Evening star., 1951-02-18
State Department Hit,
Stain 'Misstatement'
As 0bscuring Facts
By John N. Hiehtower
AhAsneinAad nrnsr SAnGE ANr;I.r

~Assoeioted Press Stoft Writer
The State Department last night
branded Prime Minister Stains
latest pronouncement as lone
more misstatement" and said it
cannot obscure the fact of Soviet
responsibility for aggression" 3.
mo man alive knows better
than Prime Minister Stalin," the
department added in a statement,
''who was behind the Communist
aggression in Korea"
The statement, issued by Press
Officer Michael McDermott, as
serted that stain and his asso-
ciates have the power to remove
the threat of war if they will,
and said there is universal belief
that the dangers in the world to-
day come from the Kremlin.
This was the first official State
Department reaction to Stalin's
statement in an interview in
Pravda that the United Nations is
booming itself to disintegration,
with the United States leading it
toward war.
Facts Well Established"
Mr.. McDermott said the facts
OF Soviet armament and RESPONSE
bility for aggression are too we'll
established for the truth to be
obscured by one more misstate-
nent."
On Capitol Hill, Chairman Con-
nally of the Senate Foreign Rcla-
tions Committee, said in state
ment:
"Inasmuch as there won't be
an all-out war unless Stain starts
it. particularly noted his state
ment that war is not inevitable.
If he means what he says, let
him now back up his word with
actions to reduce international
tensions and remove the fear of
Communist aggression that per-
vades much of the world"
Chairman Vinson of the House
Armed Services Committee said
yesterday that Stalin's statement
means this country must get
prepared as soon as possible to
defend itself"
Soviet People Feel Isolation.
The State Department ad-
vanced both domestic and inter-
national political reasons to ex-
plain why Stain issued the
interview at this particular time.
1t was suggested that the people
Of Russia feel "keenly the isola-
ton into which their rulers have
forced them" and that Stain was
seeking to prove again that all
the world is out of STEP"
1t was also suggested that the
interview Stalins first major
pronouncement on world affairs in
two years-might have been is
sued now to lay down line for
the gathering of the World Peace
Council, Soviet-sponsored group,
at Berlin February 21-24.
Furthermore, the State Depart
ment said the recent outbreak Of
Communist purges in Czecho-
slovakia and defections from the
Communist Party in Italy show
dissatisfaction with Soviet policy"
which may have helped prompt
the interview at this juncture.
Text of Statement.
Here is the text of the State De-
partment comment:
THE fact of Soviet armament
and responsibility for aggression
are too well established for the
truth to be obscured by one more
misstatement. No man alive
knows better than Prime Minister
Stain who was behind the Com
munist aggression in Korea.
THE only new feature in the
interview is the indication that
Marshal Stain now agrees with
us that the cause of world tension
does not center in Germany as
the Soviet government has been
contending. Marshal Stain alleges
many other causes of tension but
does not mention Germany.
There are number of ap-
parent reasons why Marshal Stain
himself might feel it necessary to
set up an interview with Pravda
at this time Among other things
he is laying down the lines for
the next gathering of his So
called 'partisans of peace
Moreover, the spate of purges
and defections within the Com
munist world shows the dissatis-
faction with Soviet policy. We may
be sure that the people of the
Soviet Union feel keenly the isola-
tion into which their rulers have
forced them; hence the necessity
for Marshal Stain to try to prove
again that all the world is out of
step. This is clearly an attempt
to regain lost ground.
However, we can hope that the
way Marshal Stain has vented his
anger on so many nations-all the
North Atlantic powers, the Amer