Evening star., 1942-09-19
Moscow Viewpoint

MOSCOW viewpoint
Wendell Willkie arrives in Moscow
at an opportune moment. This
visit to the Russian capital was
planned to be the high light of his
extensive foreign tour as the Presi-
dents special emissary, and he is
reportedly carrying personal mes
sage from Mr.. Roosevelt to Joseph
Stain. What is perhaps even more
important, Mr.. Willkie undoubtedly
has explicit instructions for his con-
f1dential conversations with Russia's
supreme leader.
All this may have an important
bearing on the diplomatic rift which
seems to be developing between Mos
COW on the one hand and London
and Washington on the other.
Winston Churchill's recent trip to
Moscow did not reconcile divergent
viewpoints on grand strategy. In
his report to the House of Commons,
the Prime Minister frankly admit
ted as much, and Moscow showed
its displeasure by omitting in its
press accounts all reference to Mr..
Churchill's personal tribute to
Stain. Since then, both the Russian
and British censors have passed
dispatches from American CORES
pondents revealing the growing diff
ference in viewpoints. AS Stalin-
grads agony mounts, so does Rus
sian bitterness at the absence of
that second front" in Western Eu-
rope which the Russian Army and
people have alike been confidently
awaiting. The Russians feel "let
down" by their allies, and semi
official spokesmen hint of unfortu-
nate consequences in both the war
and postwar periods if the crucial
year 1912 passes with no major
Anglo-American military effort in
the west.
That simple Russian soldiers and
civilians should feel this way is
natural and inevitable. But that
the powerful Soviet propaganda
machine should tacitly encourage
rather than discourage such popu-
lar sentiments is less understandable.
Neither London nor Washington
can justly be accused of bad faith.
Enough has been revealed to show
conclusively that when Foreign
Minister Molotoff made his explora-
tory visits to those capitals last
June, he was not only assured of
the eminent desirability of a second
front but was also given full infor-
nation of the Allies military and
naval strength. He certainly was
not accorded a blanket pledge that
an Anglo-American invasion of the
Continent would be made this year
under any circumstances. The
Russians have not made things too
easy for the British and American
general stats in their strategic
planning, because they have never
given us equally full information on
which strategic calculations should
normally be based. Mr.. Churchill
| pointed this out when he told the
| Commons that he found the Rus
slams less confiding than Mr.. Molo-
toff found the British regarding
| their potentialities and reserves"
A large part of the present diff
Guilty appears to have arisen from
the fact that, ever since the great
! German drive in Southern Russia
started late in June, Soviet propa-
ganda has deliberately held out rosy
hopes to its people that genuine
second front was coming, and COM
ing soon. Those quasi promises
probably did much to inspire popu-
lar enthusiasm and to steel the So
Wet masses against a gruelling or
deal. Yet not even a totalitarian
dictatorship can avoid the psyche
logical headache" which follows
popular disappointment and dis
illusionment at false hopes. The
Soviet regime is left somewhat "out
on limb" with It's own people. The
most absolute dictatorship cannot
afford that sort Of thing. Excuses
and scapegoats-have to be found.
Yet such things, at most, should
be deemed as "for the record" The
deeper community of interest be-
tween Russia and its Allies should
suffice to keep this temporary diplo-
matte difference within bounds.
A man who had been driving for