Evening star., 1948-04-27
Russians Not Seekinu
To Provoke War Now
Observers Believe
Berlin, Vienna Tension
Seen Greeted Only to
Needle Allied Forces

SS'tuhE VtStIttO lSuStOU
Seen Created Only to
Needle Allied Forces
BY David Laurence
Tension in Berlin may have been
responsible for the sudden return of
Secretary of State Marshall to Wash
ington from Rogota. Undoubtedly
recent events in the German capital
have caused uneasiness. For, as
Gen. Clay, commander-in-chief of
American forces at Berlin, said the
other day, it might become neces-
sary to have fighter planes escort
American airplanes which carry
cargoes to Berlin for the use OF
American military forces there.
1t was Gen. Eisenhower who, over
the week end, said that only q
stupid act" might bring on open
hostilities between the United States
and Russia. He described the Sit
uation this way: Some stupid act
may start war-a stupid act that
puts some nation in a position from
which 1t feels 1t cannot withdraw"
At present the Russian rules for
bid any flying in formation" over
Berlin. But when escorts of Ameri-
can fighter planes become necessary.
they will, Of course, fly in formation,
Gen. Clay. when asked by reporters
If that wouldn't be a violation of
restrictions imposed by the Russians,
realistically replied that when such
contingency arose rules would be
secondary.
Doubts War Would Ensue.
This Is but another way of say
ing that If the Russians make it
necessary for British and American
tighter planes to go along with cargo
planes and anybody attempts to
interfere with them, there will be
some planes shot down in the melee.
1t Is doubtful, however, whether
such an incident will provoke a war
unless national passions become
aroused in both countries. In Rus
sia, there Is censorship and the
chances are the news will not be
printed unless the Soviet rulers want
war. In the United States the move
would be recognized as merely an
assertion Of American rights. II 1t
Is followed by an acquiescence on the
part OF the Russians and there are
no further interferences with Ameri-
can flights, the incident would not
lead to hostilities.
There are observers here who have
felt all along that the Russians were
testing Americas attitude and that
II resistance were made manifest,
the Russians would not be inclined
to carry the test any further.
Major Decisions in Making.
1t Is apparent that decisions OF q
major sort are in the making. Gen.
Clay would hardly have said what
he did II he had not been so in
structed by Washington. For sew
eral weeks It has been clear that
the United States would not with
draw from Berlin and that Russia
would be compelled to commit an
open act Of aggression If she really
wanted to force evacuation Of the
British and American forces sta
toned there. 1t would take far more
than an air skirmish tn do it and any
movement Of tanks or land forces
would be construed as an attack on
the United States, in which event
the President would go to Congress
to ask for full authority to use ad-
ditional forces.
War has been regarded as dan
gerously near only in the sense that
II the Russians wanted to provoke
1t the conflict would come soon.
Nearly all Of the predictions here
that peace would be preserved have
been based on the theory that the
last thing the Russians want to do
Is start another world war.
There are no signs that the Rus
slams have prepared for any large
scale operations. The evidence, on
the other hand, is that the Rus
SLAMS want to needle the Allied
forces in both Vienna and Berlin.
At first 1t was believed this had
something to do with the italian
elections. the idea. being that the
Communists were making a show Of
strength. Now that the italian elec-
tions are over, the only reason for
continuing to harass the Allied COM
manders might be to show the peo-
pies behind the Iron curtain" that
the Moscow regime is not afraid Of
a nation with the atomic bomb or a
big air force or that the Com
munists have adequate military de-
tense.
Crisis Brings Parties Together.
Whatever the reason for the
strange policy the Russians are pur-
suing, the effect inside the United
States has been to accelerate the
passage Of appropriations increasing
che size Of the armed services. The
Russians may have the mistaken
idea that in an election year Mr..
Truman would hesitate to take a
positive stand In resisting Russian
encroachments. But the Moscow
strategists never made worse mis-
take. For If there is one thing likely
to bring the domestic parties to-
gether, it Is a war crisis.
The general belief here is that the
Russians will not force break but
almost everybody admits there is
little to go on except logic-and the
Russians have their own peculiar
kind.
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