The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-03-21
At The National Capitol DAILY WASHINGTON LETTER Digest of Who's Who and What's What
 RODNEY BUTCHER
NEA Service Writer
DAILY WASHINGTON LETTE

| N FLA 6crSICC W TltGE | whether we should recognize Soviet Russia has caused @ lot of argument and there is also plenty of dispute as to whether 1t makes any differ ence if we do or don't.
 The pro and con arguments are based on both moral and material factors and 1t Is just as well to give primary consideration to the mater lal factors because those usually prove the most important in inter.
 national relations in the long run. There Is a strong argument to the effect that 1t doesn't make any diff ference whether we have American- Russian diplomatic relations or not because this country has been get ting the big break in Russian trade Not only has Russia been buying | more from us than from any other | country, but other countries have
 been buying 6 far larger proportion
 of Russian exports than has the United States.
 Proponents of recognition. how ever, contend that in order to keep this large favorable trade balance and to increase our exports to the Soviet Union, we should be on friend ly terms with that country. which means the esta ablishment of diplo- matic relations.
 Some Fear Competition
 Another argument, heard fre- quently in recent months, Is that we should have neither diplomatic nor trade relationship with Russia; that completion Of her fve-year plan will face the world with ruinous cut-throat competition from cheaply produced Russian exports and that it is bad business to encourage Rus- sa in any way.
 The present unofficial relationships between the two countries, however, appear to dwarf in importance those official and formal connections which would be added If we granted recog- milton. Amtorg, the big Soviet trad ing corporation, fiourishes In New York. We sold Russia $111,362,000 worth of goods in 1880, an increase Of $30,000,000 over 1929 and exports to her for January were $14,789,0 more than $2,000,00O in excess of January in 1880. Imports from Rus- sia were between 21 and 22 millions in both 1929 and 1880, although the
 last January showed a drop from
 $1.800.000 to half as much as com pared with 1930's January.
 The series of large contracts made
 
 ican corporations is an old story. The Soviet information bureau in Washington, although without off, cial status in so far as the state de- partment is concerned, fulfills many of the functions of an embassy. At the state department, where Secretary Stimson has lately devoted himself to an intensive study of the Russian situation they say there is more determined opinion with re. gard to recognition than on any other single public issues except prohibition.
 U. $. Lacks Facts on Russia During the period of non-recogni- ton, one official says, the chief thing this country has lacked. due to the fact that we have no U. s. govern ! ment officials in Russia, has been
 accurate Information on what is go- ing on in the Soviet Union. Our government has depended on
 information from border points, Rus-
 sian newspapers and magazines articles by and information from re- turned travellers. Accurate informa.