Evening star., 1949-01-23
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continued heavy expense to the
United States, according to some
political thinkers is why not put an
end to all this by President Truman
getting together with Stain and
settling the whole problem between
puffs of cigarettes and few slugs
of vodka and bourbon. President
Roosevelt, say these men, did it at
Teheran and Yalta and Mr. Truman
was highly successful at Potsdam.
The truth is that President Roose-
velt got along with Stain in Iran
and the Crimea only because he
yielded to everything Stain wanted
We did not call those meetings
complete surrender to the then ex-
listing Russian aims but they were in
fact. At Potsdam President Truman
accomplished only little of practi-
cal value and he himself admits that
the Russians never lived up to the
spirit OF the agreements they
signed.
Another meeting of that kind
bearing in mind that the Russians
know exactly what they want ano
deal along realistic nationalistie
lines while we are indulging in world
idealism-is unlikely to prove even
as successful as the previous parleys
with the Soviet leader. But, what is
even more important. the Kremlin
is not interested in the least ir
reaching a compromise with the
United States.
The cold war does not cost Russia
q nickel while it Is rapidly depicting
our national wealth. The Russians
are living on the countries which
they are occupying while we are
spending hundreds of millions Of
dollars every year to keep our for
mer enemies alive. The cold war In
Berlin alone Is costing us some $40.
/ 100000 a month while 1t costs the
Russian government nothing. In
terms of this years $4,000 900, ,0OC
national budget, the sum may ap-
pear trivial. But within the next
few months If we take stock OF the
Berlin situation we shall discover
that it has taken some $500, ,0O0, 900
out of our Treasury.
Decision Due on Japan
We have proved to the world that
we can meet emergencies head on.
But the 100000 Germans In the
western sectors OF the former capital
of the Reich are merely on the dole
and exist llther than live.
The Russian economists-all serv-
ants of the government-are study
ing carefully the economic charts
of the United States. They don't
bother so much with the month-to-
month curves; neither are they con-
cerned with the apparent prosperity
which still exists in this country and
the lack of unemployment. But they
figure that If the cold war continues
for some time and the Kremlin
remains adamant-With occasional
variations needed for diplomatic
strategy-the time will come when
the much desired economic and
social crisis in the United States
will become fact.
This year we shall have to provide
only some s21 100000 for our
military expenditure, the Marshall
Plan and the supplying of the armed
forces of the Western European
Union with modern mechanical
equipment. If the cold war con-
tinues with the same tempo as
today, there is no telling how much
money will be required as assistance
for the outside world in 1850.
Russia Watches and Waits
Unless Gen. Douglas Macarthur
is utterly mistaken, Japan would
enter the Soviet zone Of influence
and become one Of its major puppets
in the Far East within a few months
after our troops were withdrawn.
Not that the Japanese people like
communism. But they see Russia
solidly established on the Asiatic
mainland and In order to survive
politically and economically they
will have to accept Moscow's die
tates. These are the considerations
which are always present before
President Truman.
None of the political leaders is
willing to come out with this un-
pleasant truth that the domestic
situation is utterly dependent on
what is going to happen abroad. 1t
would worry the rank and file of our
population and would distract the
American people from their favorite
pastimes-domestic politics, baseball
and football.
Today our domestic problems un-
der the impact of that policy are
dependent not on what we may
wish to do but on what Russia is
determined to do. And the answer
is that the men in the Kremlin are
going to do nothing but continue IN
one way or another a cold war which
they hope will in the end destroy
the present fabric Of the United