Evening star., 1947-05-14
on the Record
World Power Struggle
Seen HeroI ding Wor
Both u. S. and Soviet Are Caught
On Horns Of Same Dilemma
By Dorothy Thomp psoN

By Dorothy ThompsOn
On Sunday the newspaper Pm, ID IN article
by Victor n Bernstein from Lake Success, said
U. N. Palestine debaters deliberately and unan-
imously avoid mention of s1oil" and strategic
position. which Is the crux of the question.
agree Every question being debated Is
matter Of power politics, primarily influenced
by military considerations. OIL is military
power. Certain areas are strategic areas. The
Middle East Is such an area. As Walter Lipp-
mann has pointed out. the Dardanelles are
important to US because they are Russias weak
spot The Scviets. we may assume, also know it.
Yet neither Mr.. Bernstein, nor Mr.. Wallace,
nor Senator Pepper, nor the Progressive Citizens
OF America,-all Of them opponents OF our
foreign policy-put finger on the core Of the
issue.
They support the false assumptions implicit
in the mumbo jumbo of both "liberals"
and conservatives apro-Soviets" and "anti-
Soviets," which has confused every Official
statement and document issued during and
since the war. The assumptions are that there
are good" nations and bad" nations; peace.
loving states and war -mongering'' states;
that the root Of the trouble lies in capitalist
imperialism" or Soviet expansionisms; and
that the cure is Corporation" and the exorcis-
ing Of conspiratorial devils.
In Soviet eyes. bloated capitalists In Wall
Street plan to make themselves monopolistic
masters OF the earth's economic resources IN
American eyes, Communists plot world con-
quest. Both are caught In what once called
the Elders OF Zion Interpretation of History"
Identical Dilemma.
The fact is that both the United States and
the U. S. S. r. are caught on the horns of an
identical dilemma and both are acting as they
ad IN do Nv .{~.
stances.
The circumstances are that two titanic
powers have, during the past war, eliminated
all other power-effectives capable of waging
war against both or either. These power va
cuun1s are then magnetized by the remaining
two powers. The science Of war has, mean
while, out-stripped all other social sciences.
We do not yet know how to heat homes or turn
factory wheels with atomic energy; we do know
how to destroy homes, factories, and 100000
people with one atomic bomb. We do not know
how to feed mankind, but we do know how to
destroy crops and spread plaques.
The perfection Of modern war Is the first
perfection mankind has achieved-the apogee
OF genius. Its implications are inexorable. It
eliminates defense as military policy It de-
cisively shifts the balance to the aggressor. It
makes victory" matter of life or death
The decisive circumstance controlling this
situation is that sovereign states possess war
making powers. No effective controls Of any
kind restrain those powers, not even the power
OF public opinion in democratic states. Incl.
dents can occur anywhere which will compel,
or apparently compel, power to strike for its
very survival.
Try to Improve Positions.
Under these circumstances, the u s. S. r.
must try to improve its strategical position, ex-
tend Its satellites, control essential war mate
rials. and spread its propaganda to weaken and
divide all other states And the United States
must, with its own instruments Of power, at
tempt the same thing. The attempts of each !,
result In a political war, and the political war
heralds the real one. b
All the discussion, the pros and the cons
Senator Vandenberg and Mr. Wallace, Mr. Tru-
man and Mr.. Stain, fail of accurate diagnosis.
There are not several cures There is only one
cure States that have the sovereign right plus
the power, to exterminate each other cannot
Cooperate. Capitalism and state capitalism
doubtless can. But armed capitalism and armed
communism cannot. V-weapons, atomic bombs
armies, navies air forces of separate sovereign
states cannot cooperate, except against other
such instruments.
Divided warmaking power Is the source OF
Aeef. Lie lear, completely JuStlnaple, Is the
source OF war. The abolition Of the warmaking
power OF sovereign states and, as logical
concomitant, total and universal disarmament
Of everything beyond normal internal policing
with international inspection and control is
the sine qua non of the international "co-op-
eration"
This we are told is impossible" though 1t Is
the only catalyst through which both the So
viets and ourselves could be saved.
II 1t is impossible, then, as the old Evange-
lists used to cry: Prepare to meet thy Godl
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