Evening star., 1947-03-14
Soviet Soon May Seek
Settlement With u. S.
High Level Bargaining Possible
as Result of Truman Message

High Level Bargaining Possible
as Result of Truman Message
By David Laurence
As soon as Congress acts in support
Of President Trrlman's request for au-
thority and funds to help Greece and
Turkey, q Russian effort to have the
whole problem examined by the United
Nations may be confidently expected.
The U. N can be convenient instru-
ment or vehicle of delay, and it can
also be a means of executing a graceful
retrea.. The Russian contention will
be that the plight of Greece is not the
concern of just the United States but
Of other nations as well.
Another development which should
occasion no surprise is the making of
an informal agreement between Secre-
tary Marshall and the Soviet govern
ment during his stay in Moscow Such
an agreement might be worldwide in
scope and encompass not only Near
Eastern but Far Eastern questions and
possibly be related to a settlement Of
German matters which are perhaps
more vital to Russia than Greece or
any other collateral controversies.
For some time it has been evident that
the United States and Russia must
either come to an understanding on
world questions or drift into state Of
hostilities. The latter is even more
hu ho NV h,,oo h,,f
Moscow has pursued policy of forcing
the issue in every part of the world in
order to accumulate incidents to trade
against one another in an overall
settlement
Concessions Possible.
1t has been matter of concern in
Washington lest Secretary Marshall find
himself maneuvered into a position
where he would be compelled to make
concessions to Russia in order to get a
world settlement. The nature of those
concessions, it has been believed, would
bear more on the continued control OF
at least 80 per cent of German industry
by Russia than anything else.
Russia would of course, control what
ever type. of government that Germany
has for many years to come if Moscow
controls any substantial segment Of the
economic life of the German people.
Russia wants 80 per cent of the Aus
trian economy. too. 1t would appear,
therefore, that the Soviets would an
nounce their willingness to allow Amer
ican policy to be exerted for free elec-
tions and the bolstering of the Turkish
and Greek economic structures in re-
turn for free hand in Germany and
Austria. The Russian demands pre-
sumably are related to desire to COL
lect reparations from Germany and
Austria, but actually they are devices
by which the Communists would con-
tinue to control a major part of what
used to be German and Austrian ter
ritory.
To understand Russian aspirations in
political sense, 1t is necessary to eval-
uate Russian handicaps in an economic
sense. To further the domestic econ
only of Russia, outside factories and
technicia1s are needed. The original
idea of moving plants to Russia and
trying to get the necessary personnel
there has proved Intellectual, so Russia
is after stranglehold on German and
Austrian industry.
Marshall Was Warned.
Before Secretary Marshall left here,
he was warned about the Russian anna
bitions and he learned of a division
of opinion inside the State Department
as to how these problems might be
handled. 1t seems likely that the Sec
retary of State will give some ground
In an effort to produce settlement of
Europes tangled affairs. 1t is hoped
here that the terms will not be such
as to invite attack in relationship to a
possible controversy over the future of
Germany.
The Russians, incidentally, have re-
treated before when their worldwide
propaganda has been attacked as politi-
cal infiltration in the domestic concerns
Of independent countries. Even the
propaganda has at times seemed to be
utilized as means of trading off cer-
tain nuisance values in an overall
diplomatic problem.
The chances are favorable that Rus
sia will react toward the Truman speech
without creating a showdown position
publicly, but that behind the scenes
the stage will be set for some high-level
negotiations of a general European, If
not world wide, settlement. Russia, as
we'll as the United States, cannot afford
the strain of an unsettled situation such
as the Truman message envisaged.
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