Evening star., 1933-03-24
Recognition of Russia.

Many portentS lnolcate tnaC new
drive is on to bring about American
recognition of Soviet Russia. Despite
circumstantial and persistent state
ments that President Roosevelt in
clines in that direction, he himself
has lent no countenance to them and
has not as yet, it is indicated, ap-
preached the problem with any defini-
tiveness.
The pro-recognition group in this
country is resorting to the argument
which 1t has put forth in vain to in
duce four preceding administrations to
Lift the ban on diplomatic intercourse
with Moscow 1t is emphasizing that
American trade with Russia Is shrivel-
ing because Of non-recognition. The
theory is that once there is Soviet
embassy in Washington and an Ameri-
can embassy in Moscow, goods made in
the United States will flow into Rus
STA in an irresistible and mighty stream,
causing a boom in American industry,
an appreciable decrease in unemploy-
ment and other economic blessings.
It Is q fact that in 1881 the United
States sold Russia wares valued at
$103, 3,00O,OO and that last year our ex-
ports amounted to only $12,500,000.
This represents decrease of eighty
eight per cent. During the same period,
Germany's sales to Russia dropped only
twenty-o -one per cent, while Great Brit
aims actually increased by twenty-nine
per cent. All these figures are cited
as exposing the fallacy Of continued
diplomatic boycott Of Russia on our
part.
Without doubt diplomatic recognition
facilitates trade between nations. But
the enormous volume Of American sales
to Russia up to and including 1881,
during all which years there was also
non-recognition, is evidence that that
factor alone Is not responsible for the
decrease In Soviet purchases IN the
United States. Other causes must be
sought. A palpable explanation lies
tn the fact that most Of the trade
America has lost has gone to the Ger
mans ana the British. The German
government guarantees orders from the
Soviet to German manufacturers up to
sixty or seventy-five per cent OF their
value. Great Britain gives o similar
guarantee to her industry, although
of a smaller percentage. 1t IS plain
as a pikestaf1 why the Soviet has been
buying in the German and British
markets, rather than in our own.
There Is yet another reason for a
decline in our business with Russia.
The United States Government for
sound reasons has found it necessary
to impose an increasing number OF
restrictions on Russian imports, under
existing laws concerning dumping, un-
fair competition and forced labor. None
of these things has anything to do with
recognition or non-recognition. But
they do explain, from the Sovlets
standpoint, why 1t may not be minded
to spend more on American imports.
Calvin Coolidge, while President, sue
cinctly disposed of the more-trade-
with Russia plea as an argument In
favor of recognition. He did not favor,
he said, "the bartering of American
principles for commercial profit" What
the sage Vermonter meant was that
for the sake of an improved Russo
American trade balance he was un-
alterably opposed to licensing Com
munism and the Third International,
which are the Soviet government OF
Russia, to conduct subversive propa-
ganda on our soil and to wage its
unrevoked war" on "capitalistlc'
states everywhere, until the Red world
revolution" Is accomplished.
The Coolidge policy remains the
policy of millions of Americans, who
will want to scrutinize microscopically
the conditions under which any even
tual recognition Of Russia may be
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