Evening star., 1939-11-02
Mixing In

Mixing In
In his condemnation of President
Roosevelt's conspicuously restrained
appeal for justice to Finland, Soviet
Premier-Foreign Commissar Molotoff
told the so-called Russian "Parlia-
ment" that the United States had
mixed in Russia's negotiations" with
the one remaining Baltic republic
which Stain has not yet reduced to
vassalage. Thereupon, with a con-
sistency rivaled only by his Grass
ignorance in accusing America of
withholding independence from
Cuba, Molotoff proceeded to do what
has been promptly interpreted in
Congress as bit of mixing in"
American domestic politics.
Moscow's inept reaction to this
country's intervention" on Finland's
behalf is sufficiently stigmatized by
strange lapse of memory on Molo-
toff's part. Last April, when Presi-
dent Roosevelt asked Hitler and
Mussolini to pledge themselves to
non-aggression against thirty-one
named independent countries, Fin
land among them, President Kalinin
of the U. S. S. R. expressed profound
sympathy" with the American Presi-
dents noble appeal" That was five
months before Red Russia belied its
protestations of twenty-five years
and embarked brazenly upon a pro-
gram of predatory imperialism.
It may not be the Soviet Premier's
purpose to apply pro-embargo pres
sure at the crucial stage of the con-
gressional struggle over neutrality.
But his sense of timing is perfect.
Stalin's spokesman for foreign affairs
harangued the supreme Soviet" at
almost the identical moment of the
first neutrality test vote in the House
on Tuesday.
Meantime, diplomatic annals are
searched in vain for an improperly
comparable to that of a nominally
friendly foreign minister venturing
to discuss before his own Parliament
q legislative issue which is bitterly
dividing another country's parlia-
ment, discussing it, moreover, in
terms bound to give aid and comfort
to only one side of the controversy
Intentional or not, what other motive
except desire to influence the course
of legislation can be read into the
remarks with which Commissar
Molotoff chose to close his provoca-
tive address?
From the standpoint of Russia, as
neutral country not interested in
the spread of war and determined to
take every measure to hasten
its termination in the interests Of
peace" says the foreign minister OF
the co-spoliator of Poland and the
destroyer of Estonian, Latvian and
Lithuanian independence, "the de-
cision of the American Government
to lift the embargo on arms to bel
ligerent countries raises justified
misgivings. It can scarcely be
doubted that the effect of this deci-
sion will not be to weaken war and
hasten its termination, but to inten-
sify, aggravate and protract 1t. OF
course, this decision may insure big
profits for American war industries
But, one asks, can this serve as any
Justification for lifting the embargo
on the export of arms from America?
Clearly, it cannot"
Bungling, insolent and mendacious
as Premier Molotoff's anti-American-
isms are-and his offense is not miti-
gated by the Soviet governments
connivance in whatever fate betides
the City of Flint-The Star sees nc
efficacy in the retaliatory suggestion
made In the House yesterday by Rep
resentative Mccormack of Massa-
chusetts. He proposes that the
United States should register its pro-
test against the Soviet Unions "at.
tempt to influence American public
opinion" by recalling our Ambassa'
dor from Moscow. With European
conditions mercurial and uupredict-
able as they are, no good purpose car
be served-on the contrary, much
injury to American interests might
be done-by any such exhibition ot
justified resentment on our part
This is no time for us to gather up oul
things and go home, like the LITTLE
girl whose nose was put out of join
at a party. With the bear paving hi
way across Europe in two directions
America never required so much a!
today to keep our watching ant
listening post at Moscow steadily ant
ed1ciently manned.
Crosstown Bus