The Wilmington morning star., 1947-07-06
Behind The News
Reds Intensity
Old Threat
By DeWTTTE MACKENZIE
AP Foreign Affairs Analyst

AP Foreign Affairs Analyst
Russia's refusal to cooperate
with the Western Democracies IN
the economic rehabilitation of E.
rope will be recorded as one O,
the great landmarks Of history.
1t has produced a situation
whose development is fascinating
to watch-fearsomely so, like 4
struggle to keep an angrily food.
ed Mississippi from breaking Is
banks. Instead, that is prec.selv
the position which has been ere.
ated in Europe where Weston
Democracy now is responding 10
the call to build a dixie agains.
the Red flood Of Communism al.
vancing across the continent from
the east.
Will there be enough aole and
willing hands to make the dixie
hold? One can say only ira. j,
will be an epic struggle.
President Truman, speaking
yesterday from the porch Of Mon.
t~icello, Thomas Jeferson's home
at Charlottesville, Va, c~harac,er.
lied as folly the REFUSAL of any
European nation to take par n
a cooperative plar for economic
rehabilitation Of the coAtinent
True, but Russia's turned down
thumbs are going to act as a
mighty deterrent to small countries
lying within Moscow's sphere OF
influence.
Still, the other two great powers
Of Europe, Britain and France.
have wasted no time in moving
to implement Secretary o, Stale
Marshan's program for economic
recovery. They have invited
twenty-five nations to participate
all the stable countries exceot.
ing Russia, which already had re-
jected the plan. and Spain. whose
Generalissimo Franco is regard
ed as the bad lad Of Europe po-
iltically.
It is important to note hat the
door was left open for Russia o
come in, and she has been urged
to change her mind. It also IS sig
nificant that the principal COM
tries in the Soviet bloc were in
vited.
Among the first to accept were
Greece, Turkey. Denmark and the
Netherlands-all outside Moscows
domination. Confidently there
came an underlined but striking r.
action from the Soviet one
Czechoslovakia - most inde-
pendent country in the Slavic
bloc-let it be known that its Com
munist Premier Element Gottwa!d
and Foreign Minister Jan Mas
aryk, were leaving for consulta-
ton with Moscow. Only three days
earlier-betore the collapse of the
Paris conference-a special Czech
oslovak commission which had
studied the Marshall program,
recommended that Czechoslovakia
cooperate.
OF course, it takes no mind
reader to know what is worrying
little Czechoslovakia, which sits
right under the guns of Moscow.
Czechoslovakia's troubles also will
be the troubles Of other Russian
satellites which would like to par
ticipate in the rehabilitation pro-
gram and get the benefits, but
will have to take orders from the
boss-or else. For example, Po-
land which is badly in need Of
economic assistance, already had
notified Washington Of adherence
to the Marshall project before
Russia broke up the Paris confer
ence.
And Soviet influence Int re
stricted to eastern Europe. Two of
the continents most important ma
tions-France and Italy-are feel
ing the heavy hand of powerful
Communist parties which have
gained strength from the very
economic chaos which the Mar.
shall plan is designed to over.
come. In both cases the present
heads of government daringlv
have ousted the Communist mem
bers of cabinet, and French Pre-
mier Ramadier yesterday won a
vote Of confidence on the econom-
ic policy, with the Communists
voting against him.
Ramadier's victory is impress
sive and encouraging. 1t doesn't
mean his troubles are over, but
it is an important addition to the
dixie again the Red flood.