Let Us Have Hush

The Eisenhower Administration's ostrich-like desire to ignore public opinion on foreign affairs, particularly Quemoy and Matsu, is an anomaly in a democratic society. The thesis, as maintained by the President and vice-President, that free speech must be sacrificed for the appearance of a united front, could set a peculiarly dangerous precedent.

Eisenhower, in answer to a letter from Senator Theodore F. Green, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, deplored Senator Green's statement that the American people would not support military action to save the islands. If the Red Chinese thought we weren't just one big militaristic team, the President said, they would be more likely to precipitate a war.

Referring to eighty per cent of anti-Dulles State Department mail, Nixon declared that American public opinion, which he termed mis-and ill-informed, can play no part in the formulation of foreign policy. The public, he said, doesn't understand the realities of the situation.

The Administration version of reality, then, relies mainly on the suppression of dissent. Papa knows best, and children should be seen and not heard. Unfortunately for Messrs. Eisenhower and Nixon, such is not the way of democracy. The presumption that the government is infallible has never been popularly accepted, and even bipartisanship is only viable in times of genuine consensus. Obviously, this is not one of those times.

The Administration would have a stronger case for silence if it could present its proposed solution to the crisis. The various about-faces it has taken recently, however, indicate only that Secretary Dulles is not thinking in terms of extrication, but rather of justification. The problem of denying that we actually allowed our policy to be dictated by a weak ally may be a more difficult one than the actual avoidance of war, but it is not an issue designed to unite America.

If the President and his allies are interested in preserving appearances, their best bet is to find a method of graceful retreat. But until the dim day when they decide that Chiang's islands are expendable, they should not attempt to squelch or denigrate public opinion on this matter.