Evening star., 1947-06-26
Conditions for Russia

Pravdas latest editorial on the Marshall
proposal for European recovery indicates
that when they discuss the proposal with
the British and French In Paris tomorrow,
the Russians will be interested chiefly in
finding out what strings are attached.
The editorial sees Secretary Marshalrs
ideas as having been Influenced by desire
ito lessen the ripening economic crisis in
the U. S. A. by liquidating or softening,
the dollar crisis in Europe" Leaving aside
our so-ealled "ripening economic crisis"
there is a measure of truth in this view.
If we extend further aid abroad, it will be
extended not because we believe In mere
altruism. 1t will be extended because we
believe such aid is necessary to avert
European collapse that could do great
damage to our own economy and make
more difficult than ever the task of build
ing sound world peace. This aid, more
over, must certainly impose obligations on
those receiving 1t.
Judging from what Pravda says what
the Russians want to know is the nature
of those obligations. They warn against
conditions like those attached to the
Greek Turkish sample" of our aid. Such
conditions, according to Pravda, would
mean interference in the internal affairs
Of European states" and they would doom
the Marshall proposal to failure. As
Pravda neglects to tell it's readers how
ever, our program in Greece and Turkey
has been undertaken at the urgent request
of both countries to help them cope with
the interference in their internal affairs
and the steady pressures directed against
them, not by us but by the Soviet gov
ernment.
The Greek Turkish program, as Pravda
must know, Is in class by itself-an
undertaking designed to check Moscow
drive to bring Greece and Turkey under
Soviet dominance. Similar programs else
where will be unlikely If the Stain gov
ernment now changes It's course in favor
of full and sincere collaboration to promote
the worlds recovery in line with the Mar
shall proposal. The chief strings to be
attached to any American aid under that
proposal can be easily guessed. AS far as
Europe goes, common action for common
recovery will be necessary; Soviet obstruc-
tionism will have to be brought toaan end;
the economic unifcation of Germany must
be achieved: the Kremlin will have to stop
trying to build and expand-against the
will of the peoples involyed-a totalitarian
empire behind the Hiron curtain; in short,
Russia must begin to honor it's pledges
and live up to the principles of the United
Nations In genuinely co-opsrative spirit.
It must be hoped that If these and similar
conditions are discussed at the Paris Con-
ference tomorrow, the Soviet Union will not
be shocked by them but will show will
ingness to accept them. Otherwise, a con-
tinent-wide recovery program will be i'm
possible and the Western powers will
hardly have any choice but to organize
themselves into a kind of bloc while the
Russians go their own way. Today is the
second anniversary of the founding of the
United Nations. If the Kren1lin rejects CO.
operation now, the third anniversary may
be little more than the mockery of a great
but shattered dream-the dream of collec-
tive security in world of enduring peace.