Evening star., 1947-07-04
Russiu and the West

1t Is bitter and om1nOuS TACT that the
survival of the United Nations-in its
present form, with Russia-is now gravely
imperiled. Looking at the situation solely
from the standpoint of one issue-the
hostile acts committed by Yugoslavia,
Albania and Bulgaria against Greece-Sir
Alexander Cadogan has made no effort to
sugar the realities. In the bluntest pos
sible manner, he has warned the members
of the Security Council that they might
just as well "tear up the Charter" and go
home If they do not adopt the American
proposal for special policing and mediat
ing commission to preserve peace in the
Balkans.
The Balkan issue, of course, is only one
of many that fit together in a single piece
Probably the most clear-cut and pressing
of these at the moment is the issue of
European-wide recovery. The Russians
have cast the die against it. Unless their
fundamental policy Is changed in the near
future-an extremely remote possibility at
best-we must expect the situation between
them and the West to go rapidly from bad
to worse. We must expect them to veto
our proposal to check the anti Greek
actions of their Yugoslav, Albanian and
Bulgarian satellites. We must expect them
to continue blocking progress toward
atomic control. We must expect them, in
short, to do whatever they can to Illustrate
any and all other cooperative endeavors
to build decent peace in the world.
This is an outlook that threatens to do
much more than break up in advance the
November meeting of Foreign Ministers.
It threatens to kill off the United Nations
in its infancy and force the swift develop
ment of two worlds hoStilely aligned
against each other in political and eco
nomic power contest full of the deadliest
import. 1t is situation that calls for the
best vision and leadership that the western
democracies can muster. And it demands
action without delay, beginning with CO.
ordinated planning by all European coun-
tries at liberty to work out program for
their common recovery. In inviting
twenty-five nations to meet in Paris next
week, Britain and France have moved with
commendable speed to that end. At such
conference the democratic half OF the
continent, at least, can begin to correlate
its needs and resources to meet the condi-
tions implicit In the Marshall proposal for
large-scale American aid
The strengthening OF the economy of the
West will be the first essential in the two
worlds that Russia now seems clearly
bent on creating. Given joint, integrated
plan by Britain, France and other CO.
operating countries, the next essential
essential not only for our friends abroad
but for our own economic health and
national security-will be extraordinary
help from the United States. This help
may have to be kind of peacetime version
of lend-lease. 1t will impose burdens on
us. 1t will cost many billions of dollars
1t may even require some types of rationing
among us. But we can fail to extend 1t
only at the risk of a European collapse
giving the green light to the Kremlin to
extend its totalitarian dominion over the
whole continent as prelude to similar
expansion in Asia.
In rejecting cooperation at Paris Mr..
Molotov has made threatful remarks to the
British and French about the "conse-
quences" of their decision not to knuckle
down to Moscow. They have answered
with action making clear that they do not
choose to be frightened. If they receive
all-out American support, if the freedom
| loving and peace loving nations work
firmly together, the ones who will have
reason to fear the consequences will be
the men OF the Kremlin. They have taken
their stand against decent, friendly
world. They have challenged the West to
fateful struggle for power. The West,
with our own country playing a decisive
role, must now meet that challenge with
every resource at its command. 1t cannot
do less without exposing itself to a great
disaster.