Evening star., 1946-03-17
Worried Kremlin Weighs
Effect of Churchill Talk
Speech at Fulton After Introduction by. Truman
Urged Common Front by English.Speakine
Nations, Rousing Russian Concern
By Constantine Brovu

By Consfa,
The Russian government, through the
medium of Izvestia. its of1icial news
paper, has sounded the alarm that If
Winston Churchills suggestion, con-
tanned in his speech at Fulton, Mo-, urg-
ing, in effect, an American British COM
mon front, is taken seriously, the United
Nations Organization and world peace
might be jeopardized.
The fact that Izvestia dashed out only
week after Mr.. Churchill spoke is
taken as an indication that he has wor-
ried the Kremlin. AS rule, when some
thing unpleasant is said about Russia,
the counterattack is quick and short.
The delay in making an indignant
answer to Mr.. Churchill's speech is re-
garded in Washington as proof that the
Soviet policy-framers carefully dis
cusSed its implications. They replied
only after all the facts leading to the
speech and its repercussions in the world
had reached Moscow. No one can pre-
tend that the British statesman made
just another of his famous "oratorical
diatribeS."
While there is nothing definite to
prove that he had informed the British
cabinet of what he was going to say in
America or that he had come to these
shores for the exclusive purpose of warn
ing the people of this country of the
dangers ahead, if we let Britain down,
there is not the slightest doubt Presi-
dent Truman and his principal advisers
were fully conversant with Mr.. Church
Ills ideas. The former Prime Minister
came to Washington February 10 from
Miami for the express purpose of visit
ing the President. On February II the
White House issued a statement saying
that Mr.. Truman, Mr. Churchill and
Admiral William D. Leahy, the Presi-
dents personal chief of staff, had been
in conference in the Presidents study
at the White House from $3.50 pm. to
/ am. and that the conversation dealt
almost exclusively" with a discussion of
plans for Mr.. Churchill's speech at Full
ton on March S.
Called Spade q Spade.
1t can now be said that during these
four and a half hours of conversation
the wartime British Prime Minister ex-
pounded at length on his views about
the world situation and told President
Truman that unless the two English
speaking nations, which still possess the
greatest potential air and naval power
in the world. stood together against any
aggressions or further territorial en-
croachments by Russia, the world would
be in sad plight and the UNO would
become merely pious wish.
During the talk many factual matters
are said to have been discussed and
the British leader felt free to call a
spade spade.
It is true that Mr.. Churchill came to
the United States as private citizen
and spoke as such. But there is no
question that If Mr.. Truman had had
the slightest objection to what he in
tended to say at Fulton he could have
warned him that 1t would have been
embarrassing to him to introduce him
to the public and to be on the same
platform. Under such circumstances,
Mr.. Churchill would have had ample
time-three full weeks-to draft an in
ocuous speech on the close culture and
language ties which bind the United
States and Britain.
Most political quarters in Washington
have concluded that Mr.. Truman knew
the tenor OF the former Prime Minister'S
speech and considered 1t good thing
for him to say it at this time.
Some day, in the distant future, when
the State Department will be in a posi-
tion to reveal many of the secret docu-
ments it possesses, it will become clear
that had Britain wanted to crush Russia,
it would have done so easily in the sum-
mer of 1941 when Hitler turned against
Stain, his erstwhile ally 1t we come
down to fundamentals it will be dis
covered that Britain fought the war
to maintain her empire, without which
she must be relegated to a second rate
nation.
Germany was fighting for the domi-
nation of Europe. She was particularly
anxious to bring under the Nazi totali-
tarianism the Balkans and particularly
the enormously wealthy Ukrainian and
White Russian lands, together with the
oil-rich Caucasus. There would have
been no difficulty in the Germans and
the British getting together in such a
highway robbery.
Backed Reds Completely.
Mr.. Churchill, who was then the para
mount figure in the British government,
did not hesitate to throw the full weight
Of the British Empire behind Russia.
Within "a hours after Hitler's stab at
Stain, he placed all Britain's resources
at Russias disposal without asking ques-
tions as to what the U. S. S. R. gov
ernment would do in the future.
The strife between Russia and Britain
for the domination of the Near East
and India is nearly 100 years old. The
two powers long have been suspecting
and growing at each other over those
juicy morsels called Iran and India.
The British government, headed by Mr.
Churchill, did not require any diplo-
matte assurances from Moscow when
the German hordes invaded Soviet ter
ritory. America soon followed suit,
principally because by helping Russia
President Roosevelt figured he was
helping Britain, Americas bastion in
the Atlantic" These are historical facts
which are all on record.
We ended the war with a great mill
tary victory There is no question that