Evening star., 1947-09-07

ind this advice which is being given
his most experienced and realistic
counselors. Quite the contrary, the
considered opinion of some of the
top-ranking military and political
men in this country is that If
America recovered only part of the
strength she had in 1945 the Krem-
lin men might change their tune
and become more conciliatory. But
so long as they know that our MILL
tary and air forces are as depleted
as they are today they will disre-
gard notes and statements from the
State Department as "churning
water to make butter"
Believe in Might
Since Maxim Litvinov was shelved
some two years ago there is not .
a single western minded" man in
the Soviet government. They are
all Oriental minded; that Is to say,
they believe more than any other
nation that might is right and that
the ambitious plans of the Kremlin
cannot be frustrated by anybody SO
long as Russia has overwhelming
military and air power.
All the speeches and statements
by Americas political leaders from
President Truman down are falling
on deaf ears in Moscow. When our
Chief Executive makes q formal
statement such as the one ut Rio
de Janeiro September that "our
military strength will be retained as
evidence Of the seriousness with
which we view our obligations (to
the U. N. Charter" Moscow
can look at Americas armed
strength and see that outside Of
green" force in Europe and Asia
we have at home two divisions and
a combat regiment to counter the
300 to 400 combat divisions Moscow
has as a "peacetime" army.
The Politbureau cannot take seri-
ously the solemn warnings from
America that we won't tolerate any
further Soviet encroachments when
it knows that we have some 1900
planes to her $4,000 first-line craft.
It is true that we still possess ex-
elusive manufacturing facilities for
the atom bomb, and also have Q
stockpile of these destructive mis-
siles. But they cannot be sent 10
potential enemy by parcel post.
They have to be carried into enemy
territory by long-range bombers &C
companied by fighter planes. And
the Soviet rulers are aware that
1900 planes cannot hope to accom-
plish a mission against almost 10
times that number.
Public Joined Chorus
So long as the rank and file Of
the American population continued
to be duped by superb propaganda
put out by the Soviet government
between 1912 and 1916 to the effect
that Russia would play ball with
the rest Of the world after the
Nazi-Fascist menace was destroyed.
nothing was done to maintain our
military might for the sake of peace.
We believed fervently that the
United Nations would become an
effective instrument for peace and
even those who realized what the
Russian game was early in 1943
hoped that the Soviet's unrestricted
adherence to the San Francisco
Charter would prevent that country
from throwing the world into an
other blood bath.
It Is this almost unanimous feel
ing which caused the rapid dstin.
tegration of our military strength.
When some Of the dupes Of the
Soviet government started the re-
lentless propaganda in the fall OF
1945, urging this government TO
bring the boys home and do away
with the last vestiges of militarism.
the people Of the United States
Joined in the chorus. They are not
to be blamed because the public has
no means OF knowing what goes on
behind the scenes in the most deadly
diplomatic game the world has ever
seen. The public has been told
for many years how beautiful are
the peace skies and warned to pay
no attention to malicious weather
prophets who were prone to describe
some small clouds as dangerous in
dications of coming tornado.
The amateurs in the State De-
partment and other responsible
agencies of the Government and
in Congress who had to deal after
We day with international fore
casts were quite satisfied that so
long as We didn't "crpss" Russia
and yielded to many of her "whtms"
would be all right.
Stalin's Evolution
Some of Secretary of State Mar
shall's advisers and some Of those
who hope to influence President
Truman's judgment on international
affairs still stick to the forlorn hope
that there must still exist some Dip
lomatic formulae whereby the pres
ent tragic international situation
may be remedied. But there Is q
growing feeling even among the less
initiated in the rites Of Our secret
dipomacy that we have used every
diplomatic weapon and
that the only way to stop Russia In
her tracks and prevent another
devastating war between this coun-
try and Russia Is to support the
United Nations.
The world has shrunk to two
powers: The United States
With only q potential military CO.
,nicient and Russia which has an
army and aviation several times
A1