FOREIGN RELATIONS: A Little Closer

Over the loud objections of Defense Secretary Louis Johnson, the U.S. decided last week to cuddle up a little closer to rebel Communist Tito. The first step was the sale of a $3,000,000 blooming mill to help out Yugoslavia’s steel industry. The next would probably be a World Bank loan. Johnson and his military advisers, who see no point in helping a potential enemy and believe that a Communist is a Communist, had fought for months against the idea. But Secretary of State Dean Acheson argued that doing Dictator Tito a few favors was one way to keep Belgrade and Moscow at arm’s length.

Besides, said Acheson, after he had gotten Harry Truman’s backing for the project, the mill could not possibly be delivered before another year; by that time the U.S. would have a better idea just how lasting was Tito’s falling out with the Kremlin. On that basis, Johnson reluctantly agreed.