The Challenge ForeignPolicy By PAUL SAUNIE R, JR., '40
T
HE UNITED STATESis necessarily about its technical contribution if it wakes us to our It is useless to argue that we let the Sputniks to launch, for our short-run security, a peril. Their dream of American supremacy pass because they are peaceful ; we cannot massive program of armament to match the shaken, people are writing their Congress- inspect them to be sure of that. If we could , growing military power of Communist Rus- men to say they are willing to pay the taxes we would surely exercise our "nation al sovsia. But-what will be the worth of this if we required to buy safety for the future, fore- ereignty" to destroy any strange, uninspected have no plan of constructive action to pre- going comfort for the present. But, what Russian object which crossed our sovereign vent a further arms race, once the gap is constitutes safety in a world of hydrogen borders. The truth is-we can't reach the Sputniks. war-heads on intercontinental missiles? closed? We have not given up any national sovThe answer which has impressed me most There is a powerful' move to launch a "crash" program to train more scientists to in Washington lies in an analysis of the ereignty by treaty or law ; the march of world produce more destructive weapons. What word "sovereignty." To most people "na- events has simply dissolved great chunks of will be the worth of this if we do not concur- tional sovereignty" means independence of it. For a long time many wise people have rently graduate an even larger number of action. America fought a revolution for it. people educated broadly in the humanities, But today, where is our independence of ac- predicted that the only way we would regain who can devise the political mechanisms to tion? What made our defense budget jump any portion of control over the major events allow the various nations of the earth to $4 billion overnight? In the 1958 world, which shape our lives would be by participalive, with all their differences, instead of the major decisions which affect the people tion in a world-wide system of fool-proof, killing one another with the products of the of the United States are not made in Amer- enforceable, international arms inspection ica, but in Russia. The Soviets act, and we and reduction . Most of their contemporaries laboratories? A policy which will buy us only a few react. So long as defense expenditures rule have thought such an idea unrealistic, along with the comic books on man-made earth the catastrophe-is the Federal budg et, this will be the case. years of time-before Approa ching the subject of national sov- satellites. Now we find a new realism, and not enough. In my work as secretary to an influential ereignty from its other aspect-the territorial the proposal is being developed in a practiMember of the United States House of Rep- point of view-has anyone asked whether cal sense. It is conservative, because the only resentatives, I am impressed with both the the Russian satellites now passing over the clear way to conserve private lives and prinecessity and the stupidity of a massive Fed- United States check in at the Immigration vate property is to avoid both war and a maseral budget which goes chiefly, and increas- office each day when they cross the border ? sive, radioactive arms race ; it is liberal beingly, to pay the costs of past and future Do they clear with Customs ? Do we have cause it provides a new solution to a problem wars. Thankfully, I am also impressed with their fingerprints? They "violate" the air which affects all humanity. This is now the announced goal of the the fact that most thoughtful foreign policy space above United States territory every day, (Continued on page 31) observers believe there still may be time to sending back information not available to us. make this new, hydrogen-age arms race different from the tragic ones of the past. They clear and hope we can establish-now-a public policy of peace, morally and practically sound, to be pursued actively when Paul Saunier , Jr., six-foot four-inch product of the class of 1940 , is again the United States is in a position of Executive Secretary to Co ngressman J. Vaughan Gary. This job entails strength in East-West relationships. office with its staff of three in Washington the Congressman's managing It is painful to realize that we were in and one in Richmond , doing research on government issues, and making area home is 506 Fordham Drive, Alexandria, speeches. His Washington such a position of strength once, at the end Virginia; while in Richmond he and his family live with his parents in of World War II . A few voices called for University Heights . positive long-term -action then, but in the Flying a Stinson , four-place , one -eng ine plane , which Saunier owns with din of victory they were not heard. The preeight other persons, al lows him to keep in close touch with the Richmond congressional distric t. On one trip to Was hi ngton he was confron ted with a vailing voices said, "America doesn't have frozen w inds h ield in a sleet storm. He overcame t h is hazard by flying into to think about the rest of the world; we have the smoke from the stacks at the Sylva n ia p lant near Freder icksb urg and t he the atomic bomb." Our public discussions of incident received national pub licity. The warm fumes melted the ice allowforeign policy then became more concerned ing him to make a forced landing safe ly. political scene he guesses that the Repub licans will On the national with origins than with merits, more with Nixon for the 1960 race . Although he believes it nominate Vice-president elections than with solutions. Conformity of is too eorly to tell about the Democrats , he says that since the Democratic thought and a lush standard of living pushed party is youthful it may nominate a young man who is now a governor to the front as American ideals. Building or senator. He believes that the day is at hand when a Southerner could run successfully fo r t he vice-president's post or a man from a border state run successfully for the presidency of t he United States. a larger recreation room in a home, or buyis basically a local problem Referring to one of the South ' s big problems Mr. Saunier says, " De-segregation ing a second TV set, became more imporw hich should be left to local solution. You can ' t legislate good will. tant than a new library or laboratory in a He is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Omicron Delta Kappa. looking back on his U of R days he says school. People with unusual ideas were that he is one of the me n " Dr. Mitchell built a f1re under. " One of his proudest memoirs is that he was president of ODK w hen it started t he campus carnivals for the Alumni-Student Cen ter fund in 1940. avoided . Development of new solutions to met in 1949 because she was ass igned by the Times -Dispatch Mr . and Mrs. Saunier, w ho are Presbyterians, new public problems was consequently hinto interview him . She is the for me r J ane Hayden Morris of Mocksvi lle, N'ort h Caro lina. She attended St. Mary's dered. and Salem . Colleges in her native State . Their three children are : Jul ia, 3¾; Edward, 2; J ane Hayden, 5 month s. Now, at last, there is a change. Sputnik The portrait of Paul Sa u nier and the acc omp anying paragrap h s are th e works of James B. Robinson, '49 . The next in Mr. Robinson's ser ies of Alumni in Action w ill appear in the spri ng issue . may prove a blessing to mankind far beyond
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