Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-26

Russia are far apart is not explained.
1t certainly runs counter to the gen.
eral impression which has prevailed
In Washington for some time that if
any mediator is needed it is prob
ably TO bring Russia and Britain
closer together.
For many months the comment
frequently has been heard here
abouts that one OF the reasons that
the Russians do not permit military
observers from the United States is
that they would also have to admit
British observers and that the feel
ing between the British and Rus
slams is not all that it should be.
1t will be recalled that before
Stain decided in the summer CT
1899 to make a non aggression pact
with Germany, there had been
months of negotiations between
London and Moscow. The complete
story Of why the British failed to win
the trust Of the Russians in that
fateful period has never been told.
but it would be surprising if the
British had so improved their posi-
ton with Moscow as to be permitted
to mediate alleged disputes as be-
tween the United States and Russia.
Differences Exist.
There are points of difference be-
tween the United States and Russia.
and there is little use blinking that
fact. A substantial part of the
American citizenry feel that the
Russian government did not live up
to its pledge to refrain from COM
munistic propaganda in She United
States-a pledge solemnly given
when formal recognition was given
to the Moscow government by the
American Government. A substan-
tial part of the American people also
have not forgotten the way the Rus
sian government destroyed the free
dom to worship and for a time per-
mitted the despoiling of Christian
churches.
No amount OF mediation which
any foreign government may under
take will ever do for Russia what the
Moscow government can do for itself
namely to accept Fundamentally
the four freedonos
This Is so much the heart and
soul of the crusade which the |
American people have undertaken I
In the present war that it cannot !
but cause an estrangement if
ignored. Mediators can never COM
promise the principles involved in
the four freedoms. Our Allies either
accept them in the letter AS we'll as
the spirit or they frankly discard
them. But they are our main war
aims and our main peace aims.
But even such differences cannot
obscure the fact that Russia and
America are fighting common enc
mics. Lease-lend aid is being sent
in ever increasing quantities to
Russia because of a deep-seated
confidence that America and Rus
sia will be better friends than any
two other nations in the world after
the war with the possible exception
of that growing out of our blood re-
lationship to the British people.
Airplanes Will Bring Us Closer.
There are many more reasons for
a close friendship with Russia than
for GOODNESS. For one thing, Rus
sian territory is directly adjacent
to ours In Alaska The airplane
will bring us closer in the North
Pacific. Likewise. Russia's great
nndeveloped resources will sooner
or later be the basis for the re-
ciprocal exchange Of raw materials
and faCilitieS-We shall become bust
ness partners in developing those
resources.
that the Russian people after their
heroic sacrifices in this war will
tend more and more toward democ-
racy and less and less toward totali-
tarianism. The notion that Russia
will become so powerful in mill
tary way as to become an aggressor
state has its source more in Axis
propaganda than in any known
circumstances that would warrant
any such inference.
The Russians may want certain
territory in Europe on the Baltic
so AS to maintain naval bases. They
may want certain bases in Southern
Europe. But there is always the
opportunity, II there is a clash of
ES MN s M Na M y