Evening star., 1939-06-02
Hope Is Still Held
Russia May Join
Ane|o-French Bloc
New Concessions
Held Necessary,
However
By PERTINAX.

Dy ZEN L lNAA.
PARIS, June 2 (N.ANA). Rus
sian Premier Molotoff's S speech indi-
Gates that Soviet Russias answer to
the Anglo-French proposals of May
26. will not bring to close the
negotiations among these three gov
ernments, that further discussions
will be necessary, and that the
Western powers will have to buy
Moscow's participation in their
system Of security at the price of
fresh concession to Russia>S claims.
The fear has been expressed by
some that the new difficulties the
Soviet government intends to raise
will be only preteXt and that, at
the back of their minds, the Soviet
officials are resolved to play a game
selves in advance to any group of
powers, and thus to encourage in
practice Germany and Italy to make
war upon the Western powers and,
after the war. make the most of the
European chaos so as to promote
bolshevism in Europe But this
pessimistic thesis is not indorsed by
the French and British representa-
tives in Moscow.
M. Magyar, the French Ambassa-
dor in Moscow, an exceptionally able
diplomat, and M. Payart, the coun-
selor of the Embassy, who. up un-
til a few weeks ago, acted as Charge
d 'Affaires, are hopeful in their views
They do not believe that Russia
will choose to remain isolated, as
she would incur too serious a risk
OF having to submit again to some
thing like new treaty of Brest-
LitovSk.
French, British Mistrusted.
The truth is anyhow that the So
Wet rulers mistrust the French and
British Ministers, against whom they
have a long-standing grudge. They
have deeply resented their surren-
der at Munich last September, and
still more the fact that, for a while
last fall, the French and British
Ministers hardly concealed their
wish to see Germany entangle her.
self in Eastern Europe and come
to grips with Russia and leave the
democracies at peace and in the
enjoyment of their riches. They
have never forgotten what former
French Premier Laval and French
Foreign Minister Bonnet have made
OF the Franco-Soviet treaty of May
1895. Therefore, today, they want
to make sure that, in an emergency
Russia will not be treated like an
other Czecho-Slovakia.
Moreover, they know that the paris
and London cabinets are determined
now to win Russia's cooperation al
nearly any cost; that, confronted
as they are with the threats and
preparations of the totalitariar
states, they cannot afford to dc
without Russia. They will not hesi-
tate to impose conditions, and they
are not going to soften them in the
least.
What are those conditions? First
the Soviet rulers do not accept
that the procedure of Article XVI
Of the League Covenant should bt
taken as the rule of the new system
of security. AS a matter of fact
1 do not think that such an ides
has ever been entertained in Pari!
and in London. It Is enough tt
observe that, in the Anglo o-Frencl
proposal of May 26, mention Il
made of the states which have tn,
will to uphold their neutrality. Tn,
very notion Of neutrality does no
exist under the League Covenant.
Careful to Avoid Trickery.
But the government of Russia vii
be careful to exclude any possibilit.
Of trick being played upon it. II
the past various interpretations o
Article XVI have been made. ON
of them, very cumbrous though
not impracticable one, is found IL
the Franco-Sov.et treaty Of May
1885. Another one, very ef1icien
indeed, is in the League proceeding!
of October 7, 1885, at the time O.
the Italian aggression. Stain ane
his advisers are not willing to con
cern themselves with any Of them
They consider that the new system
of security must work as auto
matically as an old.fashioned al
lance. They will carry their poin
fairly easily.
Second, the Soviet government
wants to ascertain what will be tn
scope of ths diplomatic consulta