Evening star., 1946-03-03
Weakness of Britain
Makes u. S. Mediator
Writer Says Strength of Russia
Poses Delicate Problem
By Raymond MoIeu

By Raymond MoIey
The big problem today is not so much
the strength of Russia, but the weak
ness of Britain. If the Russian British
balance were as even as in the days of
Disraeli Gladstone and the Cars, we
would read OF their clashes with calm
indifference. In Victorian days, "the
Russian problem" like the weather.
was something to talk about, but you
couldn't do much about it. Also, in
those days, the United States was not
supposed to be mediator in the endless
agonies Of empire. We were detached
and busy at home.
But the relations between the Soviet
government and the British Socialist
Labor government have elements quite
unlike those of the past century. The
new Russia is growing in population
and industrial power far beyond even
the dreams of the Cars. The Russians
never have before known such unity
and efficiency.
Present-day Britain, on the other
hand, is handicapped in many ways.
In absolute strength, it is deteriorating
more rapidly than even the pessimistS
OF 10 years ago were willing to predict.
And the present Socialist government
has special handicaps of its own. In =
sense. the Socialists are suffering from
their own commitments-commit
made when they were out of once.
Il y
The tr01lhlpS in Tpfio Jn6opeSia
Palestine and elsewhere are sharpened
by what left-wing Socialists, such as
Harold Laski, promised in days when
real responsibility rested on Winston
Churchill and his government. Loose
talk about efgovernment is now back
to haunt its authors. Mr.. Revin, whose
proud boast was that he was more
proletarian than the Russians, Is COM
PEELED to use armed force to put down
proletarian revolts. This enables Soviet
spokesmen to get in many sly dig. It
is hard for a political party which had
great deal to say about equality OF
races to deny its words by its acts. A
Conservative government Is much more
graceful in the face of demands for
self-government, because Conservatives
never believe in self-governnent at any
time
Sir Stafford Cripps, who tried in
dark moment of the war to settle the
Indian question, failed utterly Now he
is the man upon whom the Socialist
government must depend to deal with
the problem he muffed before. Egypt
tNt,t ed 10 ttNot NJ
, India. Subject peoples" have little
interest or faith in Socialist phrases and
feeble management.
| Moreover, the expectation was that
/ Britain, after this war. as in many in
! stances before, would play the role of
/ balance between great powers in Eu-
rope. Now there is no balance there.
and even in the relations between the
Soviet and Soviet-controlled world,
Britain has lost its power to act. Among
the great powers, the United States, not
Britain, has become the mediator A
Socialist government is neither fish nor
! iesh-neither cspitalistic democracy
! nor communism
/ KSs
( otiC iloii wiz cpCIlI wv yCdIe III NUS
sia recently returned with a fairly good
! picture of Soviet foreign policy. He
says that the Soviet foreign ofice has
planned to keep the United States, not
Britain, in mediatory role. The Soviet
| trusts America. 1t does not trust
Britain. The danger, according to this
man, is that the Soviet government
/ knows so little about American public
opinion that it finds it hard to make
this confidence in us known And It's
! acts have done good deal to Illustrate
its desire to secure our good will.
In the face of this situation, the
United States now must assume actively
a mediatory role. A war, as Mr.. Bevin
says, is unthinkable. No one can want
armed conflict. because armed conflict
can settle nothing. Our foreign policy
must be directed by intelligence never
before manifested in Washington. The
issues are not irreconcilable, but the
weakness of Britain must be faced hon
estly We shall have to work with the
empire, but We ought to make 1t clear
exactly what, among the present aims
OF Britain, we will support and what
we will not support. If we are to
mediate, We must choose our ground
and our own methods.