Evening star., 1946-05-19
FUTURE of British Empire
Involved in Palestine Issue
a Difficult Task if Arabs Stage General
Revolt and Fighting Spreads
Bv Constantine Brown

ticularly the intelligensia represented
by the students and most of the political
parties are being encouraged by Soviet
agents of Mohammedan faith to exploit
the situation.
According to the most recent report
from the Paris Foreign Ministers Con-
ference, the U. S. S. R. has withdrawn
it's claims for air and naval bases in
Tripoli. The British, however, are peg
ging their claims for air bases in Cyre-
naica to replace those they are losing
in Egypt. The change in position of the
Soviet Foreign Minister is not taken
by the British diplomats at it's face
value. They are convinced that if the
Islam in the Middle East they will WELD
sufficient influence to cause the Arabs
in that strip of North Africa to demand
that the British get out. 1t is probable
that opposition to British trusteeship
over Cyrenaica may be presented to the
"peace-making powers" before long.
For the time being, the situation re-
garding the Moslems in the Middle East
has not come to head. But the Lon
don government is justified in fearing
an uprising in which the U. S. S. r. can
play an important role by helping the
Arabs and possibly the Mohammedans
in India put up a strong armed resist
ance to the British.
ia
has created a precedent which the Brit
ish must take into account in their esti-
mates. Last November, when the Rus
slams were supposed to evacuate Man.
churia and hand it over to the Chung
king government, there were no Chinese
Communists in that area Within the
next six months they were brought in
and provided with full military equip
ment including tanks and dozen or so
planes which were reported to be of
lease-lend origin. Throughout the war
against Japan the Communists fought
only guerrilla action. This, their lead
ers explained was inevitable because of
the lack of equipment. Then, all of
sudden, they emerged in Manchuria with
modern artillery, light tanks and air
planes; the tanks had to be manned by
Russians and the artillery by the Japa-
nese until the Chinese Communist Army
became better acquainted with the art
of manipulation.
Could Repeat Assistance.
There is nothing the British say, to
prevent the Soviet government from
sending similar equipment to the Mo-
hammedans who might wish to start
holy war against Britain. In the past
the British were able to maintain their
position in the Middle
East and in India not only through
skillful manipulations but also because
of the superiority of their troops arm
ament. A division of British troops
equipped with tanks and planes could
control several hundred thousand ma
tives who were provided with only rifles
and few machine guns.
But once foreign power undertook
to deliver the necessary modern war
paraphernalia and the necessary in
structors to teach the quick-witted ma
tives how to handle it, it would take
much greater force for Britain to main
tain itself in countries where there is
no Industrial development.
That the immediate Russian aim of
today is to aid in the liquidation of the
British Empire seems to be a foregone
conclusion in the minds of many Brit
ish military and political observers.
They also believe that the USSR has not
yet reached the point where she would
wish to go to war to achieve this aim.
An outright Soviet aggression against
Britain or her controlled areas might
launch the Soviets on an undesirable
adventure. But taking advantage of
local situations and helping them along
to breaking point is an altogether
different matter.
Russia will not be directly implicated
in any rebellion or open warfare in the
Middle East. However, she could assist
the Mohammedans with war material,
which her Moscow propagandists could
help out and confuse the issues by talk
ing about British imperialists, the right
OF self lf-determination of nations and
liberalism in opposition to "fascism"
in Britain and other capitalist coun-
tries.
Face Greatest Menace.
That the British are fully aware of
the dangers ahead is fully evidenced by
the request presented to Mr.. Truman
that a sizable American force be sent
to Palestine to help meet any difficulties
which might arise.
In more normal times it is probable
that the British government might not
have wished American contingents at
their side in Palestine, even if they had
been threatened with wholesale up
rising on the part of the Arabs. But
today, they see behind the threat
much graver danger-the danger that
Russia might take advantage of the
situation to administer the death blow
to the old British Empire.
These things are not mentioned openly
in London. But the Soviet activities
are under the closest scrutiny of trained
British observers who privately admit
that at no time in her history has the
empire laced greater menace than to-
day. And because of this highly ex-
plosive situation, Mr.. Attlee is insisting
that an American Army be alongside
the British in the event the doors OF
Palestine are thrown open to the Jews
in conformity with the recommended
tions of the Anglo-American Commits
sion of Inquiry.