Evening star., 1950-03-20
Let's Not BeIittIe Ourselves

The collapse of the Soviet-backed mark in
Eastern Germany serves to point up fact that
lot of people in the West seem to have forgotten
in recent weeks The fact is simply this: That
Russia, although it presents formidable front
and snarls ferociously, is not really tremen-
dously strong power in relation to the United
States or the free world as whole.
Currency is merely one measure of strength,
but 1t is pretty good measure, and the fact
that the Germans greatly prefer the American
backed mark speaks for itself as an incidental
commentary on their evaluation of Soviet power.
They have little or no confidence in the Kremlin's
money; they have little or no respect for it;
and that in turn reflects low opinion of Russia
in general
Americans would do we'll to give a little
thought to this matter. Within the past few
months, all too many of us have been acting and
Speaking-eSpecially in connection with proposals
Tor new starts" on peace talks with the Kremlin
as II Russia were in a position to command
great deal of supplication from U.S. Actually,
there are no supermen over there and no super
system. On the contrary, as indicated by the cur
rency situation in Eastern Germany and by
numerous other evidences of serious stresses and
strains behind the Iron Curtain, there is more
than a little reason to believe that the Stain
dictatorship at home and in the satellite
countries-has good cause to be worried by its
weaknesses.
True enough of course, the Russians have
big fleet of submarines, a lot of planes and the
largest of all land armies. But what else have
they got? How much staying power can they put
behind their armed forces in being? Politically,
economically and militarily, what are their re-
serves for the long pull? The answer to these and
similar questions seems fairly cear-namely
that they have long way to go before they can
nope even to come close to matching the i'm
mense spiritual and material resources that can
be mobilized by the free world To understand
this We have only to keep in mind that their steel
production is lilliputian compared to ours, that
their standard of living is miserably low, and
that they sit on volcano of oppressed peoples
whose loyalty the Kremlin can never count upon
In other words, although the Soviet facade
looks Impressive, the reality hidden behind it
the reality behind the Iron Curtain-adds up to
a situation in which Russian power today, in
a basic sense runs poor second to the power of
the West, particularly American power This il
an all-1mportant fact that we ought to keep
constantly in mind. We have lately been belitthng
ourselves much too much, and the effect on
public opinion abroad has not been good one
Although the Red technique of infiitration
and subversion constitutes a serious threat the
heartening truth is that the United States and
the West as a whole have such overwhelmingly
superior strength-actually and potentally-that
they can be certain OF victory in the cold war if
they use that strength wisely and well, in unison
Among other things as far as our own country
is concerned, that means that Congress must
guard against the kind of false economy that
would slow down such vital projects as the Mar
shall Plan
Certainly, this is no time for slowing down.
With all the power that we and our friends abroad
now have, we ought to move forward with the
greatest possible vigor on every key front in
the cold war-militanty, confidently not on
note Of defensiveness, self-doubt or vacillation,
as If we were less strong than we really are