Evening star., 1951-05-13
Japan and the KremIin

NOW GLlaC Gne OulCeQ STATES, BRITAIN anu =
number of other minded powers are nearing
agreement on japanese peace treaty, the Soviet
Union has once again put in It's two cents worth
in an effort to muddle up everything It's OBJ
structionist maneuver is so obvious, however,
and has been tried so often and so unsuccess-
fully in the past, that even the men Of the
Kremlin must suspect that 1t can accomplish
nothing beyond irritating or boring the free
world
As set forth in long note delivered to
American Ambassador Kirk in Moscow, what the
Russians propose is that we and the other CO.
operating nations drop our present treaty
drafting negotiations and turn the whole problem
over to a Big Four Pacific Conference The
members of this conference would be Britain
the United States, the Soviet Union and none
other than Communist China. They alone would
have the final say-so on peace settlement for
Japan and their decisions would have to be
reached on the basis of unanimity.
In other words, the Kremlin's latest proposal
which is simply repetition Of previously re-
jected demands-asks for nothing less than that
the non-Soviet nations cancel out the great
progress they have made toward a Japanese
peace treaty. AS matters stand now, the chances
seem very good that the treaty will be ready for
signing within the next few months. This is
something that the Russians do not like They
want to delay the project. They want to stall
and sabotage it. So they insist that they and
the Chinese Communists must have major de-
Gliding voices In the settlement, each with the
power to veto whatever terms may be acceptable
to the overwhelming majority
This, Of course, has been the Kremlin's line
throughout the postwar period. Back in July,
1947, for example, in an effort to promote prog
reSs toward a settlement, the great majority of
the multi nation Far Eastern iScio,,
posed that Japanese treaty be drafted on the
basis of an affirmative vote by thirds of the
commissions members The Russians, however
turned thumbs down on the idea, demanding
as they still demand-that they be granted the
right to veto anything that might be agreed
upon by the negotiators. In short Just as in
Austria and Germany, they want to be in a
position where they can either paralyze the
proceedings on Japan or impose terms designed
to help them get control of that country.
Further, with Red Peiping echoing it, the
Moscow propaganda machine has been at pains
to warn that the Kremlin will regard as illegal"
and invalid" any treaty that is drafted and
signed without the full participation and agree
ment of the Soviet Union and Communist China
In reply to this, the United States, backed by
the cooperating powers, has emphasized that
1t welcomes the participation of the Russians
but will never concede that they have "a per-
petual power to veto" the conclusion of Japa-
nese settlement by countries willing and qualified
to join in negotiating one.
This view has now been heavily under
scored by the State Departments informal, nose
thumbing response to the Kremlins proposal for
Pacific Conference. In the words of depart
ment spokesman, such conference-which would
give the Russians double veto (their own and
Red Chinas)-would be "mockery" Well and
rightly said Sooner or later the Soviet dicta-
torship ought to get the idea that the free
nations are not going to be deferred by Its
obstructonism