Evening star., 1949-04-10

" NLtllCoo'
It Is not, as many seem to
Samaritan, done to enable nations
still outside the iron curtain II
resist eventual Soviet encroach-
ment, but grew out Of the con-
viction among our policymakers
that the present Russian world
wide drive-carried on under The
guise Of a crusade against i'm
perialistic capitalism-is directed
primarily against the United
States itself.
Strictly Defensive
The pact merely reasserts in Of
fcial and solemn language Presi-
dent Roosevelt's statement In 1888
that the boundaries of the United
States are on the Rhine and pos
sibly beyond-wherever our in
terests lie.
The Atlantic treaty is defensive.
Even If we were to accept the con-
tention of Moscow's friends In this
country, namely, that 1t aims at
the destruction Of democracy as
represented by the Soviets, on
purely practical grounds it cannot
be anything but q defensive In
strument.
It would take many years and
untold billions of dollars to arm
Western Europe and the United
States for aggressive action
against Russia's vast military
power. All aggressiveness has been
knocked out of the Western Euro
pean powers by two devastating
wars, which were won on paper
only. Those wars destroyed so
much wealth and took such a toll
Of life in France. Britain and
other countries in Western Europe
that they are no longer in posi-
ton to defend themselves, to say
nothing of starting a preventive
war.
Moscow is protesting violently
in official notes to the govern
ments oncerned-and through It's
propaganda channels-against this
treaty which, strange as it seems,
embodies the views held by Prime
Minister Stain before he was in
duced to join the United Nations.
During the preliminaries for the
creation of the peace organization
at Dumbarton Oaks in Washing
ton the Russians showed such a
reluctance to associate themselves
with other nations, in what they
described as a carbon copy Of the
League of Nations. that 1t looked
at one point as If the plan would
collapse. We believed then that
the peace of the world could not
be secured without participation
by Europe's biggest and strongest
power.
Stalin'a Yalta Proposal
At Yalta the conversations be-
tween President Roosevelt, Prime
Minister Churchill and Prime
Minister Stain continued. The
Soviet dictator was in favor of
regional responsibilities" rather
than collective security. He said
emphatically that If each of the
three remaining great powers
Russia, the United States and
Britain-took over the policing OF
certain areas. to be agreed on by
the three statesmen, there would
be no country to disturb peace in
the world.
Mr.. Stain proposed that Russia
be given responsibility over Eu-
rope as far as the Rhine and over
Asia to the borders of India and
China; that the United States
dominate the entire Western Hem
isphere, including Australia, and
that Britain be given Western Eu-
rope, Africa and those parts of
the Middle East lying outside Rus
Sia's domain.
When asked about Frances role,
Mr.. Stain replied that France was
washed up" and would have to
be assisted by one of the "real
powers" Mr.. Roosevelt is said to
have argued that all nations must
be brought together on an equal
footing in the common cause OF
preventing any future aggression
Mr.. Stain scornfully replied
according to witnesses: do you
want Honduras and Ethiopia te
help you keep peace in the world?'
The theological views of the
American President and the Brit
ish Prime Minister prevailed over
the Russians realism. Mr.. Stalir
grudgingly agreed to send his
representatives to the San Fran.
cisco Conference after we paid the
price for Russia's brief participa.
ton in the war against Japan anc
for her acceptance of our views or
the United Nations. That prics
consisted of the Kurile Islands
Manchuria and two extra seats fol
White Russia and the Ukraine ir
the new organization.
The story was kept top secre1
at the time and this reporter wa
cautioned against mentioning tht
conversation, lest the American
people begin to doubt that the new
peace organization would brinf
the millennium. At that time thi.
Government was engaged in {