Evening star., 1949-01-22
New Peace Offensive
OF Soviets Seen as
Usual Double Talk
Soviet Believed Seeking
Breathing Spell to Pave
Way for New Attacks
Bv Frank r. Kent

difference in the view now taken o1
Russia. No one, OF course, wants
war; but, in and out OF ofncla
circles, almost every man sufn'
ciently informed and experienced te
have a worthwhile Judgment II
convinced the Russian leaders de
not want to cooperate in achieving
world peace: that they do not want
to make the United Nations an
effective instrument but to destroy
Its usefulness.
They are further convinced that
these men are not men of good will
or good faith; that they cannot be
relied upon to live up to any agree.
ment or trusted to tell the truth;
that they are inherently hostile te
the capitalistic countries-particu'
larly the United States-and theil
real objective Is to undermine then
by promoting economic chaos. Fol
out of chaos comes communism
Though all those who hold thi!
view cannot proclaim it publicly
nevertheless it is an accurate re-
fiection of opinion. The record o.
the last three years seems fully tt
sustain every conclusion hereir
made.
There is almost no dissent. Tht
only difference is in the length Of
time it took different individuals
to reach this view. Some like Will
liam c. Bullitt, Ambassador to Rus.
sia from 1888 to 1936-and an ex'
ceedingly friendly one-reached il
10 years ago. In 1916 he set Il
forth in a book. Others, like B. M
Baruch, reached it after man!
months of patient negotiation or
the vital matter of atomic energy
control, during which he exhausted
every avenue Of conciliation, qui
only when convinced of the COM
plete futility of further effort.
Others Get Same Result.
Many others, starting out with
hope that it was only necessary tt
understand and sympathize with
the Russians in order to secure
results. long ago abandoned tina
idea. Even Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt
is discouraged and irritated. 4
week ago at the State Department
among other things, she declared
that II don't think will ever com
promise with them again-even or
words. The Soviets look on this a.
evidence of weakness rather than
gesture of good will" Ex-senator
Warren Austin of Vermont, who
before his illness, was our chic.
representative in the United Nations
and started out with the utmos
optimism concerning Russian CO.
operation, ended his service in
state of pessimism on that score.
So has nearly every other opti'
mist. Gradually, almost without ex'
ception, they have come to believe
the Russians do not intend to CO.
operate, negotiate or agree. All they
intend is to delay, obstruct, exas.
perate and irritate, always adding
vastly to the cost, the confusion
the futinty and Illustration Of oul
attempt to promote permanent
peace and individual liberty
throughout the world. Perhaps II
we had grasped these facts right
after the Russians began to nulhfy
the United Nations with their silly
vetoes we might have saved vital
time, much labor and money. Per-
haps, then, we might have avoided
the sucker role for three years,
Certainly If we had taken the ad-
vice of Mr.. Churchill, given here
more than two years ago, we at
least would have saved two years
much stress, strain and expense
and been in much better position.
Usual Double Talk.
As things stand today, thoughtful
men here are almost unanimous in
this view, which explains why the
recently reported peace offensive
of the Soviets has met with so cold
and cynical a reception. For one
thing, while the French Commu-
nists, invariably inspired by their
Moscow masters, vigorously insist
that peace between East and West
Is possible; that war is not inevi-
table and peaceful existence ot
socialism" and capitalism side
by side, is not illogical; that peace
not war, is the best ally of Social
ISM" simultaneously the Moscow
Pravda continues to call on Com
munists everywhere to develop "a
burning hatred Of capitalism and
all aspects of bourgeois ideology.'
Also Pravda, of1icial organ of the
Cominform, continues to declare
that America and Britain are the
centers of world reaction, that their
capitalism is tottering to its inevi-
table downfall and that this will be
followed by the Communist con-
quest.
Thus it is impossible to regard
this peace offensive" as anything
but the usual Communist double
talk" The Soviet leaders appear to
be pursuing a planned zigzag course
"retreating," as the New York
Times says, ''for a breathing space
In preparation for new attack.
Reviewing the record, the only pos
sible way of treating their latest
move is with complete skepticism.
It would be absurd to warm up to
them until they speak not in words
or propaganda but in acts calcu-
lated to restore confidence in Soviet
good faith. Such acts, for example,
would be an abandonment of the
Berlin blockade and a cessation Of
the virulent anti-American prop
aganda with which the Soviets have
been trying to poison the world
against us. Let them give those
evidences of good faith and they
would not have to complain about
lack of warmth in our response.
We have every reason to be eager
for better relations with Russia;
but, without deeds, their words are
worthless and we would be fools to
turn optimists again.