Detroit evening times., 1945-07-10
PAUL
NlALLON
Behind
The News

ne News
UASHINGT0N. July 9-in
" TWO previous columns pub
hShed June 27 and 29 l con-
cluded the Russian system is not
communism, socialism, bolshev-
ism or MarXiSm. but A despot-
ism in the name OF (but not by
the lowest class economically.
Intellectually and spiritually.
and | came to the decision our
democratic way Of life had no
valid grounds for fear OF Russia
except from the governmental
standpoint.
Her people are friendly, like
able, not grim like their govern
ment, and her production and
her methods, as we'll as her
social results, are so far inferior
to ours that our lowest share
cropper or poorest paid worker
would think he was in heaven
now. If fully informed Of COM
parative conditions.
Unlike her people, her eco
nomlcS and her production, her
socio-communal. despotIc gov
ernment IS competitive, aggres-
Sive, sometimes belllgerent--
and nearly always unfathom-
able, and therefore frightening,
or at least unsettling.
THE core Of this trouble can
he found in the conclusions
made by our globe -girdllng edl-
tors who went out for three
months to promote free press.
l nudge also they did not find
much hope for press liberty, or
even much will for II. outside of
the British Empire and the
United States. You cannot
have liberty without free
press, and you cannot have a
free press without liberty
The San Francisco agree
ment pledged freedom OF Lam
guage but what good is that,
without freedom of speech
But what does Russia think?
Her editors were So faf-from
our line of thought as 10 be
completely incomprehensible of
our meaning of freedom
They write only what the
government wants. andrhe gov
eminent is a singleheaded die
tatorShip operated by one legal
party Of 100000 people in a
population of 1873. 100000.
IRON the news standpoint, as
walled herself in against the
world, completely isolated her
self Our reporters there are
confined 10 the Hotel Metropole
for living room. may not frater-
nize with Russian officials or
people. can get news only which
has been printed in the few Of
fiCial government papers.
But their reporters roam the
United States Al will. indeed
even have representatives al
tend all our open press confer
PnCes, including those OF the
President. and write freely any
thing they wish
| have heard some people say
she suffers from An lnferlority
complex. Perhaps.
Perhaps, also, she is afraid 10
let her own people know TOO
much, and therefore feels she
must censor any understanding
OF their government by them as
well AS by us?
I MIGHT attempt 10 trac X
L down the why of this were 1t
not true that the same attitude
of the government extends far
heVond news into other fields.
Russia refused 10 60 into our
Air conference al Chicago. even
TO discuss letting alrplanes 60
over her country. AS matters
stand now, she has isolated her
air from the world as COM
pletely as she has isolated her
land and her news.
Before the war all our world
fliers had trouble getting per-
mts 10 cross Russia. To get
into Russia by land or sea is AS
difficult task as by air. In all
wavs Russia seems bent on llv-
inc outside the normal world,
and she is taking all she can get
Of Europe into the same I'M
penetrable subterranean cham
Der of isolation with her
Whatever Interpretation you
accept. the conclusion is mes
capable that unless this situ-
alton is eliminated, there can
not be peace.
THE first thing | would do 10
L put US on an even mutual
plane IS TO have Congress enact
a law putting us on reciprocal
basis as 10 rights. Whatever
rights Russia grants us, we
would grant her.
l..