Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1941-05-01
Il Might Be
|Wrong--BUT|
by p. G. Stromberg.

(DWe TO the absence OF MT.
Stroneberg, has coJ.meae has been
prepared by member of the
staff of this paper. Mr.. Stroms-
berg will be back on the job
neat a0eek).
Events of the next few weeks
may settle definitely and finally
the question that has been
haunting statesmen and inter-
national observers of the demo-
cratic natoins ever since Hitler
finished the conquest of France
and turned his eyes eastward.
That question is: "What will
Russia do?"
News-or perhaps it is propa-
ganda again-from Moscow for
the past few days indicates
that the Soviet Union either is
preparing for showdown with
the Nazis or that she is being
forced into one. First came the
signing of the mutual non
aggression pact between the
Soviets and the japanese, a
diplomatic move that optimistic
proponents of the cause Of de-
mocracy hailed as a preparation
by Stain for trouble with Ger
many. Then came the sudden
announcement by the Kremlin
mat shipments of munitions
and other war materials across
the U. S. S. R. henceforth
would be forbidden. Finally,
from Pravda, official newspaper
of the Communist Party in
Russia, came the report that
German troops had invaded
Finland.
This succession of occur
rences, or rumors of occur
rences, when added and weighed
together. seem to point toward
a falling out between the two
dictators who shared in the
partitioning of Poland.
First let US take the Russo
Japanese treaty. Certainly
the Soviet Union had little to
gain by bargaining with a
nation over whom she already
had displayed military superb
ority in numerous Manchukuan
border skirmishes, nation al
ready half submerged in the
quagmire of her invasion OF
China. There seemed little to
gain, that is, unless Russia
wished to make secure the one
front for an adventure" on
another.
The closing of the Trans-Sibe-
rian Railroad, among other So
Wet arteries of transportation, to
shipments Of war materials could
only be aimed at Germany = if
the shipments really We're
banned. England has long la
mented the fact her naval block
ade of the Axis powers has been
effectively foiled by Russian
connivance with Berlin. Ships
of Japan and other neutral coun-
tries have gathered vast quanti-
ties of materials which the Nazis
needed for their war effort and
dumped them at some Asiatic
port whence they found their
way to Germany via the Trans
Siberian.
PravdG's story of the Nal
penetration of Finland, already
partly occupied by the Red
Army, was clearly of the "war
scare" type. After the bitter
and costly Russo-Finnish war
the Soviet Union has. considered
the Finnish peninsula her own
exclusive domain, though she has
merely attempted to bully the
little republic instead of taking
it over as she did Esthonia,
L.atvia and Lithuania. And It
appeared that Hitler was willing
to accept such a situation, even
while his troops were oyerrun-
ming Norway.
Most of as have long since
learned, however, to view with
suspicion every bit Of "news"
favorable to the democratic cause
which has emanated from either
Berlin or Moscow. We were dis
illusioned by the combination of
the Communists and Nazis with
in Germany before Hitler took
over in a common fight against
the democratic institutions Of
that country. We were further
disillusiOned by the failure Of