Evening star., 1943-03-07
Russian Territory Stand Makes
Atlantic Charter Revision Vital
Time Held Ripe to Determine Whether Agreement
Issues Is to Be Pious Hope or
Definite Policy
By Constantine Brovn

L. u UWStG
The need for revision or clarifica-
ton of the language in the Atlantic
Charter has become imperative since the
Russian government has placed itself on
record by stating that it considers the
Baltic States as an integral part of Rus
sia and that the territories taken away
from Poland by the Soviet armies in 1893
are considered also to be part of the
q. S. s. r.
Whether the Moscow government is
preparing other surprises" is a matter
which is creating deep concern in Wash
ington diplomatic quarters. There also
is speculation over whether the British
government will deem it necessary to
make similar claims on regions which are
considered in London to be in Britains
zone Of influence.
The announcement of the Kremlin
spokesman regarding the Baltic states
and parts of Poland came as no surprise
for those who have known the ideas of
Russia's Premier Joseph Stain.
The U. S. S. r. not only is fighting
Tor the destruction of Hitlerism, but also
is fighting war for Russia. That vast
empire was shorn of some of its terri
tories after the World War. Some have
been created, on the basis of the clinical
populations, into Independent republics,
such as Latvia, Esthonia and Lithuania
and Finland. Other portions of the U. S.
s. r. have been incorporated in the re-
vived Polish republic. Finally Bessarabia,
which had been Russian for over 100
years, but which contained an over
whelming majority Of Rumanians, has
been attached to the Kingdom of Ru-
mania.
While Russia was being re-created as
. new state between 1918 and the out
break Of the war, Moscow said nothing
about restoring these territories to the
U. S. s. r.
Strength Altered Position.
But when she again became strong
enough to assert herself militarily, she
managed to restore the Baltic states and
Poland under the new Russian flag. The
Baltic states and portion of Poland
were taken in agreement with the Nazis,
but are now under German occupation.
Bessarabia is still in the hands of the
Rumanians, but the defeat of the Axis
unquestionably will restore her to the
u. S. S. r.
The whole matter, from the purely
practical point of view, need not cause
any diplomatic headaches The Rus
slams, who signed the Atlantic Charter
on January l, 1912, maintain that their
claims in no way conflict with the terms
of the charter.
The first article of that document pro-
vides that their countries (the sigma
tories) seek no aggrandizement, terri
torial or other" Moscow points out that
since the territories she desires are actu-
ally portions of the Russian empire, their
return to the fold would, In fact, con-
stitute no break of the territorial ag-
grandizement" clause.
The second point in the charter pro-
vides that the signatories desire to see
no territorial changes that do not accord
with the freely expressed wishes of the
peoples concerned" :.
The representatives of the .independ-
ent" Baltic republics who are in WASH
tngton and continue to be recognized by
the American Government maintain
that the so-called vote" taken in the
three republics is illegal, since Russian
troops entered on faxed invitations of
their governments one month previous
to the balloting. So, they say, the deci-
sion of their peoples was not taken
freely since Russian bayonets supervised
the ballot boxes.
Poles Dispute Claims.
In regard to the portions of Poland
which are claimed by the U. S. S. R., the
Polish government in exile maintains
that no vote has been taken in Poland
and none can be taken until all foreign
troops have been removed. Thus the
Polish officials contend that portion
of Poland taken over by the U. S. S. r..
In accordance with the Ribbentrop-
Moloton agreement of 1899 cannot be
considered valid and is fragrant breach
of the second paragraph of the Atlantic
Charter.
It is only natural that there should
have been commotion among the
smaller nations of Eastern and Southern
Europe at the news that Russia intends
to interpret the Atlantic Charter in its
own way.
The Yugoslav government in exile, for
instance, is having its own private trou-
bles with the Soviet. For some time the
government of King Peter has been
negotiating an agreement establishing
the future relationship with the U. S. S.
r. But for reasons which have not been
made public the negotiators have made
but little headway
The Yugoslav government sees, how
ever. the possibility of Russia attempt
ing to encourage those who want to
overthrow the present monarchic regime
and establish a federation of states to
replace the former Yugoslav kingdom
Even the Turks are reported to be some
what perturbed over developments and
the negotiations between Moscow and
Ankara which had been progressing
since Prime Minister Churchill's meeting
with President Ismet Inou at Adana are
now somewhat sluggish.
Who is right and who is wrong in this
new controversy which has broken out
ut q somewhat unfavorable moment,
when the Allies are making every effort
TO put an end to the Nazi regime, is a
matter which can lend itself to inter-
minable discussions.
Pi0us Wishes or Policy?
But, so far as the people of the United