Evening star., 1946-09-18

democracy in eastern Europe. where
democracy by and large has never
existed, seems to her an attempt to
re-establiSh the encirclement of un-
friendly neighbors which was ere
ated after the last war and which
might serve as a springboard of still
another effort to destroy her.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO.
II this analysis is correct, and
there is ample evidence to support
it, the action to improve the situa-
ton is clearly indicated. The funda-
mental objective of such action
should be to allay any reasonable
Russian grounds for fear. suspicion
and distrust. We must recognize that
the world has changed and that to-
day there can be no One World"
unless the United States and Rus
sia can find some way of living to-
gether.
For example, most Of us are
firmly convinced of the soundneSs
Of our position when we suggest the
Observation-Disclosures and defortif1-
cation of the Danube or of the
Dardanelles, but we would be hor-
rif1ed and angered by any Russian
counterproposal that would in
volve also the internationalizing and
disarming of Suez or Panama. We
must recognize that to the Russians
these seem to be identical situations.
We should ascertain from a fresh
point of view what Russia believes
to be essential to her own security
as prerequisite to the writing of
the peace and to cooperation in
the construction Of world order.
We should be prepared to judge
her requirements against the back
ground of what we ourselves and
the British have insisted upon as
essential to our respective security.
We should be prepared, even at the
expense of risking epithets of ap-
peasement. to agree to reasonable
Russian guarantees Of security. The
progress made during June and
July on the Italian and other
treaties indicates that we can hope
to arrive at understanding and
agreement on this aspect of the
problem.
We should not pursue further the
question of the veto in connection
with atomic energy, question
which is irrelevant and should
never have been raised. We should
be prepared to negotiate a treaty
which will establish a definite Sc
quence of events for the establish
ment of international control and
development of atomic energy. This
believe, is the most important
single question, and the one on
which the present trend is definitely
toward deadlock rather than ulti-
mate agreement.
U. S. Must Allay Fears.
| We should make an effort to coun-
teract the irrational fear of Russia
which is being Systematically built
up in the American people by GER
tain individuals and publications
| L llC olOSdl llldU ait
capitalism, regimentation and de-
mocracy. cannot continue to exist in
the same world Is, from a historical.
point OF view, pure propaganda
Several religious doctrines, all claim.
ing to be the only true gospel anc
salvation, have existed side by side
with a reasonable degree of tolerance
for centuries. This country was fol
the first half of its national life q
democratic island in a world DOM
mated by absolutist governments.
| We should not act as If we, too
! felt that we were threatened in to-
days world. We are by far the
most powerful nation in the world
the only Allied nation which came
out of the war without devastation
and much stronger than before the
war. Any talk on our part about
the need for strengthening our de-
fenses further is bound to appear
hypocritical to other nations.
THE ROLE OF ECONOMIC
RELATIONSHIPS.
We should also be prepared to
enter into economic discussion with
out demanding that the Russians
agree in advance to discussion of q
series of what are to them difficult
and somewhat unrelated political
and economic concessions Although
this is the field in which my de-
partment is most directly concerned