Evening star., 1949-03-12
Nondggression Pact
Between Norway and
Russia Is Suggested
Writer Puts Self in Place
Of Soviet, Sees Need for
Erudicotinq Suspicion
By Dorothy Thompson


Tuesday before a conference of
the Federal Council of Churches
of Christ, issued a warning on
our relations with the Scandina-
Wan countries.
While Norway may choose to
adhere to the North Atlantic pact
as a defense measure, the grant,
ing of bases to America would
in Mr.. Dulles opinion, be rightly
regarded by the Soviet Union as
provocative. I do not think Nor
way will grant them in any case;
the words of her leaders seem
firm on that matter. But it ought
to be cleared up.
This is quite extraneous to the
worldwide aspirations of commu-
nism. The Soviet Union is a
state with more than normal in
stincts of self-preservation, for
these instincts have been culti-
vated into a neurosis by two at
tacks in one generation and by
the theory that Communist and
non-Communist States cannot in
definitely live in the same world
This conviction. of course. is the
basis of Western fears.
But one should avoid taking
measures which would rightly
alarm any Russian State-Tsarist,
,ief
No matter how one may dis
like, fear or distrust a foreign
government, and no matter with
what good reasons-and, in the
Soviet case, good reasons are
abundant-it nevertheless is q
first counsel of intelligent politics
to put oneself in the other per-
sons place.
If, for example, I were foreign
or defense minister of Russia-to
make a considerable leap of imag-
ination-I would not wish my
country to set itself up as the
"fatherland of all workers.; I
would never place my faith in
the enduring loyalty of Commun-
ist governments of other nations
and cultures to Moscow as their
eternal Rome and Mecca; and I
would not think it likely that
Russian relations with other states
could be improved via the Comm
form or the Comintern, but quite
the contrary. I would not be pan
Slavist or pan-CommuniSt; and
should be for a small Russian
solution-to have and hold the
great empire already encompassed.
But. like the present Politburo,
I should be intransigently op-
posed to American bases in Nor
way. by means of which a dagger
could be directed at the Soviet
Union from a frontier state by
the worlds greatest air power.
Nor would I accept the theory
that that great power never would
make preventive war. Nobody
knows what another sovereign
great power may or may not do.
We live in world of sovereign
states all playing power politics
with a vengeance. No system of
collective security exists. And un-
der those conditions it is the
duty of every state to prevent any
conceivably hostile great power
coming. into position where it
could destroy ones country.
This column does not accept all
of Mr.. Dulles argument. Mr..
Dulles believes the Soviet is not
planning aggression by moving the
Red armies. The pattern OF Com
munist expansion so far has been
via civil wars. supporting Com
munist partisans. as in China. But
the United States never should
assume that the Soviet. which is
building immense military might
will not use it at the correct
time" And we never should per-
NIT Soviet military installations
anywhere in Western Europe
especially not in Norway, from
which Britain can be as endan-
gered as the Soviet Union
It would seem better. and it
would ease tension more. to en-
courage Norway not only to antici-
pate our help if she should be at
tackled by the Soviet. but also to
sign a nonaggreSison pact with
Russia. This should eradicate
from even the most suspicious
minds the idea that America
plans a preventive war And the
fear that we are planning it IS
by no means confined to the Soviet
Union, and does not help us
politically.
tReleased by the Bell Syndicated. 1ncD