Evening star., 1941-08-06
Aid to Russia

BY an exchange of notes last Sat-
urday between Sumner Welles. then
Acting Secretary of State, and Soviet
Ambassador Oumansky, the Ameri-
can Government agrees to give Rus
sia full economic aid short Of war.
Under this commitment, Russia is
granted unlimited licenses" for our
exports and the same priorities on
war materials as those to Britain and
other countries opposing the Axis.
This clariflcation of policy raises
the practical questions of what Rus
sia wants, what she is likely to get,
and how it can reach her effectively.
In past years Russia's purchases
in America have been predominantly
machinery and machine tools, in
cluding oil equipment, motor We
hicles, especially trucks and tractors,
certain lines of manufactured goods,
and metals. Owing to the develop
ment of cotton-growing in Central
Asia, Russia's former large purchases
of American cotton have shrunk to
a minimum, though this now is
changing. Besides her pre-war
wants, which continue, many others
are being added Indeed, Mr..
Oumansky states that his country is
"in the market" for all the American
supplies she can get. This applies
especially to military supplies,
though such exports will have to be
pro-rated by arrangement with
Britain and other anti-Axis coun-
tries.
The real problem is how to trans
port the great volume of exports
which Russia requires from US. And
that problem has two main aspects,
as was indicated in Mr.. WelleS
statement that the American Gov
ernment would give favorable con-
sideration" to transporting them in
American ships. BY the terms of the
Neutrality Act, which still is on our
statute books, American vessels can
not 60 to. RusSia's Arctic port OF
MurmanSk; neither can they legally
traverse the Mediterranean to reach
Russias Black Sea ports. The only
feasible route for American ships is
across the Pacific to Vladivostok, the
eastern terminus of the Trans-Si-
berian Railway. This is an extremely
roundabout method of getting sup
plies to European Russia, but at
present there is no direct alternative.
The Vladivostok route involves
possible complications with Japan,
which already is voicing opposition
to large-scale American shipments
to a potential enemy. Japan tech
nically is able to stop them, because
all normal shipping lanes to Vladi-
voStok pass through waters under
japanese control. However, unless
Japan is bent on war, she is unlikely
to take action which presumably
would be regarded as hostile by both
Russia and the United States.
There remain the possibilities OF
supplies for Russia going direct to
Murmansk by British or other nom
American ships and the transport
of American goods overland into
Russia by several routes through
Southern Asia, especially through
Turkey and Iran. Those routes, how
ever, are difficult, slow and costly; so
their effectiveness is limited.
This survey shows how Russia Is
isolated from the outer world by the
Axis powers. With her normal sea
routes through the Baltic and Black
Seas closed, her Arctic outlet at
Murmansk threatened and her Pa
cifc ports menaced, Russia is handi-
capped in getting outside aid from
any quarter. With the best efforts of
America and Britain, their economic
assistance will be limited. For the
present, at least, Russia must rely
almost wholly on herself.