Evening star., 1947-11-16


First and Second World Wars. 1t
is the role she wants to continue to
play.
Americana British relations are
more cordial today than they have
ever been in peacetime, This Is
not due alone to lend-lease, the
American loan and the. pending
Marshall plan. Our community OF
interests is deeper and wider. The
common danger-Russian domina-
ton of Europe and perhaps later the
worlds more threatening. 1t
would be a mistake, however, to as
sumo that there will be no serious
differences between us as between
other friends. The ties are not as
strong as the blood relation between
the mother country and the com"
monwealths and colonies. The COM
munity OF interests could be broken
UP by the necessity of Britain sur
viving as a nation and an empire.
The deep friendship opens a two
way street to a more stable world.
Britishers believe that economically
and militarily we need them and
their far-hung dominions nearly as
badly as they need us.
Prefer Business With L. S.
British leaders, if not the ordinary
citizens, realize that the Russian
Army could sweep westward across
Europe in a few weeks to Calais.
just across the Channel. They do
not know what the United States
would do in that event. They also
know that the Communists are one
OF the dominant parties in the
French government and that they
control many Of the important
French trade unions. Like us, they
do not know what they can do
about that, although that threatens
their security. Their own Commu-
nists are few and for the most part
native. They have infiltrated into
a few Of the important trade unions.
Even here their influence Is more
noisy than real.
Between Russia and the United
States, the British would infinitely
prefer to do business with US. But
as q Socialist state, the present
Labor government in ultimate objec-
tives though not in methods has
more in common with the Soviet
system than with our capitalistic
free enterprise" ideal.
That Is not to say that they
think they can do large business
with the present Kremlin oligarchy.
The debacle of the United Nations,
the continuing disruption Of Ger
many, Russian aggression In the
Balkans, the sitting Of civil lib
critics and democratic processes in
the satellite nations, the hysterical
speeches of Molotov and Vyshinsky
and the fulminations of the Moscow
press and radio have alisnated most
Britishers. Still, Russia Is a pro-
ducer of bread grains, timber and
other raw materials that Britain
desperately needs. She Is also
market for machinery and manu-
factured goods that Britain hopes
to export. Britain cannot afford
not to hedge on her American
friendship. She would like to as
sumo her historical role Of the
honest broker" in international af-
fairs. The present uncompromising
attitude of the Kremlin prevents
this. 1t may be possible later Eng
lish political and business leaders
must take the long view Of proba-
bilities and possibilities. They a.
ways have done so to their national
advantage.
Believe in Capitalistic System
British newspapers and magazines
do not carry as much anti-Russian
news and comment as the American,
partly because Of the lack OF paper,
partly because Of the evident ON
cial position Of the Labor govern
ment. The Conservatives, except
the empire diehards led by Lord
Beaverbrook and his chain Of publi-
cations. are more outspoken In their
friendship for the United States.
They are at heart believers In the
capitalistic system although for
political reasons they must publicly
accept much that has been started
by their Socialist rivals. The
Beaverbrook boys are empire isola-
tionists. Unfortunately for them,
the empire needs dollars and Ameri-
can goods as much as the United
Kingdom.
There are also the left-wing radi-
Gals and the intellectual Communist
fellow travellers who preach friend
ship for Russia at any costs. These
are Of the same pacificist color a.
Henry Wallace but have greater ex-'
perience. Typical Of their utter
ances are the following excerpts
from Keep Left" the appeal for q
more drastic Socialist policy" signed
by IL back-bench Labor members
OF Parliament that was written last
April:
THE time when America could
have launched a preventive war
against Russia is past"
War is surely inconceivable for
FIVE. If not for 10 years"
Every one outside Britain knows
that, however many men we main
tain in the armed forces and how
ever many millions we spend on the
service budgets, the British isles are
no longer defensible In major war.
Here, again, the foreigfsr sees things
1see .. S. british K Page CD
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