The Pittsburgh Press (February 12, 1946)
Editorial: Secret, sordid and stupid
If there ever was a more sordid deal by the United States than the needless bribery of Russia to enter the Jap war, we can’t recall it. Now that the text of the agreement by President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Marshal Stalin at Yalta has been made public, it turns out to be even worse than feared.
It violated assurances by the president and State Department that no secret political agreements had been or would be made.
In giving the Kuriles and South Sakhalin to Russia, it violated the first and second pledges of the Atlantic Charter against territorial aggrandizement, and the United Nations Declaration. It violated the Cairo agreement which said Japan would be expelled from territories taken by violence and greed – which does not cover the Kuriles.
In agreeing to “hand over” to Russia the Jap territories, it usurped powers of the Allied peace conference. This peace conference authority was underlined by President Truman in his statement on Potsdam. It was re-asserted by Secretary Byrnes last week in his comment that the secret Yalta pact – which had been hidden even from him for seven months – would be subject to peace conference decision. But the secret text provides that these Soviet claims “shall be unquestionably fulfilled” – regardless.
This also was a denial of the United States Constitution and the Senate’s treaty powers.
Besides giving Russia the Jap territory, the pact invaded the sovereign rights of our Chinese ally. It gave Russia special privileges at Port Arthur and Dairen and control of Manchurian railroads, and it separated Outer Mongolia from China. Since none of this could be delivered without the consent of Chiang Kai-Shek, the president agreed to “take measures in order to obtain this concurrence on advice from Marshal Stalin.” So the later Chinese-Russian treaty, making good on the Big Three deal, was under this duress.
The whole deal was dishonest, because it gave to Russia territory and privileges which the United States and Britain did not possess and over which they had no sole disposal authority.
The deal was stupid, because no bribe was needed. It was more to Russia’s interest than to ours that she fight Japan; because Japan was a nearer threat to her than to us, and because only by fighting could Russia get a stake in the post-war Far Eastern settlement. We could lick Japan without her help – and virtually did anyway.
The deal was stupid not only for us, who had a reputation of international integrity to maintain, but also for Russia. She easily could have obtained from the legal peace conference legitimate trusteeship and bases in South Sakhalin and the Kuriles.
We believe the Big Three outsmarted themselves. Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Churchill unwittingly undermined an orderly and just peace structure. And Stalin has tipped his hand to America that he is playing a game in the Pacific of grab and ruthless power.