Evening star., 1947-09-30

ticle and will feel that he in some
way shares personal insult thus
gratuitously offered to President
Truman.
Il cannot recall that DR.. Goebbels,
Of unsavory memory, at the height
Of our common struggle against Nazi
Germany ever stopped to greater
ridicule and vituperation against the
head OF an enemy country than has
Mr.. Gorbatov against the chief
executive of friendly and allied
state. In this connection, I would
never have believed that a Soviet
writer would permit himself, or be
permitted. to draw an analogy be-
tween the President of the United
States and our recent common
enemy, Hitler.
Mr.. Gorbatov goes SO far as to
imply criticism of President Tru-
man for associating with the Presi-
dent of Brazil, our faithful and de-
voted ally in the recent war, to
whom is unwarrantably imputed
some prior association with the
Axis powers. Any unprejudiced OBJ
server, familiar with the course OF
history since 1899, would agree that
such criticism comes with extraor-
dinarily bad grace from a Soviet
writer.
Il cannot believe that Mr.. Cor
batov's article represents the opinion
of the Soviet government. And I
therefore request that it be officially
disavowed and If, contrary to my
belief, it has the approval of the
Soviet government, I would ap-
|preciate q statement to that effect %
Molotov's Reply.
Mr.. Molotov's reply. also dated
September rs, follows:
Acknowledging the receipt of your
letter Of September Is, I must state
that I do not consider it possible to
enter into discussion with you OF
the article of the writer, B. Gorbatov,
In the Literary Gazette, as the
Soviet government cannot bear the
responsibility for this or that article
and, so much the more, cannot ac-
cept the protest you have made in
that connection.
However, inasmuch as in your
letter you decided to undertake q
general evaluation of the Soviet
press and from 1t is obtained q
completely perverted picture of the
situation, must state my disagree
ment with your point Of view on the
Soviet press.
Despite your allegation, the So
Wet press more than the press OF
any other country whatsoever espe-
cially aims to elucidate broadly as
possible the actual situation and
true facts of the life of other coun-
tries, attaching special significance
to the Strengthening of friendly re-
lations between peoples.
This applies In full measure also
to the United States of America, so
that any move or approach of the
Government and statesmen OF the
United States of America directed
toward the Strengthening of normal
relations between countries and to-
ward the support of universal peace
invariably encounters warm support
in the Soviet press, and this is so
generally known that it needs no
reafdrmation whatsoever.
1T is by no means possible to say
Chat regarding that American
press which is so widely encourag ged
by the most reactionary circles in
the U. s. A. and which not only
from day to day inserts lying and
slanderous articles regarding the
U. s. 8. r. and its statesmen, but
also infiames hostility between
peoples, and which does not meet
with any serious support whatsoever
in the U. S. A., which is of course
MIR. Ambassador, well known to you,
regarding which there are not two
different opinions In international
democratic circles"