Evening star., 1948-02-15

war from access to strategic materi.
ment and Of the Vtuperative toni
he had adopted. I therefore opened
the discussion myself.
New Policy Explained
After mentioning the numeroul
efforts we had made to work with
every other country at all disposee
to 60 in the direction of peace, in.
cluding Russia especially, I said: III
was with unspeakable disappoint'
ment and regret that we have seer
all our efforts come to naught. Ir
these circumstances my Govern.
ment has proceeded on q new polio,
of arming and arming and arming
in order to defend itself agains
anybody. To this end my Govern.
ment has no hesitation in taking
necessary materials and otherwis,
conserving all the commodities
needed for this day-and-night pro-
gram Of armament"
I concluded by saying that it has
been a great disappointment to u!
not to have had the cooperation ol
Russia to a much fuller and broader
extent than we had had in tht
previous seven years.
Mr.. Oumansky began to speak o.
the trade determinations he sale
this Government was practicing.
interrupted him by saying:
Finland Invasion Discussed
I'm surprised, in the light O
existing exigencies, to see you
government engaging in such small
topics of controversy. Your govern.
ment is discriminating in favor o.
other countries in its trade methods
and we are saying nothing. = Thi'
includes immense war supplies Il
Germany"
He remarked that this was norma
trade.
"In any event." I replied, 1T com
prises immense supplies urgentl!
needed for war, which fact makes /
vastly different from normal trade
Russia, of course, has a perfect righ
to pursue this trade so far as m!
Government is concerned. We fol
lowed a very different policy toware
Italy during the talo-Ethiopia1
war, when we held down our trad,
to the prewar level by a moral EN-
barge. My primary contention
however, rests on our present polio!
of conserving materials for increas'
ing our ornaments"
I said then that in our extrem
desire to see Russia pursue a cours,
that would give her a great in
huence for peace, the Presiden
generously offered his good ofdces t,
Russia before she invaded Finland
He said rather sarcastically-sar.
casm poured from the Ambassador
like wheat from a threasher-yes
but his government did not respone
very well to the Presidents speech
on certain occasion at that time
He was referring to the President
condemnation Of Russia's invasion
of Finland.
Molotov on High Horse
when a giant country" I replied
has a little microscopic helples
country by the throat and is choking
it to death, I must agree that tn
government of the large country l
not in a position to respond or t.
react. Naturally the deepest possibl
silence~is about the only recourse il
such circumstances"
The Ambassador looked uncom
Portable, but said nothing in reply
Having in mind the bitter ant
patronizing talk of Molotov to MI
Thurston in Moscow a few days be
fore, and the loud, insulting talk o
the Ambassador here in Washington
on all possible occasions, I com
mented:
'Mr. Molotov seems to have gottel
on high horse I have also beel
hearing of the vituperative talk
round and about Washington by MI
Molotov's representative here. Thi
seems to be my compensation TO
having undergone biting criticism TO
seven years in my efforts to keep VI
something like desirable relation
with Soviet Russia, and the rewart
for my hope of their improvement.
When he continued to stress hi
complaints, I remarked that coult
list a whole ream Of earnest com
plants against Russia, but did no
want to say anything more than
had. He invited-rather, challenge,
me to list any I might have il
mind. Fortunately, Ambassado
Steinhardt, who had returned tt
Washington from Moscow, hat
written out for me number o
pages of complaints, and I had thes'
before me. I thereupon read off TIN
first page of Steinhardt's indict
ments, and added that I could reat
several additional pages but woult
not do SO.
Soviet Occupation Starts
Finally, referring again to the long
earnest efforts I and others hat
made to get along amicably will
Russia I said: MY Government will
be glad, whenever Russia sees fit, t,
return to a set of policies to develol
more fully the relations of peace ant
mutually profitable cooperation il
every practicable way. The amour
of Russian trade with us is relativel,
small, and it would be a mistake t.
exaggerate any special importanc
we might attach to 1t, But We Woul,