Evening star., 1944-02-20
Diplomatic Developments
In Europe Closely Watched
Washington Principally Concerned With Beating
Hitler, but Britain Ponders Over Postwar
Map of Continent
BY Constantine Brotpn

Unless political weather prophets are
totally mistaken, political and diplo-
matte developments in the next few
activities OF the Allied armed forces.
Minor troubles which began some
time ago with the break in relations
between Russia and Poland have in
creased in volume. And while, accord
ing to high spokesman Of the State
DepaI tment. the United States has
adopted a strictly neutral attitude to-
ward the European squabbles and as
sures the American people that the
Moscow and Teheran agreements are as
firm as ever the same view is not fully
shared by our European associates
So far as the Washington Govern
ment is concerned there Is only one i'm
portant matter which occupies its full
attention-the defeat of Hitler. All
other matters are considered impor-
tant, OF course, but come only as sec
onds
When the war started in September
1899, the American Government and the
bulk of the American people were de-
termined to give all possible support to
the enemies Of the totalitarian coun-
tries. Poland took the role of Belgium
in the First World War. We were afraid
that the democracies, which had never
prepared themselves for war, would be
overrun by the tremendous wave of to-
talitarian military power Some 300,-
100000 persons were in the totalitarian
camp between September, 1899, and
June 20, 194l. Poland and France were
crushed in short order. Britain alone
was standing up against overwhelming
ODDS. She refused in her darkest hour
to come to terms with the Nazis. She
felt she could rely on American sup
port and friendship
Balance Would Have Gone.
Britain was battling the Nazis be-
cause she felt that if she gave in. even
on terms which might have appeared
favorable, the balance of power in
Europe would be lost and the fate of the
empire gravely threatened. America
was encouraging her to hold firm and
stand the brunt of the German air at
tacks.
We eventually entered the war. Our
aims were not political. We were not
thinking of the balance of power. All
the American people wanted to do was
to help create a situation in Europe
which would not require the sending
Cf of
Atlantic for another 25 years.
But, meanwhile, the war aims of the
administration changed somewhat
Russia, which had been described until
the summer OF l94l as an ogre of the
same type as Nazi Germany, became the
savior Of the world. 1t became a minor
matter that the Soviet showed increas-
ing interest in most of the border states
and 4 tendency to extend its influence
to lands which had been enjoying their
full national independence since they
were created after the last war with
the moral and financial assistance of
the United States.
The important thing. in the opinion
of the administration. is to defeat the
Nazis. The White House and the State
Department are convinced that without
the effective assistance of Russia this
aim cannot be achieved reasonably soon.
Thus it has been decided that We must
keep out of the political sQuabble which
have arisen in Europe in the last IL
months lest We offend one of the main
instruments working toward Germany's S
defeat
The Russians are able diplomats prin-
cipally because they have definite and
concrete political aims. They have
played their cards brilliantly. Before
the Moscow conference they permitted
rumors to be spread that there were
some mysterious peace talks between
Moscow and Berlin. This brought about
the meeting in the Soviet capital. When
the full story of that conference is
written, some years hence, it will show
that our representatives preferred to
meet Soviet demands rather than lose
the Red Army as an ally fighting against
Germany.
The Moscow diplomats. however. in
stead of eXacting outright conquest of
countries which they themselves had
recognized as sovereign states. adopted
the method of permitting them to
join the U. S. S. r. as federated states
merely by changing the face Of the
Russian constitution.