Evening star., 1946-09-29

disarmed, although we have nominal
force, existing mostly on paper. The
British also have hastened their re-
deployment to point where they have
to- keep their battleships in home
waters for lack of crews.
An agreement for a general and total
disarmament would be hailed as the
most effective step toward world peace.
This country would even be willing
to go a step further and abolish offen-
sive weapons such as tanks, heavy
ships. If all the other nations would
follow suit. The atomic bomb and all
other new electrical and chemical war
devices which have been invented
during the war. but have not yet been
applied could be done away with If all
the nations agreed to disarm.
In order to obtain these results and
remove the suspicion that some one Is
cheating. 1t would be essential that
all countries be open for travel and
inspection. At present Russia wants a
share of the atomic secret, but has
violently resisted any suggestion that
an international body investigate the
heavy and light industrial plants all
over the world. So long as the present
travel regulations exist it will be i'm
possible for people to know each other.
Passport Regulations Strict.
Before the First World War citizens
could travel freely wherever they liked.
The only exceptions were the auto
cratic Russian and Turkish Empires
which required passports. Few Amer
ican or British citizens knew what
passport looked like until 1914. In spite
of the efforts of the League of Nations.
passport regulations remained stringent
after the war. Today, while all the
other governments demand specific
documents from foreigners, only Rus
sia and the nations behind the iron
curtain bar all foreigners except those
who are known to share their ideoloe,.
And even those few who are allowed
to enter are hampered by police regu-
lations and unable to move freely
from one city to another.
The reason for this is that these gov
ernmentS are afraid that unauthorized
persons might see certain war prepara-
tions which must be kept secret in order
to be effective. If Russia and her
satellites really mean to live in peace
they could, without damage to them
selves, permit all foreigners to visit their
countries and place no obstacles in the
way of intercourse between peoples.
This would do much to remove the sus-
picions against the U. S. S. r.
1t is only natural that government
particularly o.-s that rules a people OF
lower intellectual level than those in
the west-should desire the necessary
police forces to cope with any possible
uprising. But this could be achieved
easily by keeping only light armament
and relatively small police force. 1t
is unthinkable that government should
wish to employ bombs and tanks Of the
heaviest caliber against civilians who
might seek to change the existing regime
by force.
End Of Secrecy Vital
A genuine general disarmament to be
controlled in every country by the ex-
isting U. NJ. organization, a drastic
liberalization of travel so as to enable
people to know each other better, the
abandonment of all attempts to domi-
nate nations outside ones border, physi-
cally and economically, can and will
bring about a lasting peace. The me-
chinery for such a purpose already
exists. ALI that is necessary to make it
effective is to put it in force. But SO
long as one huge portion of the globe
is closed to the other, so long as one
nation insists on remaining fully armed
while the others get rid of their weap-
ons, suspicion and fear will continue
and new wars will not be avoided. re-
gardless Of how much peace" is being
preached by honest-minded men.
The key to Heaven on earth is. in the
pocket of the Kremlin rulers. 1t is up
to them to show the rest of the world
with deeds, not words, that they want
warless world
But this reporter fears that this will
not happen. 1t is impossible to ration
allze with drunk. Lust for power is
the most potent intoxicant in the world,
And the Russian leaders are absorbing
1t in large quantities.