winning the friendship of the Chinese Communists had been defeated with the dismiss f General Stilwell, there woul ea long period afier the wat uring which we had no China oiicy at all. * None of the men now under atiack by Senator McCarthy had any important responsibility. to my knowledge. for this singuiar hiatus. Speaking for myself, if J eould have foreseen that the only alternative to a policy of gambling on the friendship of the Chinese Communists was a kind of vacuum of policy, L should have been on the othey pide in the struggle in Chinaj The gamble on the Chinese Com unisis, aithougn ‘lof Toreign” policy. unnecessary, my opinion, was at least a! _ reasonable gamble, such as could, | @ reasonably advocaltapy-wit tirely loyal Americans, . “| on ; ! SECOND, I should like to sug- . "A aur fommti = a gest 1 YOUP COMIMIILIES cneme, oe i the test” of joy arty is Forlowiny * you had much be better Jaunch & . investigation of Senators Mes * Carthy, Wherry and Taft thar.’ an investigation of Messr, : more. Service and Vincent. Let : the test b test_be a tabulation_o of key votes of the Lites’ above mentioned on 1 postwar measures 9 ign policy, and especially of thelr Unatoe an key ainandimonts hv ST Te nel ALAS VOCCR GAL which, bills. can be sila. \ hess three Senators. Ss, and most f the others who have joined them in the present clamor. have vqled_the sliaight Communist ~ Munist Party line on every major issue: as laid down inthe Daily Worker, ever since er, ever since — the end of the war, If temporary agreement with the party line, is ta be made the’ test of loyalty let these men be called to the bar to explain their records. In summary, I do not attem bt to excuse or palliate the grave American mistakes in China, which I have often before de- nounced. But I submit that we May as well abandon all hope of having honest and courageous piblic servants, if mere mistakes judgment are later to be irhnsformed into evidences of diioyaity io the siate. And i. submit further that the members of the Senale who are now per- seculing these men who made, as I think. mistakes in China. have far more to explain, excuse, and rationalize in their own records. I still believe that the loss of hina was unnecessary, But I hink it far more important that ; we should not destroy the decelit raditions of American politi at | Ife. These now seem to be ep cangered. t