Evening star., 1947-06-27
On the Record
MurshuII Plan Declared
Morally InyuIneruble
Soviet Leaders Must Realize Value OF
Plan Even to Themselves
Ry Dorofhv Thombs0u


The Marshall policy for Europe is the most
statesmanlike to have been advanced by any
leader of the great powers during or since the
war. 1t should have been an Allied war ann
from the beginning But live and learn.
II the Soviets want peace, they can cooper
ate to lay the foundations for 1t in the Foreign
Ministers Conference now convening. II they
do not want a western bloc. they can avoid it.
For neither the United States nor Great Britain
wants divided Europe. The Marshall policy
claims Europe for the Europeans" with neither
Western NOR Eastern blocs.
Only European Europe possibly can prevent
that historic complex from becoming the arena
of a future power struggle between the two
great non-European powers.
The Marshall policy, in essence, Is morally
invulnerable. 1.-THE policy is not dollar diplo-
macy" but its opposite. It's aim is not An1eri-
can financial hegemony over Europe but the
freedom of Europe from any hegemony, RUS
sian or American.
Must Unite or Perish
1t is in harmony with essential. long overdue,
European necessities This column often has
reiterated the words uttered during the past
century MOTTO be sure-by parochial poll
ticians. but by the great European spirits from
Mazzini to Roman ROLAND: Europe must
unite or perish"
In the past, not only Russia but Great Britain
opposed any form of European confederation.
Britain's balance -of-power policy caused her
to view with dread even peaceful and voluntary
coalitions as possibly being directed against
her. But empires rise and wane, and today,
Great Britains future lies either with Europe
or in an Anglo American coalition
Europe, as Charles de Gaulle realized, now
lies between two great power completes each
possessing-as all Europe does not-the conti-
mental area raw material resources, and
industrial plants essential to invincible military
power. Under such circumstances Europe.
whatever her dominant ideology, must want
peace. Nor can any European leader in todays
world however hare Drained, dream OF doing
what Napoleon and Hitler failed to accomplish
In Russia. Instead, the spectre that haunts
Europe-including the anti-Soviet Vatican-is
that Europe may become g. pawn or battle
ground in an American-Soviet struggle.
Freedom From Fear.
1t Is freedom from this fear that Secretary
Marshall is offering Europe through his doc
trine of mutual nonintervention. II the Soviet
leaders have common sense, they will grab It..
If they do so we need not worry about the
Communist Parties. Whatever the structure
of the Comintern, it is visible to anybody's
naked eye that whether by the divination OF
studious habitude or by directly transmitted
orders they follow the Kremlin's line. If Mos
COW sees sanity in q doctrine OF mutual non
intervention they will see 1t too, and over
night, even If it means diminution OF
adventurous opportunities for them as fifth
column agents. For that matter, some Soviet
leaders, at least, must be doubling the worth
of some of the wretched little politician thugs
who have been riding high with active or
tacit Soviet assistance They are definitely
no Lenins
There Is no reason to be overoptimistic
about anything in todays world, but it is
pleasant to register rays of light. The merit
of the Marshall policy is not only that. 1t
shows sanity regarding Europe and ourselves,
but that one can see score OF reasons why
1t should be satisfactory to the Soviet Union.
It will not allay Soviet suspicions-nothing
could But the more that Soviet leaders con-
template alternatives, the more-I think-they
will realize it's value to all concerned, including
themselves.
fReleased by the Bell Syndicate, Inc,)