Evening star., 1943-11-02
TUESDAY, November 2. 1943
Triumph at Moscow

dlate and near events, the Hull
Eden-Molotoff conference in Mos
COW has clearly resulted in decisions
and understandings whose far
reaching implications must be
heartenlng to every one but the
leaders Of the Axis and their fol-
lowers. AS far as the war goes,
there now seems no Justification
for any doubt about the determina-
ton of the key United Nations to act
In concert in imposing terms of un-
conditional surrender on their re-
spectlve enemies, and there is good
reason to believe that the so-called
secondfront issue has at last been
settled.
This conclusion-the conclusion
that the enemy can no longer hope
for a separate peace and that the
Soviet Union is satisfied with our
American and British military plans
appears to be wholly warranted on
the strength of the several declara-
tlonS jointly made at Moscow. The
most important of these-the four
power statement significantly en-
bracing China as we'll as Russia,
Britain and the United States
pledges the Signatories to act to-
gether in all matters relating to the
surrender and disarmament of any
common enemy with whom they are
at war. This does not commit the
Russians as regards Japan, but it
must certainly make the Japanese
more than little uneasy about the
future, particularly because the
declaration as a whole strikes a
strong note in favor of long-term
collaboration not only in Europe
but in Asia.
The settlement of the second
front issue seems to be implied in
the language of the Joint COM
munique outlining the work of the
Moscow conference. There were
frank and exhaustive discussions of
measures to be taken to shorten the
war" and full consideration was
given to definite military opera
tions with regard to which decisions
had been taken and which are al
ready being prepared in order to
create basis for the closest mill
tary cooperation in the future be-
tween the three countries" If
words mean anything, these mean
that the Russians, British and
Americans have achieved real
meeting of minds on the next move
In the common effort to knock down
the walls of Fortress Europe"
Apart from the immediate military
situation, the confereeS addressed
themselves to political questions,
several of which were reserved for
detailed consideration by special
commissions or for treatment
through regular diplomatic chan
nels. Presumably, the more impor-
tant of them-such as those having
to do with Poland and the Balkans
will be on the agenda of the
new three-poWer European Advisory
Commission to be set up in London
to handle problems Of that nature
as the progress of the war brings
them to the fore. Other questions,
however, were made the subject of
crSnoiSa az of y>o1io,, II
ing 1taly'S future as a democracy,
the punishment to be inflicted on
NaziS guilty of atrocities, and the
status of Austria. The Austrian
declaration, pledging that the first
of Hitler's victims will be made
free and independent country again,
seems curiouSly significant. the
more so because it calls upon the
Austrians to begin resisting tn e
Nazis, as if military action of some
sort were planned for that area.
Of all the Moscow statements re-
leased yesterday, the four power
declaration is, of course. the most
far-reaching in intent. For it goes
beyond the mere winning of the
war and the transitional period ini-
mediately following. 1t projects it
self into the long future, and in
harmony with the Connally resolu-
ton, puts China, Russia, Britain and
the United States on record as rec
ognizing the necessity of establish
Ting "at the earliest practicable date
a general international organization"
for the preservation of world order.
This in itself, though some may call
it nothing but pious generality, is
long step forward along the hard
and difficult road to good and last
Ing peace, and as such it is some
thing that all men of good will will
heartily indorse and welcome
Viewed in any light, the results
k the Moscow conference are en-
pnxzgng, ana IN their application
0 the immediate world situation,
&,ey unquestionably represent a
diplomatic achievement of the first
order. They mean, in effect, that
1he United Nations are now knit
together more closely than at any
tfr1oe sinre the st a IT of the war. thew