Evening star., 1945-12-05
Soviet Leaders Seen,
Sensitive to Criticism
Freedom of the Press Question
Now Out in Open, Says Writer
BY Dauid Laurence


Now Out in Open, Says Writer
By Dapid Laurence
Although Russia manages to cloak her
world policies in an aura Of mystery,
every now and then the Soviet govern
ment, through its controlled organs Of
propaganda, discloses its sensitiveness to
criticism.
just now Russia Is apparently resent
full Of the many criticisms in the United
States OF the fact that Russia denies
freedom of the press" The Soviet
Union has decided to talk back and de-
fine its position. 1t Is a mark Of progress
that despite many years of criticism Of
Russia's weakness on the subject Of
freedom of information" the matter
should at last come out into the open for
debate.
The latest development is the article
written by the Soviet publicist, Nikolai
Baltisky, who argues that the American
and British campaign for international
press freedom is nothing more than
smoke screen behind which Capitals
are hiding. Baltisky says that freedom
OF the press in America is enjoyed prin-
cipally only by those who possess enor-
nous capital" and he attacks American
news associations for alleged attempts to
discredit the Red Army.
Other Soviet writer's have undertaken
heretofore to answer the Anglo -Ameri-
can criticism about freedom of the press
with the countercry that In America
and Britain only the owners of publica-
tions enjoy such freedom. This is type
of propaganda, however, that is easily
disproved, for the article by Nikolai Bal
tisky himself was not only brought to
the United States by the United Press
but was published in American news
papers. Can the Soviet press point to
any similar publication in Russia Of
American criticism, except on rare occa-
sions when ordered to do so by their
own government in connection with
some domestic political development?
True Test of Control.
The true test of whether freedom Of
the press exists in any country Is what
control the government places on free
dom of publication. Are the Soviet
papers free to publish anything they
please about what is happening in for
eign countries-or what is happening in
their own country?
The Russian argument about freedom
Of the press is that the Moscow govern
ment alone knows what is good for the
people to read and that the Soviet pub
lications are, therefore, better because
the all-wise and omniscient oligarchy in
Moscow can tell the Russian people
what they must think or what they
must read.
This kind of freedom" is hardly to
be compared with operations Of the
press In the British Empire and in the
United States, where, while it is true
that each publication owner may decide
what to publish, there are enough out
lets for every conceivable kind of view
to be published. Thus, the American
Government has long provided lower
postage rates for the dissemination Of
publications, pamphlets and books than
is paid for letters. Likewise in the
distribute news to the people in every
locality, irrespective of whether there is
daily newspaper published in that To-
cality.
1t is essential in the interest of i'm
provement of relations between the
United States and Russia that there be
freedom of information between the two
countries. So long, however, as the
American newspapers and radio publish
and distribute the news given out by
the Russian government or ordered
printed in its own organs, while Ameri-
can news is not permitted to be pub
lished in the Soviet Union, there will
always be a suspicion that Russia is
afraid to let the truth penetrate to her
own people.
Interesting Line of Thought.
Quite recently there has developed in
the United States very interesting line
OF thought which is suggested now in
many quarters here. 1t is that the true
reason for forbidding American news to
enter Russia is fear on the part of the
totalitarian government that the Rus
sian people may learn of the greater ad-
vantages enjoyed by the average man
and his family under the capitalistic
system than under the Communistic.
1t Is known that all during the war the
Russians were hesitant to allow Ameri-
can troops, and particularly American
flyers, to be based in Russia, even to
help against Germany, and the reason
often cited by American military men
was that American soldiers received so
much better rations and had SO much
better clothing and equipment that the
Russians did not feel it wise to allow the
troops to get too close together for any
long periods of time. This is under
standable because Russia has not been
able under Communism to achieve for
her people the high standard of living
enjoyed by the average American.
There Is no doubt that at the moment.
despite criticism of Russia's course in
international affairs, more people in
America both inside and outside the
Government are eager to find basis for
building lasting friendship with Rus
sia than ever before. While there are
some who despair of the outlook, scarce
ly day goes by that discussion does not
turn upon some constructive effort that
can be made to bring the peoples of
Russia and the United States closer to-
petbar