Evening star., 1946-03-03

mdtteIS OF TcIuSe 10 JOIN the cnOruS OF
wishful thinkers and shout with them
that we are by way of reaching the mil
lenium and that the world Is now on
the road to peace and recovery.
This wishful thinking frame of mind
of the public which gathers its knowl-
edge only from newspapers and by lis
tening to the radio commentators-ex-
tends even to the highest officials in
Washington. These officials are in pos
session of factual though pessimistic re-
ports about what Is being prepared in
Europe and Asia. But they believe that
by hushing-up the information, which
by right should be shared with the
people who have placed them in high
ofhce they will be able to weather the
storm. They hope that by some miracle
and as result of further appease-
ments, another tragedy can be averted
Optimism Is Belied.
In public they will speak in glowing
terms of the strides international CO.
operation has made because of the Gre
alton OF the United Nations Organiza-
ton. They will minimize the failures
of the Security Council by saying that
we could not expect that organization
to assert itself fully at its first meetings
They attempt to conceal the decisions
involving international power politics on
questions brought before the UNO by
saying the problems were solved sue
cessfully since there were no overt
clashes between the litigants But their
outward optimism is belied by their
gloomy faces and the pathetic appeals
they make at executive Senate commit
tee sessions when they assert that the
utmost secrecy Is necessary in order to
straighten out most delicate and dan
gerous situations"
Few Are Optimistic.
Very few among the many responsible
officials with whom this reporter is in
contact make even a pretense of opti-
mism when they discuss the present in
ternational conditions of the record.
They admit that the situation is SINH
lar to that which existed in Europe in
the fall of 1898 and the spring of 1899;
the main difference is that unless the
western powers make up their minds
to handle the situation firmly and skill
fully, a lightning new conflict can be
expected In the near future.
The concensus of these responsible
oficials. who include some from the
State Department, is that the appease-
ment policy followed by this Govern
ment Is chiefly responsible for the pres
ent crisis. Russia, with its 15,000,00
men under arms. is on the march. Ar
of1cial broadcast from Moscow on Feb
ruary 10 stated emphatically that "the
Red Army, as . result of the war, Il
today more experienced and powerful
1t is now prepared to carry out the tasks
assigned to it." The broadcaster went
on to say that every year between 1s42
and 1945 the Soviet industry has sup
piled the Red Army with more than so,
600 tanks, mobile guns and armored cars
about 10000 planes. 10000 guns, 100000
mine throwers and more than 5000 ,00o
rifles of all types and a corresponding
amount of ammunition.
Yielded to Threat.
This was no "electioneering" oratory
as the speeches of Premier Stain and
Comrades Kalinin, Molotov and other
Soviet luminaries had been described
by wishful thinkers earlier last month
It was a speech to give more self-reli-
ance to the 10000 900 Russians, some
of whom may have believed the Amer
ican propaganda" that Russia would
have suffered defeat had she not re-
ceived billions of lease-lend assistance
Earlier in February one Of the leaders
of the USSR stated frankly that Russia
would be in danger so long as she re-
manned surrounded" by capitalistic
countries.
While the war against Germany was
in full swing our political leaders ex-
planned privately that we had to ap-
pease Russia because Britain and Amer
lea could not defeat Germany alone
In l943, although the Russians were
still hard pressed, their remarkable ano
able leader, Stain, threatened to make
a separate peace with the Germans
unless the United States and Britain
complied fully with all Russia's terri.
torial ambitions. And the American
and British governments complied
gracefully under this threat.
Files Are voluminous.
In the archives OF the State Depart.
ment there are now voluminous files
marked top secret" proving that the
clash between Hitler and Stain in 1941
was due to their disagreement regard
ing the spoils of war. These document.
were discovered by American militar,
authorities in certain hidden places ir
the Reich. Whether they contained
any information regarding alleged con.
versations between Moscow and Berlir
in the summer Of ls43 is not known.
In any event, responsible quarters ir
Washington say that our policy of yield.
ing to the Russian demands for terri.
torial aggrandizement which started al
Teheran and was eliminated at the
Yalta Conference resulted from the de.
sire Of the American and British polit.
ical leaders not to "lose" Russia in the
war against Germany. The conces.
sions made to the Soviet at Yalta In
regard to the Kurile Islands and the
mainland Of Asia-the whole truth
about the latter deal has not yet come
to the surface--were prompted by the
desire to make the UNo into an active
peace organization and not by the de-
sire to have Russia on our side In the
war against Japan.
u.r-a - u>.aocAA