Evening star., 1946-10-31
Washington Looks
Two Woys at Russio
Moscow Propaganda Tactics Fail
to Fool Officials Here
! By David Laurence


By David Laurence
There are two attitudes about Russia
in Washington. The outward attitude
Is one of friendliness and courtesy and
restraint because that Is the require
ment of successful international inter-
course The inside attitude-the pri-
vately expressed feeling-is one Of dis
trust and suspicion.
Whatever Stain says Is regarded as
pure propaganda and on par with the
pledges and soothing phrases frequently
uttered by Hitler. Indeed, there are
many persons in ofncial life who fire.
quently remark upon the parallel be-
tween the NaN prewar tactics and the
postwar Soviet maneuvers in the pubic
press.
Until there is government In Mos
COW which is free and which does not
operate on totalitarian basis, there will
not be mutual trust or confidence. This
does not mean that any one here be-
ueyes it Is necessary to accomplish such
: an objective by force, but 1t does mean
that over period Of time the influence
OF the democracies is expected inevitably
to penetrate the iron curtain" SO that
the Russian people may decide for them
selves whether to support government
that Is at odds with the rest of man
kind
Fit Queries Into Policy.
Meanwhile the American Government
takes whatever statements are issued by
Molotov and Stain and endeavors to fit
them into its policy. If Russia asks for
the disclosure Of the number of troops
used by America and Britain, these two
allies agree to reveal those statistics but
will also ask for the figures on Russian
troops behind the iron curtain"
II the Russians, through Stain, say
they favor international control of the
atomic bomb, the United States Govern
ment does not hesitate to accept that
proposal as basis for further inquiry
as to how such control can be effective.
But fundamentally there isn't much
hope or optimism as yet. Stain is looked
upon not as the sole dictator but as a
member Of small dictatorial group. The
situation was accurately described by
former Prime Minister Churchill in a
speech recently to the House of Com
mons when he said:
TT was easier in Hitler's day to feel
and forecast the general movement of
events than 1t is now. Now we have to
deal, not with Hitler and his crude Nazi
gang with antisemitism as its principal
theme; we are in the presence of some
thing very much more difficult to meas
ure than what was set out so plainly in
the pages of Mein Kampf.'
Able Men in Kremlin.
I'VE are In the presence of the collec-
tive mind whose springs of action we
cannot define. There are 13 or Il very
able men in the Kremlin who hold all
Russia and more than third of Europe
IN their control. Many stresses and
preSsures, internal as well as external,
are working upon them as upon all hu-
man beings. cannot presume to FORE
cast what decisions they will take, or
to observe what decisions they may have
already taken, still less can I attempt
to foresee the time factor In their
affairs.
"One of our main difficulties In judg-
ing all these matters Is that real inter-
course and intimacy between our peoples
is to all intents and purposes very much
discouraged, and that it is prevented by
the Soviet government. There Is none
of that free comradely life and mixing
which very soon would bring immense
changes In the relationships of these
vast communities and might sweep away
suspicion without relaxing vigilance"
Naturally Stain and the Moscow
propagandists turn their guns on
Churchill as an 'fncendiafy" That's
precisely what Hitler did before 1899 but
the British people eventually listened to
Churchill and refused to follow the path
Of appeasement. Today Churchill Is
again awakening Britain and the world
while the Attlee government is being
pressed from within to appease Russia
pressure unquestionably originating
with the left wing and Communist
groups whose counterpart is to be found
in certain elements in this country at
tacking Messrs Byrnes and Baruch.
The tactics are all too familiar and they
are not fooling officials here.
r9s s.I-A- ~