Evening star., 1939-07-23
Moscow and Berlin Bargaining
Holds Fate of Small Nations
Deal May Let Russia Grab Baltic States in
Return for Merely Remaining
Neutral in Wartime
By Constantine Broom.

The latest news received in high quar-
ters in Washington confirms the reports
that the possibility of the Soviet Un-
ions joining the stop Hitler bloc should
now be discounted Neither Great Brit
ain nor France can subscribe to Stalin's
terms, which may be summed up as
follows: In the event of a war against
Germany, the Soviet government must
have free hand in regard to the Baltic
states, the fate of which will be deter
mined later, after Germany has been
defeated
After long and strenuous pourparlers
the British and the French governments
have come to realize that the price of
Russia's cooperation is the loss of inde-
pendence for Finand, Latvia, Lithuania
and Estonia, all formerly Russian prov
inces and now independent nations, ac-
cording to the principle of self-determi-
nation on which the 1919 peace was es-
tablished Stain wants to restore the
preWar boundaries of the old czarist
empire. The Russian dictator was def
mite in his instructions to Foreign Com
missar Molotov that the Baltic states
must accept, whether they want it or
not, security guarantee" from the
would-be allies security guarantee
which would automatically permit Rus
sian troops to enter their territory for
the common cause
Therefore, while cordial conversa-
tions' continue between the diplomats
of the Western "democracies" and the
representatives of the U. S. S. R. the
chances of common front among them
have been reduced to zero. For the sake
Of satisfying public opinion it is neces-
sary that from time to time optimistic
reports about the satisfactory progress
of the discussions be issued. But the
foreign Offices of all interested powers
know the truth.
Reich Wants Russian Neutrality.
And while the conferences which were
intended to bring the Eastern autocracy
into play again ito save the world for
democracy" have failed, there are un-
official but none the less constructive
parleys between Berlin and Moscow. The
Germans have adopted the same tech
nique toward Russia which they used in
bringing the Hungarians and the Yugo-
slavs over to their side. They tell Stain
that the Reich does not want Russias
military support. All 1t expects from
her Is that she remain neutral in the
event of another war and provide Ger
many with the raw materials and the
foodstuffs she will need. These will be
paid for either in cash. or if that is not
available in sufficient quantities, in
manufactured products which are needed
in the u S. S. R.
AS preliminary to a possible under
standing between the axis and the So
viets, Germany has offered Moscow a
loan of $500 100000, repayable over
period of 10 years in commodities. The
final acceptance of this offer is expected
to occur shortly
There are two principal points of con-
tact between the axis and the U. S. S. R.
which have upset anything the de
mocracies" have offered Russia-short OF
the surrender of the Baltic states and
parts of Poland and Rumania.
Russia Not Warlike.
The first is that the main reason why
the anti-Bolshevist British cabinet ap-
preached Moscow three months ago to
form an alliance was to have Russia fight
on the side of the nations which might
become subject to German aggression.
Russia has never been, and is not to-
day warlike nation. In her whole his
tory she has never won war by means
of fighting. During her long wars with
the Turks for the domination of Eastern
Europe she gained victories often by
playing the corrupt Turkish pashas (gen-
erals) heavily to surrender. While Russia
is today as invincible in her own terri
tory as she was in Napoleon's days, she
is as incapable of waging a successful
war outside her territories as she was
during the last world conflict.
Furthermore Stain is afraid what
may happen to himself and his clique
in event Russia places her fate in the
hands of some general who might per-
chance distinguish himself on the battle
fields Unlike Hitler and Mussolini,
Stain never circulates. He Is clustered
behind the Krenlin walls and is shown
to a small section of the army only
on Lenin's day when some $4,000 troops
parade in the Red Square in Moscow.
There is not the same tie between the
Red Army and its dictator that exists be-
tween the Fascist and Nazi armies and
their dictators, who are with the troops
as frequently as possible. 1t appeals
to the imagination of the rockies to
know that the big boss was once a cor
poral or sergeant and had to take it
on the chin as they do. The Red soldiers
know Stain only from his gloomy photo
graphs which hang in the barrack rooms
The German and Italian soldiers know
Hitler and Mussolini in the flesh.
Stain Wants No War.
Hence 1t is quite understandable that
Stain Is averse to any military cam
paign. He believes that a major war in
which Russia might become involved will
spell the doom, If not of the Soviet re-
publics, at least Of Stain himself.