Evening star., 1951-08-31
Prelude to Fireworks

Although they have followed it up immedi-
ately with long pieces about how the Soviet
Union has "a deep and sincere desire for the
building OF firm peace and normal business
relations with all states" Moscow's newspaper
using almost identical words and acting, of
course, on the Kremlin's orders-have cut loose
with a laundering editorial broadside against
the United States and its "imperialist ruling
circles" Concentrated largely on American
policy in the Far Eastern area, the attack seems
to have been timed as kind of overture to the
fireworks Andrei Gromyko is expected to set off
at next weeks San Francisco conference on the
Japanese treaty.
Thus with typical Communist mendacity and
Savagery, the attack has lashed out at American
imperialSts" for wrapping themselves in the
flag of the United Nations" and drowning "the
peaceful country of Korea in blood" And 1t
has gone on from there to declare that General
Ridgway and his u. N. commandment the Red
representative deliberately provoked "inci-
dents" to impede and suspend the cease-fire
talks at Kaesong. And why has this been done?
According to the Kremlin's editorial mouthpieces,
the answer is at once simple and obvious: It
has been done because "the ruling circles of the
United States want to maintain their armies in
Korea in order, at a suitable moment, to carry
out their aggressive plans against the Soviet
Union and the Chinese Peoples Republic"
BY indirection, just as it did last November
after the Chinese Communists criminal inter-
vention in Korea, the strictly controlled Russian
press has thus once again given voice to the
somewhat threatful reminder that Moscow and
Peiping have 30-year pact Of friendship, alli-
ance and mutual assstance-a pact signed in
1949 to supplant the similar 30-year agreement
that the Kremlin, with monumental but char
acteristic bad faith. signed in 1945 with the
Mo- ooli or nf Kai- Tn
terms of the present situation in Asia, the pact's
most significant feature is that it pledges the
Soviet Union and Red China to immediate mill
tary cooperation In case either is attacked by
japan or by any country allied in aggression
with Japan. Accordingly, considered against this
background and against the fact that we are
going to have post-occupation defensive arrange
ments with the Japanese, the latest attack on
the aggressive plans" of American imperial
lists" tends to be omnously suggestive, even
though it may actually be nothing but empty
bluff and bluSter.
At any rate, no one should be surprised If
Andrei Gromyko uses the San Francisco confer
ence to enlarge upon the Soviet press assault
with propaganda like the following: Cd AS the
Kremlin'S spokesmen have charged in the past,
the United States is remilitarizing the Japanese,
and Japan is already participating in the Korean
war by providing our forces with bases, naval
facilities and transport services; (2) by main
tanning armies in Korea, American ruling
crcles"-who will be allied with Japan
result of the pending peace treaty-are really
threatening Red China and Russia; 60 the ex
istence of the Moscow-Peiping pact should not
be forgotten: a. if the KaeSong talks collapse
completely, and hostilities are resumed on an
expanded scale, that pact (Gromyko may just
hint at this) may be put into force should
Manchuria be attacked; and (5) to bring about
the general pacification of Asia, the San Fran
cisco meeting should draw up a brandnew
settlement for HirohitoS shattered empire and
do whatever it can to promote an end to the
Korean conflict.
1t is hazardous of course, to make any pre-
else predictions about what the Soviet delegation
will do. On the basis of experience up to now,
however, the world has good reason to expect
propaganda mixture of honeyed words, veiled
threats and pure vitriol, all designed to blacken
the United States, weaken the will of the u N
in Korea and upset the present treaty-Signing
plan in way that would eventually enable the
Kremlin to have the kind of Japan it wants.
Concevably, Andrei Gromyko's behavior may
turn out to be relatively pleasant, but right now
nothing could seem more improbable than that
AS indicated by Moscows press, our own and like
minded nations should be prepared for real
trouble at San Francisco.
Ramemhey Tint 18th Innin07