炎夏七月,纽约和华盛顿的人们是被交织在热和闷的情绪之中。这不仅是指天气,且也是指心情。成百万的人们都到长岛、康奈岛海滨沙滩消暑去了,七月四日独立纪念日的一天,单是到康奈岛海边的男女,就有一百一二十万人。然而,华盛顿执政者的圈子和纽约新闻界人们,心头是热辣辣的!面对着欧洲和亚洲的局势,有些人觉得要做一个头等大国,究竟也不容易。说起欧洲和亚洲,首先我得讲,美国一般人对于欧洲的注意,实在比对于亚洲要超过无数倍。这主要当然是为了战略上的理由。中东和西欧,在许多美国人的眼中,正如过去英国人看苏彝运河和莱茵河地带一样重要。至于远东,自从今年初马歇尔回国以后,一般人的兴趣渐渐冷淡下来了。有的人对于中国的情况,甚至存着一种厌倦以至嫌恶的感觉。评论者总是把中国和「贪污」、「无效能」、「党争」、「经济崩溃」等名词联在一起,而归根结蒂,就是「无办法」三个字。 In the summer of July, people in New York and Washington were interwoven with hot and stuffy emotions. This refers not only to the weather, but also to mood. Millions of people have gone to Long Island and the beachfront beaches of Cornell Island have gone to heat up. One day on July 4, Independence Day alone, there are 11.2 million men and women living to the seaside of Cornell Island alone. However, people in Washington’s governing circles and in the New York media are very hot-hearted. In the face of the situation in Europe and Asia, some people think it is not easy to be a prime power. Speaking of Europe and Asia, I must first of all say that America’s attention to Europe is actually more numerous than that in Asia. This is mainly for strategic reasons. The Middle East and Western Europe, in the eyes of many Americans, just as important as the British viewed the Su Yi Canal and the Rhine in the past. As for the Far East, since the return of Marshall earlier this year, the interest of the average person has gradually cooled down. Some people even have a feeling of boredom and dislike for the situation in China. Commentators have always linked China with such terms as “corruption”, “ineffectiveness,” “party strife,” and “economic collapse.” In the final analysis, it is “no way”.