POLICIES & PRINCIPLES: William, Meet Juliusz

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POLICIES & PRINCIPLES

U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Douglas likes to climb the highest mountains and talk to the lowliest of men, preaching a vague gospel of liberalism. Two weeks ago, returning from the Himalayas and points south, he announced that the U.S. ought to recognize Communist China (TIME, Sept. 10). Last week in Seattle, he had more to say about U.S. policy in Asia.

The U.S., declared Mr. Justice Douglas, is "relying on guns and dollars rather than ideas . . . Out there you never hear the U.S. voice raised in defense of the little guy . . . What Asia needs is sympathy, understanding, an attitude of cooperation in the things they are trying to do."Douglas spoke glowingly about "land reform,"a magic phrase to liberals and leftists. Douglas was dissatisfied with what the U.S. is doing about land reform: "MacArthur's [land reform] program made no impression at all in Asia, outside of Japan."

That opinion was echoed by a source which the Justice could scarcely approve of. In Geneva, before the U.N. Economic and Social Council, Communist Poland's Juliusz Katz-Suchy also accused the U.S. of relying on guns and dollars. He charged that a new U.S. program for land reform, introduced last week at ECOSOC, threatened the peace, and he denounced MacArthur's land reform in Japan. ECOSOC nevertheless overwhelmingly adopted the U.S. program, which will be offered as guide and model to underdeveloped nations. Its gist: 1) as many medium, family-sized holdings as possible; 2) breakup of too large or amalgamation of too small holdings, not to fit doctrinaire slogans but to insure maximum efficient production.

It was an excellent program for "the little guy," but it would never become reality if the U.S. either 1) permitted men like Katz-Suchy to have their way or 2) let men like William Douglas persuade the U.S. that guns and dollars are wrong weapons.