The Wilmington morning star., 1947-04-24
Russia And Peace
By ANNE o'HARE MCCORMICK


By ANNE o'HARE MCCORMICK
Does the Soviet Government want peace?
The completely negative attitude of MIR. Molo-
TOW on the Austrian treaty will do more than
anything that has happened in Moscow to con-
vince the American delegation that the answer
is no. Secretary Marshall went to Russia with
the idea that nothing more than the spade
work on the German settlement could be done
at this conference. But he carried in his mind
two touchstones of the Russians desire for
a European peace. One was their attitude
toward the American proposal of a fourpower
pact to keep Germany disarmed. The other
was their willingness to negotiate an Austrian
settlement, critical because it entails the
evacuation of occupation forces from every
country in Europe except Germany.
The offer Of a treaty has been rejected as
far as this meeting is concerned. The pro-
posal, designed to emove fear and suspicion
from the discussion of the German treaty,
was first preached by Secretary Byrnes when
he went to Moscow in December, 1945. At that
time Stain expressed himself in favor of it,
and it is fair to assume that Secretary Mar
shall brought up the project again when he
talked to the Generalissimo last week. APP
parently nothing came of it, although the
American Government is ready to make the
guarantee for forty or fifty years, or as long
as Russia desires.
Nor was there any response to MarshalPs
compromise plan to meet the Soviet definition
of what constitutes German assets in Austria.
When the Secretary left Washington he said
he was prepared to stand firm on principles
and give on points, and the fixed and movable
positions have been pretty clearly revealed
in the course of the conference. With certain
conditions as to timing and amounts, he
agreed that Russia can receive some repair
atlons from German current production. On
Austria he suggested a moratorium on nation
~alization by the Austrian Government of any
enterprises the Russians claim as German as
sets, and arbitration on disputed claims. Mr..
Molotov refused to consider any compromise
whatever.
Thus the reaction to both the Marshall tests
was negative. Unless there is a last-minute
miracle, the net result of the whole confer
ence is negative. This is bound to set people
everywhere wondering whether the Soviet
leaders want peace. And if not, what do they
want?
One thing brought out in the arguments in
Moscow is that the differences between Rus
STA and the Western powers are not very
theological. The sticking point in both Austri-
an and German settlements is on the question
OF reparations. In both cases the controversy
iilCI I'LL LOW HUGH Russia is gong TO get
out of the defeated countries.
The record would suggest that Russia's
aims are strictly materialistic. She has ac-
CURED large accessions of territory in Europe
ana ASIA. She has made satellites of her
nelghbors and thereby broadened her trading
zone. acquisitions from the vanouished.
though unaccounted for, are substantial-not
enough to enrich or rehabilitate the Soviet
Union but sufficient to ruin the economy of
the small ono,riol ef-to. C-Lx.-I:1 =,
the contribution to reconstruction of prisoner
of-war labor, not to mention the technical
and scientific service rendered by German
oep9rteeS. these assets are quite apart from
the lncalculable improvement in her power
position resulting from the war.
Inis does not imply that Russia mas, been
or can be compensated for her staggering
war losses. But she has collected more on
account than any other belligerent. Now she
demands damages out of German current pro-
auction for many years to come, and is will
ing to boost the Level of German industry
as hlgi' as necessary to guarantee that pay
ment. She insists on title to the Austrian
plant and property seized by the Nazis when
thew annexed Austria. She wants, in a word.
the spoils of victory.
Ihere's nothing new in this attitude. In
deed, the most striking feature of Soviet be-
haVlor' whether as regotlator, as great power,
70 'SiiAOC VI lie OHlIeQ NaClOnS, is mat 1t
follows so faithfully the pattern of the old
time bargainer. Its policy is not that of a
revolutionary government seeking to make a
new Kind of peace for a new world. It has
Set the pace as well as the date for the
peacen1akers, and the pace is a snail's pace
and the date is the day before yesterday. If
the Vlctors are making an outdated peace, a
peace startllngly and dangerously irrelevant
to modern conditions, the fault is largely Rus
sia's.
IL Is hard to believe that Moscow is putting
one OBSTACLE after another in the way of any
setrleraent because 1t hopes to wear down its
war allies, wear down Europe, and thus in
creas Its own gains and its own relative
power 1t is hard to believe that the Soviet
leaders desire to irnpoverish and reduce to
the Subsistence level the peoples on their
border. This is what their stalling and their
actions imply, but an indefinite postponement
OF peace, a progressive deterioration in the
European standard of living such as is now
taxing place at an alarming rate, is fatal for
Russia as well as for the rest of us.
Russia needs peace and reconstruction more
than any other war-torn country. The Rus
SLAMS ceslre peace and security as Desperate
~ as any other people. Even from the point
OF view ct Soviet interests, or the spread of
the Communist system, the present tactics
ooh Z seem to make sense. In the world at
large they produce perilous reactions. For if
RUSSIA desires to live in a world without
peace i must mean that she chooses war
New York Times.