The Beacon & The Flame

In the shadow of Ottawa's National War Memorial one morning last week, three little Canadian boys gravely examined the card on a wreath just placed there by a visitor from the U.S. "What's it say?" asked one. An older passer-by read it for them. "It says," said this man, "'the President of the United States.'" Then he added quietly: "Bless his heart."

Dwight Eisenhower's first Canadian visit in five years drew few such baldly emotional responses from Ottawans, who take a certain capital dwellers' pride in public impassivity before distinguished guests. But as the three days of speechmaking, banqueting and wreath laying wore on, one thing became clear: they liked Ike. Canadians esteem forthrightness. And the rankling, remediable grievances between good neighbors Ike discussed with a reasonableness and a courage unmistakable to his hosts (see HEMISPHERE). With his frankness, the President opened a new corridor of cordiality in U.S. relations with its next-door neighbor to the north.

Eighteen hours after flying back to Washington, the President was saying goodbye to another good-will ambassador, headed for Central America: his younger brother, Milton S. Eisenhower, president of Johns Hopkins University and an experienced hand in Latin American affairs.

In a world sick with dark quarrels and deadly stratagems the friendly mission of the Ambassadors Eisenhower glowed beacon bright. But when the world arose after the Sabbath for another week of work, the bright rays were already obscured. Nasserist flames had burst out with explosive violence in Iraq, most friendly and most prosperous of the West's Arab neighbors in the Middle East; King Feisal's government had been thrown down, its stout-hearted leaders were either dead or defeated refugees, and Nassermen were in control. President Eisenhower sat down with the National Security Council to study one more crisis in the grim and ceaseless march of history.

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