Evening star., 1948-09-09
Berlin Protest

There are those who say that the SOVIET
brand of totalitarianism is not to be COM
pared with the Axis variety; that there
are important differences which make the
tyranny and oppression of the Russians
less intolerable than that practiced by
Hitler and his allies. Perhaps this is true
But there are also similarities, ana these
are as obvious as they are ominous. Y
The tactics which the Russians are en-
blowing in Berlin, for instance, might we'll
have been modelled on the tactics OF the
Japanese up to the time OF Pearl Haroor.
Ten years ago, Japan was trying to ex-
tend her dominion over East Asia. 10 tnls
end, two main policies were pursued. one
policy was aimed at driving the Western
Powers out of Asia, If that could be done.
Failing this, the second policy was de-
signed to cause them to lose so much face
that the Asistic peoples, having no one
Else 10 look TO, would swallow japanese
propapanda to the effect that the future
In Asia belonged to Japan and that the
other Asiatics had better get aboard the
bandwagon while the getting was good.
In furtherance of her aims Japan reSorted
10 almost every conceivable kind OF provo
cation and insult, regardless OF the rights"
of the Western countries. And the failure
of the United States and Britain to insist
upon their rights only served to embolden
the Japanese. The more they got, the
more they demanded.
The parallel between that situation and
the one which prevails in Berlin today is
a close one. The Russian aim is to bring
all of Europe under the thumb OF the
Kremlin. Berlin is the immediate testing
ground, and there is no difference worth
mentioning between their tactics there and
those OF Japan.
While the military governors 60 through
the motions of negotiation, the Berlin
Communists, backed by Russian troops, are
trying by forcible means to destroy the
legal government in the city. One provo
cation follows another. American t1les are
rified and detachment of Western Ger
man police, although guaranteed safe con-
duct by the Russians, are forcibly taken
away from French escort by Soviet
tommy gunners. In the words OF Colonel
Frank HoWley, American commandant OF
the former German capital, ut looks as
though we have reached the pushing-off-
tte-sideWalk stage in Berlin"
Our reaction is to file protest through
Colonel Howley against the disorders in
Berlin. And Secretary of State Marshall
advances the curious theory that the dis
orders are designed to upset the confer
ence of the military governors over the
currency and blockade isSues-a curious
theory because the military governors are
negotiating at the direction of the Soviet
government. If the Russians wanted to
disrupt that conference they would merely
have to call it off, and they need not have
agreed to it in the first place. 1t would
seem, therefore, that instead of trying to
upset the conference, the Russians are
using the conference as sort of cover to
mask violent attempt to destroy the
city's legal government and then set up a
Communist government in the Russian
sector.
Meanwhile, the western nations fail to
reach an agreement with the Russians, and
the occupying powers, because OF Soviet
tactics, cannot maintain order in Berlin.
In this situation, the danger is that the
German people and other Europeans will
lose confidence in the ability and deter
mination Of the West to cope with the
Russians. That is what Japan wanted in
Asia, and that, in short view at least,
apparently is what the Russians want in
Germany.
If this is the case. protests are going
TO do no more good than they did
decade ago. If we intend to stay in Berlin,
We cannot postpone for much longer a
decision on stronger measures.