The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-09-08
RELATIONS BETWEEN THE
. SOVIET UNION AND U.S.A.
INV Y. OsSINSKY (Moscow(.

the present state of relations could lead 10
Soviet orders being diverted to other countries
and to the cessation of trade between the 80
Wet Union and the U. S, A, is represented by
the foreign bourgeois press as a possible
"breaking off" of relations between the two
countries. The characteristic of the present
situation is precisely the fact that, between
the Soviet Union and the United States there
do. not exist any normal and regulated reIa-
tons Therein is expressed the extreme con-
fusion, the contradiction and also the am
biguty of the point of view adopted by Off
cial circles of America in regard to relations
with the Soviet Union.
As IS known, President Wilson, at the be-
ginning of 1918, sent message to the Third
Soviet Congress in which he assured the Rus
sian people Of the friendly feeling OF the
American nation and promised us help which,
owing to objective reasons, he was unable to
grant. This message was sent after the legls-
lative organs of the Soviet Republic had car
ried out the annu!ment of the foreign debts
and the naturalization of the banks and also
of part Of the property belonging to foreign
ers. The message was addressed to the same
authorities who were formally and actually
responsible" for these measures.
Already in the summer of 1918 the situation
underwent a sharp change: The American
government began to support the counter
revolutionary movement in our country, took
part in the armed intervention, sent troops to
Archangesk and reinforced the Koltchak
army in the Far East. And when the inter-
yention was at an end, the Soviet Union
found itself confronted with a new attitude
the part of official American circles: Every
time the leader of the foreign policy of the
Soviet Unon-true to its unalterable principle
of preserving peace and establishing good
neighborly relations with all nations-ad-
dressed appropriate inquiries to the United
States, the reply was always: "We good
friends of the Russian people, but we cannot
have anything to do with the present Soviet
government which violated all the rules of
international law, in that it repudiated foreign
debts and natonalized the property of foreign
subjects" Thereupon the American govern
nlent invariably, received the following reply:
eve are ready to negotiate with you over your
claims, but we preserve to ourselves the right
to: submit our counter-claims and do not wish
under any circumstances to accept any pre-
conditions"
The Soviet Government not only succeeded
in repelling the armed intervention, but was
also able to recover economically and was very
seon in a position to sell Soviet products
abroad and to buy foreign goods. No matter
what great temptation it may be to foreign
capitalism to get complete economic and poll
teal control of the vast territory and the mar
ket of our country if this is impossible of ac-
eomplishment, then it must be content with
less. 1t is also advantageous to carry on trade
with such country even if through the me-
dunn of such an unpleasant authority as the
Peoples Commissariat for Trade.
Therefore, as a supplement to the above
mentioned formula, there was gradually added
Wa nd do vich 10
ognize the Soviet Union, but we have no OBJ
lection to trading with it." In order to carry
on trade without recognition" it became
necessary to found in America an American
joint stock company "Amtorg" lit was i'm
possible to found a Soviet trading company.
The shares of this company were necessarily
under Soviet control. A considerable number
of Soviet functionaries had to be sent to
America; their presence on the territory of
the United States was, however, void of any
formal basis. Soviet passes could not be rec
ognized by American consuls, so that Soviet
citizens travelling to America had to describe
themselves as people of unknown origin whose
identity could not be officially established AS
the Communist Party is in power in the Sow
let Union and the most responsible persons on
the Russian side who managed the trade be-
tween the two states had to be COMMUNISTS,
there arose a further absurdity: peo,,le Of
ficialy forbidden to enter the Unit/ States,
had in fact to enter the country in accordance
with the notorious formula: "Trade without
recognition"
d The incident with regard to the prohibition
to place the Soviet Union railway loan among
u. S. A. citizens, even through private chan
nels, the incident relating to the confiscation
Of Soviet gold, which was almost carried out,
showed the whole righteousness of the stu
alton; its disadvantages were it is true, felt
in the first place by the Soviet Union. When,
however, there began the conflict over the
Chinese-Eastern Railway, in which the Amer
lean capitalists displayed an increased interest
and by means of which they tried to exert
pressure on the Soviet Union, then it trans
pired that the y'non-existing government of
the non-existing country" also on its part did
not wish to negotiate with the government of
the United States-and this precisely because
the American government had hitherto not
been inclined to establish acquaintanceship"
with the government which embraces a sixth
of the world.
The political absurdities were soon followed
by economic absurdities, particularly in recent
times. The export of wood and manganese
from the Soviet Union to the United States is
increasing. The Soviet Union possesses huge
portion of the forest lands of the world which
have escaped the depredations of profit
seeking capitalism. Apart from British-India,
the Soviet Union possesses the largest manga
.nese deposits in the world. 1t is quite clear
that after the Soviet Union had returned to
normal economic life, great development of
the export of timber and manganese was
bound to ensue. These commodities are greatly
in demand by the American wood and paper