The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-07-28

eign policies of nations"
Despite the progressive growth {
Soviet trade and industry, Hoover, RI
ferring specifically to the Soviet III
ion then in the second year of its frs
Five-Year Plan, declared:
1.-THE world in this hour is Wi
Messing the most overwhelmin
tragedy of ten centuries in tn
heart-breaking life-and-death strue
gle with starvation by nation o
$50 millions of people. In Russii
under the new tyranny group, II
pursuit of social theories, has de
stroyed the primary self-interes
impulse of the individual to produc
ton"
: Hoover's hatred of the Soviet I'm
ion made him look toward the fascis
Axis as means of preventing the
spread of "bolshevism" Sometimes
this took the form of a simple expires
sion of preference as in a speech
made by Hoover at his home town
Palo Alto, California:
my thinking always comes to a
precipice when | reflect on the pro
fit system, for beyond the precipice
| see either communism or fascism
Personally l prefer fascism." Fed
Grated Press, February IS, 1850
Though Hoover did not give en-.
thusiastic endorsement to fascism, he
seemed to feel rather at home in the
company of Nazis. When he went to
Germany in 1888, he was escorted
around the, country by Hitler's per-
sonal aide, Captain Fritz Wiedeman,
who was in charge of Nazi spy activ-
tiles in the United States. Hoover in
fact had long interview with Hitler
himself. At dinner where he was
feted by leading Nazi officials he
praised the development made by
modern (NazD Germany" Upon
his return to this country he was quot
ed in the press in praise of the eco
nomic security" which Hitler had
brought to Germany-even to those
in concentration camps.
The Price of Munich
AS late as May 1889, only four
months before the Munich govern
ments of Chamberlain and Daladier
found themselves in a war they never
expected, the Soviet Government had
urged a solid collective front against
Axis aggression The Soviet state
ment realistically declared:
1.-THE evasion of specific obliga-
lions in the hope that in the event
of war the Soviet Union, despite the
absence of any pledges, would at
tract the fire of the aggressor by
rushing to the aid of the attacked
country, is calculation as naive as
it is cynical
But any genuine attempt to build
a bloc against aggression will find
the Soviet Union anxious as always
to throw all its power into the scales
on the side of peace and democ-
racy."
The Munichmen refused to listen to |
the Soviet warnings which were soon |
confirmed by the events that followed |
They not only spurned any military |
pact with the Soviet Union but also |
dispatched military aid in support of
fascist aggression against the Soviet |
Government. The failure of this cost
ly, stupid Munich policy became par
ticularly apparent when the Finnish
adventure failed and when France fell
after Hitler made his six weeks"
march across France. In the wreck
age that followed, Chamberlain was
forced out, and France was overrun
by the Nazis. But the free world,
profiting from it's lesson, began the
movement away from Munichism and
finally achieved the collective front
against Nazism, which the Soviet
Union had so long proposed as the
only guarantee against world enslave-
ment. j.
November %, 1899, the outbreak of
The FinnishSoviet War, seemed to
Herbert Hoover to be the great OPP
he had long been looking
'or to achieve his brand of world CO.
operation" Baron Mannerheim of
Finland had been the first recipient
Of Hoover relief after the last war,
relief which had made possible the
suppression of the democratic forces
n Finland. Now, calling for $500,000,-
700 to help his old friend Mannerheim
)nce again, Hoover re-assembled his
'ormer corps of ''relief" workers and,
installing himself as chairman of the
Finnish Relief Fund, Inc, began
yhooping it up for little Finland"
The drums began to beat, and a
campaign was under way to
orce the United States into a war
against the Soviet Union. If this
had been successful, Hitler
would not be in his present predica-
nent, and the whole course of his
DRY would have been changed. The Il
1un1chmen saw in the Finnish war
he possibility of turning the war
which was then frozen" in the West, IS
nto the war in the East that they had (
o long counted upon as the only pos
ible war.
By quickly putting an end to the
finnish war the Soviet Union pre-
ented the possibility of united :
yorld war against the Soviet Union.
he Munich policy, which Hoover z
brought the world to the 6
rink of disaster, and it was the Red Z
lrmy, which the Municheers sought 6
D crush, that finally halted Hitler's Z
loody armies, and saved the world {
Efforts Continue 6
finnish adventure on AnriI 10 1od0 1