The Freshmen Assist

POLICIES & PRINCIPLES

When he sits down over a drink with Winston Churchill (scotch & soda) and Joseph Stalin (vodka), Franklin Roosevelt (old fashioned) will have at least two strong cards up his sleeve. One of them was put there by Senator Arthur Vandenberg's strong speech on U.S. participation in world politics (TIME, Jan. 22). The other was provided last week by the new members of the Senate.

Both cards will serve to press the same trading point: if Britain and Russia will put aside their fears of future attack to make what the U.S. considers a good peace, the U.S. will be willing to take an active part in making that peace work. The new Senators' card was in the form of a letter to the President:

"1) We favor the formation at the earliest possible moment of a United Nations organization . . . [along the lines of Dumbarton Oaks].

"2) We believe this Government should . . . assure our Allies . . . that we intend to share in the direction of and the responsibility for the settlement of this war and the maintenance of peace.

"3) We suggest that treaties . . . be concluded as soon as possible to demilitarize Germany and Japan and to keep them demilitarized.

"4) We believe that this Government should . . . participate affirmatively in all decisions affecting the establishment of law and order in the liberated or enemy countries."

Instigators were Democrat J. William Fulbright, former Rhodes Scholar and Arkansas University president, Republican H. Alexander Smith, onetime Buchmanite, Hoover Relief staffer, now an internationally-minded lawyer. They called their colleagues together, drafted the letter, got it approved by Senate leaders of both parties. It was signed by all freshmen Senators, ten Democrats and six Republicans.

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