The Southeast Missourian – Apr 14, 1944 by Peter Edson
Foreign Affairs are Sometimes Secret
Washington, April 14, 1944—(NEA)– You don’t have to go beyond the second sentence of Secretary of State Cordell Hull’s latest speech on foreign policy to find what started much of the recent controversy on this subject. Foreign policy, said the secretary, isn’t a mysterious game played by diplomats in foreign offices all over the world.
But to many of the self-appointed experts who are daily kibitzers on the international situation, foreign affairs are as simple as a game of bridge and they criticize every play.
Great Britain, Soviet Russia, China and the United States make up the table. The stakes are Germany. Great Britain is vulnerable and China has scattered strength. The United States opens the bidding (for surrender of Italy) with a few clubs, but the Soviet has great strength in spades and wins the bid.
Early in the play Great Britain and the United States, as partners, disclose that they have strength in the King (of Italy) and Ace Badoglio, and the kibitzers all yell.
What business have these partners bidding such cards in their hands?
Then when the Soviet quietly trumps both Ace and King (by recognition) the kibitzers yell still more loudly, wanting to know why the partners didn’t think of trumping their own high cards. From the dismay of the kibitzers, hand, game, rubber, match—the whole darn war has been lost by bad playing of the diplomatic game. But great grief! Is this Just bridge? It most decidedly isn’t. This is war, and it’s played for keeps.