Evening star., 1946-09-08
y. 5. Adopts Harder
Policy on Soviet
But Tactics Are Geared to Live
and Let Live Theory

But Tactics Are Geared to Live
and Let Live Theory
By Russell Barnes
PARIS, Sept. 7.-some smart observer
once remarked that there are no ex-
perts on Russia-there are only men
with different degrees Of ignorance"
That observation could have been
made at any time during modern his
tory.
The present tendency is to assume
that current lack of knowledge of what
goes on in the Russian world Is some
thing new, and to ascribe it solely to
Soviet desires to cover up internal weak
nesses, or to conceal aggressive intentions
toward the remainder of the world.
But any one who knows his diplomatic
history realizes that the same situation
prevailed under the Czars-the Russians
always have been secretive, and there
always has been a fog Of ignorance in
western minds as to what actually was
going on in the immense Russian areas.
AS the result of their comparative
ignorance, Western writers and speak
ers on Russian subjects always have
tended to take extreme positions-the
Russians either combine all that Is holy
and strong or they are basically wicked,
and are overrated as world power.
At present, growing out of Soviet be-
havior at the Paris Peace Conference
and previously in sessions of the Coun-
Gil of Foreign Ministers. two schools Of
thought have been hardening.
~ *
The first holds that Russia, with the
greatest manpower of any organized
government, probably the largest raw
material resources of any state, impress
sive industrial and scientific facilities
fired by Marxist st-Leninist philosophy Of
world Communist revolution convinced
that there is not room In the world for
both private enterprise and the Com
munist system, now is going all out to
conquer the world.
The other school seems convinced
that whereas Russia does boast superior
manpower and industrial resources.
admittedly has made great industrial
and scientific strides and may have a
hankering for Communist world revo-
luton, the Soviets are so weak in
ternally, and their system Is so rigid
and bureaucratic, that they are no real
threat to the world and possibly may
be heading for collapse.
Those so-called experts of the latter
school see in the obvious belligerency
and touchiness of Russian leaders a
deliberate policy on the part Of Moscow
to cover up weakness and to create
fear of the U. S. S. r., which will give
Russia time to straighten out internal
dislocations and prepare for a possible
western attack
From all that can be learned, Amer
ican policy toward Russia is being based
on these three possibilities:
l. Preventive war, which would smash
the Soviet system now, while it is COM
paratively weak, and before 1t could
become real menace to the western
political democracies and the free
enterprise regimes.
2. Inaction, under the theory that as
the Russian system natures, it will
tend to become more conservative, and
its leaders will lose some of their alleged
zeal for world revolution.
3. Tough resistance to all Soviet
political and economic expansionist
policies in the expectation that in the
long run the western systems will prove
to be stronger and more attractive to
the worlds masses.
According to the best information,
the United States has discarded the
first two possibilities.
Morally speaking, preventive warfare
is repugnant to modern western minds
and, practically, democracies can't fight
preventive wars-the people won't stand
for them
A policy of inaction also would be
dangerous because the basic assumption
that the Soviets will become conserva-
tive might prove baseless.
Lack Of resistance might encourage
the Communists to believe that the
world was theirs for the taking.
From all that can be learned. the
United States intends to follow the
third policy-to resist adamantly any
aggressive Russian moves, but to try to
convince Moscow that the United States
is only pursuing a policy Of "live and
let live"
(North American NevspapAr AlGars1