Evening star., 1947-04-14
llyu Ehrenburg Asked
o Be Potent With Us

| To Be Patient With u:
Column, Broadcast to Russia,
! Urges Better Understanding
By David laurence
A copy OF this column ,ous fur.
! nished By the author to the State
Department and 1t ,Dds included In
the departments regular short-,pape
broadcast prepared for transmission
to the Russian people at pm. to-
day, i1hich Is . pm. Moscoio time.
Ilya Ehrenburg, the DISTINGUISHED
Russian journalist, came to America
. year ago rs the guest of the
American Society Of Newspaper Edi-
tors and made . very favorable i'm
preston. He was invited In the
hope that he would not only see our
country, but analyze its many faults
and virtues and interpret US to the
Russian people 30 that understandings
would replace misunderstanding.
His visit unfortunately was all too
orief Tor he does not seem to under
stand America. His attack against
the short-wave broadcasts Of our State
Department in these last few days
makes us wish he were here again
so we could sit down and talk to him
about the points OF criticism he has
just made. Instead, this open letter
will have to serve as an inadequate
substitute:
Dear nya Ehrenburg:
you say you have been listening to
the Voice of America on the short.
wave and you take issue with some
OF the opinions expressed. This Is fine.
We In America believe In an exchange
OF criticism. We believe that II you
will continue to talk to us and If we
can continue to talk to you there
never can be any real friction between
our two countries.
Some of the things you mention
indicate that you have not been listen
ing to the Voice of America. You
have been hearing only the echoes
that come bounding back from walls
Of misunderstanding which all OF us
would like to remove. The truth is
neither you nor I can hear the Voice
OF America in single radio broad
cast or even In series of them.
"The Voice of America was recorded
on the battlefields of Normandy, on the
hillsides Of Italy, in the mountain fast
nesses of Balkan Europe where our fliers
few their strategic missions and in the
far reaches OF the Pacific to help win the
battle against totalitarianism and tyr
amy in Germany and Japan. We heard
the Voice of Russia calling for second
front and we answered. We heard the
Voice of Russia at Stalingrad as you
held back the savage onslaughts Of Hit
ler's armies. No radio broadcasts can
articulate the voices of those gallant
men Of Russia and America who fought
not merely to overthrow tyrants but to
make this a better world in which we
might live in safety-free from suspi-
cion and free from fear.
We Try to Understand Russia.
but we can speak as these heroic
men would have us speak-we can speak
to each other honestly and as members
OF great brotherhood who understand
the teachings Of the greatest philosopher
of all times. 1t was Jesus who taught
us that the greatest thing in the world
Is human love and that the greatest
OF all the ingredients of human love is
patience
I'VE ir, America are trying to under
stand Russia. You are trying to under
stand America. Let us be patient with
one another. Let us be honest with each
other. Let us confess that we each have
made mistakes and that we, for instance,
may misunderstood even now what you
are doing in the Balkans, in Greece and
Turkey, In Korea. Let us concede that
maybe you misunderstood the generos-
ity OF America in seeking to help the
Greek and Turkish peoples, for the
truth is we would, If you would let us,
like to help the people of Russia, too.
There are some among us who pro-
test against helping other peoples. There
are some among us who accuse America
OF improper motives. But please do not
misunderstood the heart of America.
For many generations it has heard and
answered cries of distress throughout
the world. Twice now our young men
have gone across the Atlantic to fight
thousands OF miles away from, our own
shores and we have not acquired single
inch of territory in Europe.
I'VE believe here in America that
democracy is not just form of goy-
eminent or system but faith that
rests on the principle of human dig
nifty and fraternity. We are not with
out sin. You mentioned the Negro
question. Be patient with us. We are
making progress with 1t and we are
doing it not by coercion but by edu-
cation and publicity. We are criticiz-
ing each other and talking about 1t
openly. There is no problem, internal
or international, which cannot be solved
by the searchlight Of criticism and
public discussion.
Better Coverage Is Urged.
1--WE realize that radio broadcasts
alone will not perform the mission.
There are, other mediums Of express
sion. We would like for instance II
your government could admit for an
period as many or perhaps
more newspaper correspondents a. you
now are allowing to report the Foreign
Ministers Conference In Moscow. We
you for the freedom from
you have allowed them and
I Moscow is overcrowded we wish you
,ould let some of the many correspond