Evening star., 1948-12-12

While Andrei Vishinsky, the head OF
Russias United Nations delegation
was paying lip service to the Berlin
settlement plan offered by DR.. Juan
A. Bramuglia, Argentina's Foreign
Minister, the Kremlin was ordering
Marshal VASTLY Sokolovsky, its occu .
patton commander in Germany, to
organize puppet government in
the eastern sector Of Berlin on the
eve of the election of new city
government.
Cold War Continues
In spite of the fact that the
Western powers have attempted Off
cially to minimize the latest Soviet
move, it is admitted off the record
in Western European capitals that
this new local regime may become
the nucleus for a larger East Ger
man government, which will attempt
to establish its domination, with
strong Soviet assistance, over the
rest of the Reich.
Thus, while we are Still performing
miracles with the airlift, maintain
ing some 100000 Germans on the
dole. and are showing determination
not to yield to Soviet pressure, little
progress is being made toward peace
in Germany and, for that matter
in the rest of Europe.
The cold war continues unabated
and if we want to be honest with
ourselves we must admit that we are
not winning it right now. The situa-
ton remains as explosive as it was
last summer, with the Russians re-
tanning the initiative in deciding
whether or when the cold war be-
comes a shooting war.
There is a good deal of talk in
official quarters in Washington to
the effect that the Kremlin is not
prepared for a showdown because
of serious domestic troubles. Such
troubles are endemic in Russia.
But we must bear in mind that they
cannot possibly lead to overthrow of
the government, or even cause
serious concern to the men in the
Kremlin.
The MVD (secret state police is
some 100000 strong and perfectly
trained and equipped, while the
unhappy and dissatisfied masses are
not permitted to possess even shot
guns or flint pistols. Any attempt
by Russians to show their dissatis-
faction in violent manner is pun
ished with instant death.
Situation Worse in Asia
Mentioning that conditions are
far from pleasant means a long
stretch in a labor camp for the
unfortunate who is so jll-advised as
to suggest that not everything is
perfect in Sovietland. Hence. even
optimistic ard wishful-thinking
American officials admit that the
possibility of real trouble behind the
iron curtain is very remote and
cannot deter the expansionist plans
which the Krenlin still nourishes.
In Asia our situation is even worse
than in Europe. The loss of Man
churia and the impending attempt
of the North Korean governmeat"
"a puppet of the U. S. S. R) to take
over South Korea, thus bringing
communism and Russian-controlled
armed forces within a short hop
from Japan, makes our situation in
the Pacific more precarious than
before Pearl Harbor.
Gen. Macarthur has watched with
growing anxiety the antics of the
State Department on the Chinese
question ard has warned against
the policy of abandoning the Chin
ese Nationalist leader because he Is
not able to create a Jeffersonian
democracy in China.
Gen. Macarthur now is sending
alarming reports to Washington,
advising that after Gen. Chang and
his forces have been eliminated
from China and all of Korea has
been taken over by the Kremlin
puppets, our position in Japan will
become untenable.
The japanese realize that they
cannot exist without access to the
raw materials Of Manchuria and to
trade with the Chinese mainland.
And both will be closed to them
unless they adopt policy fully
sympathetic to Russia, that is to
say, establish a Communist govern
ment in Japan.
There is already an underground
movement in Japan. 1t Can be held
in check now by the relatively weak
Allied occupa ton forces. But Gen.
Macarthur has serious doubts that
we can maintain the present ad-
ministration and keep our forces in
Japan once the goose is cooked in
China and Korea. According to the
Allied supreme commander, our
position in the Pacific has never
been more threatening than 1t is
today.
Armed Forces Become Target
This is gloomy "end-of the
year" picture. But it is realistic and
factual. We are in danger in Europe
and are threatened possibly more
seriously in the Pacific. But be-
cause the Russians have not yet
translated their cold war into a
shooting war, as appeared highly
probably last summer, many of our
leaders, including a large number
of congressman, have decided to
reduce the military establishment,
possibly below the safety point.
In time of relative peace it is
popular to cut the armed forces to
smaller and smaller Levels. Con-
fronted with the necessity of spend