Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-12-13
| NEWS
BEHIND
The NEWS
By Paul
Malon

WASHINGTON, Dec 49,
w Field Marshal SHUTS, at
Cairo. called the big four meet
ing the most significant con-
ferences for 100 years"
He said they had accom-
phShed unexpected unity among
Russia. Britain, the United
States and China. He urged
newSmen not 10 pry into the
secrets of the meeting, saying:
you are on knife's edge:
a word dropped on the wrong
side might cause great harm"
SHUTS. South African premier
and British cabineteer, himself
had dropped some frank words
right on the blade of the knife
about two weeks earlier in Lon
don. They fell privately 10 300
members of Parliament and
peers. but were later allowed TO
leak out.
They sounded as if here at
last was man spea king
frankly his mind in a world
where no one else, for one rea-
son or another, seems TO want
TO.
Officials naturally these days
make their public statements
only for propaganda or patriotic
effect. That is their job. They
picture conditions, not neces-
sarlly as they are, but as they
think il is wise TO have others
believe them TO be.
ATLONDON, however, SHUTS
"A freely told what a large
number of British believe pri-
Vately. that the comparative
economic decline of Britain, the
chaotic condition of France, and
the rise of Russia make it ad-
visable for Britain 10 consider
more carefully her postwar
position,
He suggested organizing a
protective wall of small demo-
cratic nations around Britain,
meaning Holland, Belgium, Den
mark, Sweden, Norway. to
maintain themselves against
postwar Russia.
A few of the liberal publica-
lions. which rise in ecstasy auto
matically any time the name OF
Russia is mentioned favorably.
are advertising the results as
"reshaping the world, saving a
million deaths on the battlefield,
and a decade of waste and con-
fusion in the peace" The New
Republic.) Few here believe
this, or believe it is good propa-
ganda 10 make believe such is
the result.
A LII may wish it so. but have
"A trouble erasing SHUTS orig
inal questions. France does
seem to be gone. Her politicians
in exile exhibit chaotic strife.
The sympathies of her govern
ments before the war frequently
were as close 10 Russia as 10
Britain, and so are those of her
eXiles.
Only in those smaller democ-
racies SHUTS referred 10, is
there an absence of the Russian
socialiSt-collectiviSt influence IN
the body polite. Elsewhere this
competitive influence is bound
to be strongly represented if 1t
does not prevail in whatever
free-choice postwar Vern-
ments are founded.
For instance. this would mean
continuance of the chaotic po-
litical conditions leading TO its
downfall.
True also. British power has
declined. Her postwar armed
strength, for instance, would be
nowhere comparable 10 that of
Russia, if measured on the con-
tinent.
SHUTS might even have gone
further in his frankness and
questioned the ability of the
British Empire to restore itself
in a freer trad ing postwar
world, without monopolies, car
tells. etc.
No authority here that /
know has any idea how salts
factory democratic governments
can be INSTITUTED in Italy,
France, and elsewhere, without
extreme competition between
the Russian socialist-collectivist
movement and the British En-
pire interests, or our own.
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