Evening star., 1946-09-29
End of Secrecy, Arms Cut
Hold Key to Lasting Peace
Writer, Pessimistic Over Future, Cites Methods
by Which Suspicion and War Menace
Can Be Eliminated
By Constantine Bro,On

Dy - OUSfuy
This reporter hopes that his readers
will not consider him amiss If, instead
of presenting them with news and in
terpretation of world events, he proposes
to give his ideas on the $64 question
Can we live in peace with Russia, and
can another major war be avoided?"
Politicians, writer's, radio commen-
tators, preachers and teachers have all
had their fling at presenting "sure-f1re
answers to this momentous question.
This reporter, who for the last 80 years
has covered wars, revolutions and po-
litical upheavals, and has known most
of the actors on the great international
stage, feels that he may be entitled to
put in his two bits on matter which
concerns every man, woman and child
in America.
Even if some of the readers may
agree with what he has to say, they must
all bear in mind that his ideas are
strictly academic under existing condi-
tions and have a slim chance of being
put into effect.
Average Russian Domestic.
In theory there is no reason why the
people in the West should not be able to
get along with the U. S. S. r. The aver
age Russian, unlike the German, is not
warlike. Neither is he chasing that
will O. the wisp known as world domina-
ton. Like all peasant peoples, he would
be fully satisfied to be allowed to till his
land and enjoy a minimum of we'll
being. The great initial success of the
bolshevic revolution was due to the
fact that the leaders promised the
"Ivans" the ownership of land which
every dispossessed peasant dreams about.
This reporter was with the Russian
armies at the front when the revolution
broke out. He saw thousands of SOL
diers disobey or kill their officers and
leave the trenches because word had
reached them through Lenin's agents
that if they went home they could divide
the estates of the landowners and live
happily ever afterward. In the Ukraine
in 1918 he saw peasants who killed the
landlord and his family. Their leaders
had tears in their eyes because of this
necessary" violence, and explained to
the reluctant killers that unless the
owners and his dependents were done
away with they might later recover their
property by trickery.
Marxism was understood and adopted
by the relatively small number of in
dustrial workers-there were very few
in Russia when Lenin raised his revo-
lutionary banner. The vast majority of
people neither understood nor cared for
the principles Of socialism and COM
muniSn.
Wholesale Deportations.
Subsequent events, such as the purge
of the small landholders and the sovieti-
zation Of the farms, were marked by
such drastic methods as wholesale de-
portation of millions of peasants and
execution of their head men. No less
than 80 per cent of the population of
Russia thus became the prisoner of a
superbly organized group which dictated
its policies from Moscow.
During period of Is years this group
consolidated it's position by force. trans
forming the country into a police state
from which even the limited liberties
known during the regime of the czars
disappeared.
Since the war this same group of
leaders has taken advantage of the
great contribution made by the Russian
peasant soldier in the defeat of Hitler,
to plan for world domination. The
Russian policies of today are no different
from those adopted by Napoleon during
the last century or by Hitler and the
war lords in Japan. Russia has great
advantage over these would-be con-
querors because in the present dis
turbed conditions all over the world she
has managed to organize most effec-
tive fifth column from the ranks of
well-meaning liberals" and agents who
are interested in their own self-promo-
ton by espousing the Communist cause
Heavy Forces Menace.
Occasionally we hear words from be-
hind the iron curtain to the effect that
the Russian government is not seeking
war but wishes to live at peace with
abroad tell us that one of the reasons
why the Soviet government is ram
bunctious is the suspicion of nations
which formerly isolated Russia and on
many occasions actually supported
domestic rebellions.
There may be some truth in this. It
may be equally true that all our efforts
and sacrifices to support the U. S. S. R.
in her struggle against the Germans
are being discounted by Prime Minister
Stain and the members of the polit-
bureau because by helping them we also
helped ourselves.
Yet If the Kremlin leaders really
wanted to live in peace and harmony
with the rest of the world they could do
so without losing any of the tremendous
advantages gained from the war.
Peace cannot be maintained so long
as one nation or group of nations re-
main fully armed. The statement of
Talleyrand, Napoleons great foreign
minister, that you can do everything
with bayonets except sit on them is as
true today as it was when he made it.
Britain and U. s. Disarm.
A general disarmament could be
brought about without anybody risking
anything. If Russia, instead of keep
ing some 5,500,000 men-without count
ing the contingents of the satellite
state-on war footing, were to agree
to reduce her forces to domestic police
strength, her example would be fol-
lo.rte i,,.,. ek.l.. IL.