The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-10-18
A Thought for Today
Soviet Technique

The comforting answers which Prime Minister Stalin gave London reporter last month seem less and less com fortng Soviet diplomacy continues it's accustomed ana
 Mr. Stan said that the United States and Britain could not effect capitalist encircement of the Soviet Union even If they wanted to-whch he not they did. But Mr. Molotov, in discussing the Romanian treaty in Paris implied that the capitalist powers were out to goobe up the Balkans.
 The Russian foreign minister went to extremes to try to prove his point Senator Vandenberg remarked in arg ing for free navigation the Danube that that river had been internatonazed in 1856. MT. Molotov replied by pointing that slavery the rule in the United States in that very year. and he also reminded Mr. Bevn that while Britain may have renounced imperialism the British Empire was awfuly imperalstic 90 years ago.
 might have wondered if it the icy Ohio or the beautiful blue that Eliza crossed if the ghosts ot Uncle Tom and Gunga Din germane to the dlscusson might have wondered why Mr. Mooov felt it necessary to cite abnormal national income in the ot 94144 and dpore the extensive circulation of American movies and radio programs.
 But there was no mistaking him when he said, q be- ieve private capitalists become vertabe owners ot whole states where they do what they wish as the result of the power their dollars give them"
 MT. Vandenberg might have made the obvious answer. Ownership of of the Danuban states by private dollar capitalists is ridiculous and impossible Nobody besides this country and Britain that any better than Russia
 Mr. Vandenberg might have expressed his belief that powerful authoritarian governments strong in arms and but poor in money can also become verabe owners of whole sate He could have dplored the extensive cir eulaon of Soviet films and broadcasts and news and cul ture their exclusive circulation in some parts of eastern Europe could have cited the dangers of poaon not by the ch but by the goods and-money poor
 He might have cited chapter and verse Tn these answers Fortunately he did not. For that would only encouraged the continuing and distressing method of Sovie negotiation which has been employed ever since Potsdam.
 That method of is to counter attempt to check Russian expansion with dversonary charges and accusations These charges have sometimes assumed rdic ulous proportons-even, above to finding threats in American and British politics of nearly tury ago.
 In the majority of cases these accusations have been irrelevant In the majority of they have not been to point of mpasse But always they have served atmosphere deepen and set the cleavage be- tween East and West which is wide ever today.
 But in spite of that cleavage and in spite of the dis couragng of international relations at the Paris conference there for hope There hope for thing the continuation of international conferences how unproductive they may And there IS hope Tn the knowledge that the Soviet technique thoroughly a miar to Mr. Byrnes and his associates Their present patient attitude, plus firm insistence bringing discus sons back to the point after Soviet excursions ad should eventually bear fruit.