Evening star., 1937-03-14
BY PIERRE VITOUX.

BY PIERRE VITOUX.
PARIS, March l3 (N.ANA0.-
Across the frozen roof of the world, u
from the White Sea to the Behring
Strait, Soviet Russia has opened a
path for her warships. In case OF
trouble in the Pacific, this new ave-
nue. of access to the Far East may
prove of inestimable value to Moscow
preventing repetition of the disaster
visited upon Rodjestvenskys fleet
when, after seven months of nayigat-
ing around Europe, Africa and Asia
1t was blasted off the sea at TsuShima
by the japanese squadrons of Admiral
Togo in 1905.
The German-JapaneSe anti-Com-
muniSt treaty. signed at Berlin on
November 25, 1886, is considered di-
rect threat against Moscow. Pinched
between two great powers united by a
common lack of outlets for surplus
population, the U. S. S. R. feels her.
self menaced. What would happen to
her security, what to her vast Siberian
empire if Germans and japanese
coalesce against her in the future?
The lack OF roads and the i'm
mensity of the plains in Russia might
protect her against sudden German
thrust. But the maritime provinces
of Siberia, situated so far away are
difficult to defend. Open to the blasts
of the japanese navy, wouldn't they
run the risk of falling into enemy
hands or at least of being blockaded?
Defense Long Worry.
For a good many years the prob
lem of the strategical defense has
worried the Soviet leaders, just as it
worried the Cars. Imperial Russia
had, during the last century, expanded
toward the east, while at the same
time she kept looking for a gateway
TO the open sea- Her Pacific estab-
lshment, badly Jared by the 1905
defeat, only holds together now
through the port of Vladivostok
The possession of this port is just
as important for Soviet Russia as it
was for Imperial Russia. To have to
abandon Vladivostok, to be separated
from the open sea, would mean for
Moscow the loss of a lung Cut off
from the Pacific, compelled to with
draw within her shell. the U. S. S. R
would cease to be great power. That
is why the Moscow government has
been giving so much attention to
long-range plan for populating the
fastneSSeS OF Siberia and eQuipping
them with land, air and sea defenses.
A large army. under Gen Blucher,
earrisons the Siberian maritime prov
tnces Munitions arms and supplies
can only reach it by railroad. Con-
sequently, a considerable effort has
been accomplished to double track the
Trans-Siberian and to build connect
ing spurs using only Soviet territory.
From Irkutsk to Vladivostok the di-
rect line goes across Manchurian ter
ritory, and as in case of war this line
would Immediately be cut, a second
line is being built $50 miles north OF
the Amur River This secondary line.
which joins the rans-Siberian be-
tween KraSnoiarsk and Irkutsk,
reaches the small port of Nikolajevsk.
1t would be less exposed to enemy
blows than the line which follows the
Amur. Other strategic lines connect
Nikolajevsk and Khabarovsk.
Measures Held Insufficient.
But these measures are not con-
sldered sufficient by the Soviets.
Hence their effort to open up the
frozen Arctic seaWay. Her southern
shores bound by land-locked seas, and
her western shores dipping into the
Baltic, where the German navy reipns
unchallenged, Russia has no other
gateway to the open sea than Arkan-
gelsk and Murmansk.
Russia has not forgotten the lessons
taught her by her war with Japan and
by the World War. Things would
have been different if Russia had
been able to maintain her lines of
communication with her allies dur
ing the last conflict. And the ami
hilatlon of Admiral Rodiestvensky's
fleet at TSushima on May q, 1905,
has served to spur Moscow in its
efforts to open the Arctic to year
round navigation.
RodJestvensky and his ships would
only have required two or three
months to reach the Pacific if he
had had the use Of the Arctic sea-
way. The advantage of transferring
ships from the Baltic to the Pacific
by this way is obvious
The first leg of this seaway has
already been opened. A canal has
been dug which connects the Baltic
with the White Sea by way of Lakes
Ladoga and Omega, thus putting Ark
angelsk and Kronstadt within easy
reach OF each other. The ordinary
maritime distance between Lenin-
grad and Arkangelsk has been cut
by the White Sea Canal from 2,840
to 674 miles, doing away with the
necessity of navigating around the
whole Scandinavian Peninsula.
Kronstadt Congestion Eased.
The locks of this canal are $50
feet long, so feet wide and 26 feet
deep. Therefore, they can accom-
n1odate destroyers, submarines and
small cruisers. Besides, this seaway
makes it possible for the Soviets to
relieve the congestion of the Kron-
stadt naval base, which is ice-locked
for weeks at time and too exposed
to enemy raids, and to develop the
newly created base at Murmansk, in
the Arctic. In 1928, Murmansk was
village of $500 people-now it is
. city of $4,000.
These efforts are significant. The
6oviets know well that the Baltic is
not safe for them with the rebirth of
the German fleet, which could easily
block the passage to the North Sea
through the straits between Denmark
and Sweden, and they think it would
be safer to insure their communi-
cations with the outside world
through Murmansk and Arkangelsk.
Besides, these two bases could serve
as starting points for destroyer and
submarine raids On the North Sea.
The second step in the opening of
the Arctic passage to the Pacific Is