The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-28
New Policy Is British Also:
Abolish Blockade and Open Trade

Now we come to the present policy the
last set of ideas. which have a British origin
in the main. Under these ideas the west
should now proceed to abolish the blockade
enter into commercial relations with the
Bolshevists, relying upon these relations to
do what rebellion and foreign attack have
not done. Once the Russian people begin
to trade with the world so the argument
runs, they will speedily destroy their domes-
tic tyranny. Bolshevism, impregnable to
domestic revolution promoted from without
and not to be conquered by attacks by border
tribers, muntioned by the western nations
will collapse.
But those who insist upon the soundness
of this argument are no more convinced
than those who insisted that the other two
policies were each in turn sure solutions
Indeed in some cases the spokesman are the
same. What is lacking is proof The dis
cussion is terribly complicated by the eco
nomic situation of various nations. British
industry waits upon the Russian markets
alike for raw materials and for it's own eX-
ports. Italy believes that with the block
ade abolished Russian food will flow to
Mediterranean ports Yet those who know
Russia best measure in years the period
during which Russian raw materials and
foodStuffs will be unavailable for the west.
Domestic politics drive Britain and Italy
toward commercial relations with Russia.
Equally selfish political interests hold
France back. But neither the proponents
the opponents of the latest policy face
the essential fact that Bolshevism is, itself
a state of war with the west, that Boil
shevism prefers to make war with propa-
ganda to-day, because it lacks resources for
armed conquest. But that underlying all
else in the minds of TrotZky and Lenine is
the determination to destroy what we in
the west have been taught to believe is the
only possible framework for society.
When were fighting Germany it became
gradually clear to all of the allied peoples
that there in the German cause some
thing which went beyond the ordinary limits
of war aims. 1t was this circumstance alone
which on a dozen occasions prevented the
Germans from turning a shining triumph
into a successful peace. We a nation
were very reluctantly drawn into the world
war because despite eager and sustained
efforts we could find no way to avoid armed
resistance to German policy. Ultimately the
vast mass of Americans agreed in the con-
clusion that war was unacceptable in the
presence of German policy.
So far it has not become clear to the west
to the masses of the western nations that
there is any equally irreconciliable diver
gence between Bolshevic Russia and western
democracy. Statesmen who have occasion
ally and momentarily perceived the fact
have been powerless to act upon the dis
covery and compelled to dismiss all thought
of action as consequence of the lack of all
sustaining national sentiment. This explains
more than all else our consistent failure in
dealing with Russia, but it does not change
the basic fact 1t explains why Paris ignored
Russia, why Geneva has been equally OBJ
livious. so far policy is concerned. to
Russian facts.