Evening star., 1950-01-22

masses" or that the life-span o.
Stain will come to an end before
against us.
Realistic observers inside and
Skeptical of whether either a direct
approach to the Russian people or
a change in the personality which
heads the Politburo would affect
Soviet policies which, in fact, are
nothing but the continuation-on
far larger scale-of the policies
Of the imperialistic-minded Rus
sian Emperors. This skepticism is
shared fully by politicians in
Europe.
The Russian people are COM
pletely cut off from the rest of
the world. The masses, in spite
Of Soviet propaganda claims that
education in the U. S. S. R. has
reached its highest level since the
advent of bolshevism, are about
as ignorant as they were under
the Cars.
OOnSpIratOrS Kule
Illiteracy is as great as it ever
was. 1t is true that the people in
the towns and villages are far
more nationalistic than they were
in the days of the Cars. Loud
speakers have been placed on the
streets Of the most remote vii
lagos in the vast empire. They
blare out propaganda about the
great deeds Of the Soviet regime
and attempt to make the Russian
peasant something he never was
before-a nationalist. But. out
side of that progress. things have
changed very little since the 18th
century Muscovite empire.
The iron curtain which sep
arates East from West is drawn
tighter in Russian territories than
in the satellite countries. There
is an underground, powerless it
is true, in the European satellite
countries where the Voice of
America can be heard. But there is
no underground in the U. S. S. r..
where the people-as in China
accept any kind of domination.
The idea, for instance, of send
ing toys to youngsters who even
tually will become Russian soldiers
is well-intentioned but thoroughly
unrealistic. But even if they were
to get them-and this is highly
improbable since toys are a bour-
geois conception-credit would be
given to Stain rather than to the
senders.
We had experience along this
line with UNRRA supplies in
countries behind the iron curtain.
All evidence that they came from
America was effaced before they
We're distributed and they went
principally to members in good
standing of the Communist Party.
The ruling class in RUSSIA
handful of men compared to the
vast population-is made up al
most entirely of conspirators.
They know how bolshevism came
into existence. If it had not been
for the German general staff,
which provided Lenin and his
crowd with money and transpor-
tation back to Russia for the pur-
pose of destroying the revolution
started by the weak Alexander
Kerensky and his Socialists. Rus
sia might be today a peaceful
nation.
Guarded by Living Wall
The Politburo is fully aware
that the many races and creeds
which form the Russian. empire
are not revolutionary minded and
now-as in the past-accept any
form of government or dictator
ship which is imposed on them,
provided that advocates of change
are not permitted to raise their
voices. And in order to avoid any
unpleasantness they have made
the vast territory extending from
the Vistula River to China a for
hidden land, as tightly closed to
outsiders as Tibet and China were
until modern times.
There is no physical wall such
as the Chinese Emperors erected
to keep out all foreigners. But
the invisible iron curtain, guard
ed by hundreds of thousands of
fanatical MVD men, is far more
effective than the old Chinese
wall.
Few If any of the shrewd and
enterprising Western agents who
managed to cross into the forbid
den land to learn what goes on
there have ever been heard of