Evening star., 1941-11-18
Third OF a SeriesJ
BY RALPH INGERSOLL.

BY RALPH INGERSOLL.
No one in the aid-to-Russia move
ment in England knows quite what
he is talking about That is, no
one has a clearly defined and pub
licly expressed plan of how to aid
RuSSia-Where, with what, when. 1t
is not as we'll worked out as was last
years aid-to-Britain movement in
America. Americans had the lend
lease bill to campaign for. conveys
to urge and everyone could pull to-
gether for the so destroyers. The
problem of how to get help to Rus
sia is infinitely more complicated.
To begin with, there are only three
ways into Russia.
One requires Arctic conveys to an
agreement among authorities as to
whether this port can be kept ice
free. Until it is known whether Hit
Ter can and will drive an army be-
tween Moscow and Leningrad. no
one can tell whether supplies from
Archangel can be got to where the
Russian armies are fighting.
The second way into Russia is even
more difficult. 1t is the long and
very arduous mountain-deSertr route
through Iran and the Caspian Sea.
There is no through railway. There
are practically no hard roads even.
The third route. as far as the
British are concerned, requires sail
ing around to the other side of the
world, through the japanese jaws
that may click shut any time. And
when the cargoes are landed they
are still several thousand miles Of
desert away from the nearest action.
Positions Changing Weekly.
Meanwhile, war between the Rus
slams and Germans is being fought
at top speed with positions changing
weekly.
The aid-to-Russia movement in
Britain faces the inescapable fact
that there is no way under heaven
for Britain to become a major mill
tary factor on the Russian field dur
ing the course of the present battle.
This doesn't mean that the men
and materiel which the British
government is sending to Russia
are unimportant. The British are
in a position to break minor bottle
necks in the Soviet supply system.
The squadron of Hurricanes that
came down from Archangel did
more than bolster morale: they shot
down German planes and relieved
pressure on the Red Air Force.
Gen. Wavell's army may be an ef-
fective-even a decisive-factor in
protecting the Russian flank in the
Caucasus. But these things are not
what the aidto- Russia movement is
all about. Wavell and the Hurri-
canes were not dispatched as re-
suit of public hue and cry but as
part OF the governments program.
The aid-to-Russia people want much
more. than these important tokens.
They; want Great Britain to play a
decisive role.
But in the Battle of Russia planes
are counted not by the squadrons but
by the thousands-and their motors
burn on an average Of so gallons q
plane an hour. Five skilled tech
nicians must labor on the ground
while one flies. There have beer
days in the Battle of Russia wher
more tanks went up in smoke thar
there are in the entire British Army
Diversion Front" Is Cry.
And so, finally facing the i'm
| possibility of getting enough mer
and machines TO Russia to turn the
tide of the greatest battle in the
history of war, the aid-to-Russia
movement takes up the cry: Give
us diversion front.
But do they know what they ask
when they ask for a diversion front?
They ask Of British government
that feels almost secure for the
first time in three years that ii
throw this security to the winds and
risk Britain's whole immature
strength in single battle some
where on the coaStline of Europe
For a diversion front would be use
less to Russia unless it were opened
up with such vigor and in such
| force that Hitler could not ignore it
Only the British high command
knows whether even if the British
shot the works they would have
enough trained men, machines anc
transportation for the kind of ar
offensive that a diversion front de.
mands. But this much is certain
To try it would indeed be to shoe
the works. Out on the gamblint
table would 60 not merely the de
fense of the Mediterranean, but th'
defense of the British Isles them
selves. A defeat would be the end
No British Army could come bacl
from a second Dunkerque-with th
armies of the Third Reich at it
heels-and hope to save the islant
a second time If the gamble worked
the war might be over and won
But if they lost =.
That is the British government
quite logical reaction to the demand
for opening up an immediate diver
sion front.
History Of the Movement.
What is the history-and Wha
are the sources of strengthen tn
popular movement which propose
so desperate a measure? The Com
munist party in England is the mos