Evening star., 1944-10-15
Outline Of Russion
War Aims Seen
Red Army's Triumphs Assure
Stain Free Hand.
By Joseph II. Baird.

~ Joseph Il. Baird.
The present effort of the Polish gov
ernment In London to reach an agree
mcnt, through the good offices Of the
United States and Great Britain, with
Moscow and the Polish National COM
mittee Of Liberation regarding the ter
ritorial and administrative future Of
Poland again centers attention on Rus
sia's ambitions In Eastern Europe.
They are high lighted, too, by the
present Red Army drive through TO
Riga which offers the definite pros
pect that Russia soon again will be in
effective military control of the three
little Baltic nations Estonia. Latyta
and Lthuania-which were incorpo-
rated in the U. s. S. r. In 1910.
As is generally known, the State De-
partment has never recognized the
legality of Russias action In incor-
porating these states by "plebiscites"
and has attempted to support. through
rather restrained diplomatic measures,
the independence OF Poland. The three
small Baltic countries still are listed
In the American diplomatic blue book
as independent nations, and the ad-
ministration recently sought to bulwark
the regime of Premier Stanislaw Miko-
lajczyk by naming Arthur Bliss Lane
as Ambassador to his government, after
a period Of more than year in which
this country had no envoy in that post.
At the same time, 1t is an open
secret in Washington that Russia in
tends to make territorial settlement
to its own liking in Eastern Europe.
1t Is further realized that due to the
preponderar1t position of the Red Army,
little or no pressure can be put on
Moscow to change its plans. The
sole basis Of appeal to Russia is on
the grounds Of justice and morality.
In view Of this situation, It seems
timely to examine Russian policy in
Eastern Europe, so far as 1t can be
judged in the light of statements by
Moscow officials and of history. Incl
dentally, there are some American
officials who have sympathetic under
standing of Russian ambitions, although
1t is difficult to reconcile all of them
with the sections Of the Atlantic Charter
opposing territorial changes that do
not accord with the freely expressed
wishes of the peoples concerned"
The fundamental difficulty of any just
and lasting territorial arrangement in
Eastern Europe Is that in the area run
ming north and south from the Baltic
to the Mediterranean and from the
Vistula well into European Russia.
Teutons and Slavs for 1000 years have
marched and countermarched in scores
of migrations until they are hopelessly
intermingled It is an impossibility to
draw territorial lines which win include
exclusively Liths, Latvians, Estonians,
Russians, Poles, Ukrainians or Baltic
Germans. The minority problem is in
evitable. Absolute justice Is impossible.
Some students of the Eastern Euro
pean problem hold that Russian DOM
nance In this area is now assured and
that, from a viewpoint Of political sta
bility, 1t might be acceptable morally
provided Moscow guaranteed the minor
ity elements freedom of speech, religion
and language and decent standard of
living.
While the Russian government of
Premier Stain never has offered the
world any blueprint Of its political plans.
its various actions and statepents lead
observers here to summarize its am
bitions as follows:
l. Continued incorporation of Estonia,
n krxfa nvnI fHfyn NJ mt "a
publics In the U. S. s. r.
~
2. A government in Eastern Poland,
set up under the aegis of the Russian
Liberation, which win include approx
mately the same Polish territory which
belonged to Russia before the World
War. 1t is considered likely that this
government, in time, through a pleb-
iscite, would be brought directly into the
U. s. S. r. At the very least, its foreign
policy would be dictated by Moscow,
3. An independent Polish state set up
in the territory between the Soviet
Polish state and Germany. perhaps
having the so-called Curzon Line as its
eastern border. Premier Stain has said
frequently over the past three years
that he wanted to see strong post
war Poland. There is reason to believe
that he is sincere, according to his
own definitions, as such a nation would
act as a buffer against Germany.
3. A Russian sphere Of influence" in
the Balkan nations of Bulgaria.
Romania, Hungary and perhaps Yugo-
slavia and Greece. While these coun-
tries would remain nonninally inde-
pendent, they would be expected to
develop close economic relations with
Russia and take their cue from Moscow
on matters of foreign policy.
4. A Balkan agreement probably with
the cooperation of Russia and Great
Britain, which would assure freedom of
passage for Soviet ships from the Medi-
terranean into the Black Sea.
These points appear to be the major
premises of Soviet policy in Eastern
Europe. If-as many persons expect
Moscow joins the Ang1o-American allies
against Japan after the defeat Of Ger
many, Russia also is known to have
some definite ideas about Far Eastern
settlements.
These certainly would include rail
access through Manchuria to the great
port of Vladivostok, warm water port
on the Pacific and retention Of Russia's
present sphere of influence in Outer
Mongolia and Sinkiang.