Evening star., 1947-10-09
Information Bureau
OF Reds in Paris Held
No Cause for Alarm
Move Gives Democrucies
Opportunity to Reply
To Comintern Charges
Rv Dapid Laurence

II nine nations, including the
United States, were to band to-
gether and open an information
bureau" in Paris to advance the
cause OF democracy" and oppose
the doctrines Of "totalitarianism," !"
the plan would hardly cause a ripple
inside this country. But the Rus
slams might be Just as perturbed as
some Americans are today over the
nine-nation information bureau to
be set up by the Communists.
The incident should be welcomed,
for It gives the democracies q great
opportunity to make a counter move.
So long as the Communist" organi-
zation proposes to confine itself to
accusations, distortions and misrep-
resentations mere printed and
spoken words-there should be no
cause for alarm
II the new organization proposes
to engage in violence or revolutions
inside democratic countries, this can
be dealt with as the democracies
know well how to cope with fifth
columns" Indeed, there is good
reason to doubt that any such OBJ
jective Is intended, for the purpose
OF the new information bureau is
apparently political-to win support
ers for the political parties spon-
sored by the Communists in various
countries.
Should Be Cheered.
The decision to carry on q cam
paign of words in favor of Com
munist policies, and particularly of
the maneuvers of the Soviet, should
be greeted with cheers by those
Americans inside and outside the
Government who last year urged
Congress to appropriate substantial
funds for the Voice of America"
While the amount asked for by the
State Department then was around
! $25, ,000, 600, Congress hesitated be-
cause OF a belief that the money
would not or could not be disbursed
effectively. What is needed now is
an appropriation of perhaps $50 ,ooo,-
900 to $75,000,000 or even more to
finance a network of information
bureaus and radio stations through
out the world to answer Russian
misrepresentation and to put forth
the facts about Russia's nonco-
operative policies.
This is not the kind of thing that
the American people relish. Propa-
ganda by their own Government, no
matter how worthy its purpose, is not
palatable. But in the midst of what
has become a state of cold war" be-
tween Russia and America, prece-
dents go by the boards.
The United Nations Assembly is
not the place for these debates and
propaganda battles. That organiza-
tion might better confine itself to the
more dignified aspects Of interna-
tional relations. But propaganda
bureaus now become for the United
States at least a necessary evil.
Contest Of Information.
The contest Of the future in the
countries outside the Iron Curtain"
is wholly one of information. Unless
the press and radio of the various
countries are told the truth about
Americas purposes in connection
with the Marshall Plan and unless
information in answer to the con-
tradictions and misconceptions
issued by the Russians is dissent
mated, 1t could conceivably happen
that the billions Of dollars about to
be voted by Congress might be used
by foreign governments controlled
by political forces actually RESPONSE
bic to the Communists.
1t is apparent from past expert
enceI that the peoples Of Western
Europe and other countries are
reachable by the printed word and
by radio. 1t is apparent also that
Russia is considerably worried about
public opinion outside Russia or else
there would be no such ambitious
project established as that which is
soon to be put into operation from
Belgrade.
While controversies of words are
to be deplored as perhaps infiaming
peoples and arousing hates that
might lead to hostilities later on,
there is always the possibility that
bitter words can neutralize each
other and persuade the major gov
ernments of the world that maybe
they can find a more sensible means
of resolving their differences.
When 1t comes to information"
however, either. by printed or spoken
word, there's an old slogan famous
in the automobile world which can
now be adapted for the occasion:
When bigger and better propa-
ganda bureaus are built, America
will build them"
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