Evening star., 1939-05-04
Litvinoff Dismissal
Brings Divergent
interpretations
Soviet Policy Reversal,
StoIin Impotence With
Delay Advanced
By PERTINAX.


i'm Litvinoff has been dismissed
from his post at the head Of Rus
sian diplomacy on the very day on
which the British cabinet resolved
not to accept the counter proposals
for a system of mutual assistance
received from Moscow April Is
(since then, they have been contin-
uously under discussion) and to
maintain in their main features the
original Anglo-French proposals.
Surely, there must be relation
Of cause and effect between the de-
cision just reached in London and
Paris and the departure of the peo-
Piles commissar for foreign affairs
The Russian ounter-proposals
can be formulated as follows: First,
France and Britain, on the one
hand. and Russia. on the other,
would guarantee the territorial in
tegrity and political independence
of their respective neighboring
states in Western and Eastern
Europe. Second, France and Brit
ain would have to modify their ar
rangements with Poland and Ru-
mania to make sure those arrange
ments would in no circumstances be
directed against Soviet Russia. To
the same effect, the old Polish
Rumanian treaty of alliance would
have to be altered. Third, a pact of
mutual assistance, on top of that
system, would bind together Great
Britain, France and Russia.
Unilateral Pledges Sought.
The Franco-British answer to the
above set of suggestions comes, on
the whole, to this Greater heed
must be paid to Polish and Ru-
manian susceptibilities. If the Rus
sian scheme were indorsed and, in
particular, if the Anglo French
Russian pact of mutual assistance
were brought into existence without
delay, Soviet Russia would in prac-
tice be given the right to push its
troops across Polish and Rumanian
territory at its own free will, a pros
pect neither Warsaw nor Bucharest
can relish or countenance
The most practical formula, there
fore, would be that Russia should
give unilateral guarantee to all
the bordering states from the Baltic
to the Black Sea, including Estonia
and Latvia. But it ought to be un-
derstood that such guarantee
granted by Russia would not become
effective until after the French and
British had entered into action to
enforce a guarantee they themselves
would contribute. AS to the pact of
mutual assistance among the three
main powers, Britain, France and
Russia, it would be discussed only
after full understanding had been
reached about that whole range of
guarantees to bordering states at
both ends of the continent.
Another Franco-British reserva-
tion is that no help will be extended
formally asked for it and shown
to any state unless the latter has
readiness to fight, provision which
might, In certain circumstances,
paw WIG way W SOlllC
OF the Munich policy.
Stain Not Satisfied.
Such were the two plans that the
French, British and Russian nego-
tiators have tried so hard to recon-
cile during the last two or three
weeks. 1t can be guessed that Stain
did not find that the compromise
worked out in London and Paris
contained promise of serious sys-
tenn OF resistance, or, at any rate,
that it responded to the require
ments of Russian prestige and in
terests, and that he resented the
fact that Russia was kept waiting
at the door far too long.
Now, two different constructions
are placed upon Litvinoff's depar-
ture. According to some interpret
ers, Stain regards Litvinoff's policy
OF cooperation with the western
powers as having proved an utter
failure, and Russian isolationism
would therefore be likely to come
once more into its own. Even a rap
prochement between the German
and Russian relationships, according
to this view, ought not to be ruled
out OF the possibilities in the near
future-an incommensurable dis
aster to the western powers, which
would hardly be left in a position
seriously to keep Hitler within
bounds.
Objection to Temporizing.
But, if another school of interpret
ers is to be trusted (and Polish dip
lomats are to be numbered among
them, Litvinoff has really sue
cumbed to the criticism of the Rus
sian military command, which OBJ
3ected to his temporizing methods,