American Holiday
The United States Congress has ended its session and, unless it is specially summoned by the President, it will not meet again until January, 1948. In the intervening five months there will be a General Assembly of the United Nations in New York and a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers in London, while the first definite steps towards the drawing up of a peace treaty with Japan will be taken. Each of these events has explosive possibilities. Uncertainty about the future of the Security Council cannot be allowed to last much longer, and it may be drastically ended at the General Assembly. The November meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers could well be its last, and even more than usual significance attaches to Mr. Molotov's behaviour when he makes his entry. The treaty with Japan will be a most exacting test of the responsibility and unselfishness of American foreign policy. Perhaps the Republican majority in Congress can view with equanimity the conduct of these matters by a Democratic Administration. After all a bi-partisan foreign policy must count for something. But may it not have some qualms about the development of the Marshall plan following the presentation of the statement of European needs early in September ; and about the next move towards a plan for German industry with all that implies for relations with Britain and France ; and about the American reactions to a dollar crisis in the world in general and Britain in particular ? If the members of Congress can sleep through this hubbub then their sleep will be sound indeed. There is perhaps a feeling that the hand of the Administration will be stayed by the prospect of a Presidential election in November, 1948. But if that premonition turns out to be right it will amount to a simultaneous condemnation of Mr. Marshall, who has certainly shown no signs of nervousness so far in working out his policy ; of the political acumen of the Democratic party managers, who must know that they have little to lose and much to gain by boldness in the next year ; and of the American Constitution, whose checks and balances have too often checked progress towards world stability and this time could unbalance it for good.
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