Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-18
Russians Lost Ground
In Propaganda Game
With Teacher Case
Moscow Foreign Office
Added to BIunder by
Making Issue Of 1t
By David Laurence

or psychological warfare" Russia
has lost considerable ground and
prestige in the last few days. The
way the Soviet handled the kid
naping" and then the dramatic
leap Of the Russian school teacher
in New York is more convincing
than all the evidence that can be
derived from diplomacy's fiery de-
bates that the Russian government
is clumsy. inept and often stupid in
its handling Of its own affairs.
To allow the whole world to catch
Q Russian official in the very act
OF lying about so simple case as a
Russian subject trying to escape
the clutches Of her own govern
ment OF fear of punishment is to
advertise the methods of totalitari-
anism and . police state SO that
everybody can understand.
It would have been much easier
for the Russian government to have
regarded the incident from the be-
ginning as trivial and inconsequen-
.ial. There Is no evidence, for in
stance, that the teacher had any
important testimony to give. II 1t
had not been for the efforts OF the
Russian consulate to prevent the
woman's sojourn on American soil,
the episode would never have at
tracted any attention.
Next BIunder in Moscow.
The next blunder was made in
Moscow when the Foreign once de-
cided to make an issue OF it. To
contend that the American Gov
eminent was implicated is merely to
bring down upon the Russians rid
icule from all parts of the world.
Certainly there must be men in the
Kremlin with more sense and clev-
erness than has been exhibited in
the handling OF the recalcitrant
teacher.
Coming as the affair does on top
of a sensational story OF a Com
munist spy ring and the news that
the Russian government paid out
$4,000 and decorated Miss Bentley
for supplying confidential informa-
ton about the American Govern
lnents secrets, it does look as if
the Soviet authorities in Moscow be-
came unduly nervous about world
opinion and then became entrapped
in crude efforts to make 1t appear
that the Russian teacher was really
trying to get back to Russia or that
an American naval attache was
spying, too.
Russian propaganda palpably fol-
lows a naive pattern in assuming
that outside of Russia people actu-
ally believe distortions and twisted
stories about facts that can easily
be understood. The most significant
thing about all the Russian propa-
ganda, indeed, Is the fact that the
Russians do seem to care what the
rest of the world thinks.
It Is not merely opinion In this
hemisphere that counts with the
Russians but opinion among the
states Of Europe where Communist
organizations are active in trying
to get political strength. Among
the satellite states in particular the
cause Of communism can be weak
ened II the Russian government gets
entangled with the United States in
any way that casts discredit on the
Communists.
Need Satellites Aid.
Undoubtedly the stories OF the
spy ring and the investigation by
the congressional committees are
being used by anti-Communists in
Europe to indicate the extent to
which Communist infiltration has
gone on even as far away from
Russia as the United States and
Canada.
The Russian government cannot
fight q war without the whole
hearted support of her neighboring
countries. Conversely, the satellite
countries have within them move
ments that seek to rid their lands
of Communist domination. Hence.
whatever causes drop in prestige
for Russia Injuries communism.
Thus the main issue for the West
ern Allies with respect to staying
in Berlin has not been the strategic
Importance of remaining in the for
met German capital but the posi-
bility that any form of retreat would
be construed by European peoples
as a defeat for the democracies and |
rise in the prestige of the Soviets.
In the battle for prestige, an
unnoticed school teacher leaping
from the third floor of the Russian
consulate where, she says, she had
been kept a prisoner does much to
impair Russia's position and to tell
everybody that Russian subjects are
not free from the totalitarian gov
eminent even when they pursue so
innocent profession as teaching
school in foreign country.
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