Evening star., 1951-12-29
The Red ImperioIists

few years back the State Department
issued publication that continues to be fasci-
mating and highly pertinent reading to this day.
Made up of German documents covering Nazi-
Soviet relations between the period of the Rib
bentrop-Molotov pact and Htler's invasion of
Russia, it throws decidedly revealing light on
the long-range world policy of the Kremlin-so
much SO that the conspiratorial tenants of that
forbdding citadel must often fret over the
knowledge that we have such information.
Thus, to the embarrassment of the Russians,
the information has recently been used to par
ticularly good effect in connection with the pro-
posed Middle East Command. The command a
purely defensive undertaking still very much in
the formative stage, is being organized-in keep
ing with the provisions of the United Nations
Charter-under the joint sponsorship of Turkey,
France, Britain and the United States But the
men of the Kremlin do not like it, and so they
have sent sharp notes vigorously protesting
against the project on the ground that nobody
is threatening that part of the world and that
hence the project itself must be regarded as an
aggressive organization" aimed against the
Soviet Union, All this has now been answered,
in similar language, by the four Allied powers,
with our own Government delivering an extra
punch by quoting directly from the documents
of the neutrality-suspicious. honeymoon period
Added to numerous other points refuting
the KremlinS arguments, the extra punch has
what amounts to a demoishing effect. For what
our note emphasizes is that as far back as
November. 1910, the Stain through
Molotov, then the Foreign Commissar-was press
ing Nazi Germany to enter upon deal divvying
up the earth in a way that would provide, among
other things d) that the U. s. s. R. be able to
establish "a base for land and naval forces"
within range of the Turkish straits and 4t2J that
"the area south of Batum and Baku in the gen.
eral direction of the Persian Gulf is recognized
the center of the aspirations of the Soviet
Union" The quotations are from the docu-
mentary evidence. What they reveal-and it is
a fact that should really surprise nobody-is
that Red Moscow has long had a driving ambi-
tion to dominate the Middle East one of the
most strategic areas of the world. ~ y9~ n
That ambition has net diminished In the
slightest in recent years. On the contrary II
has grown All the evidence-notably the
Kremlin's postwar threats and pressures against
the Turks-plainly indicates that the aims set
forth by Mootov II years ago are still the aims
of the Soviet Union aims that include not only
Turkey but also Iran and every other country
making up the Middle East. The defensive
project sponsored by the four powers is therefore
altogether in order. 1t is vitality needed for
protective purposes The trouble is however,
that it is being impeded by the wave of unrest
and unreasoning nationalism sweeping many
of the peoples in that region especially the
Egyptians and the Iranians. Certainly if they
will only think twice about the matter and pay
careful attention to the documentary evidence,
they should be less inclined to balk at CO.
operative action for mutual security.
Actually, since it covers far more than the
Middle East the documentary evidence on Nazi-
Soviet relations should be required reading for
anybody anywhere who today still labors under
the impression that warnings about the Krem-
Inns dominance seeking policy are exaggerated.
They are not exaggerated. They are based on
enough solid fact to make it imperative for all
free nations, in every threatened area of the
world, to subordinate their differences and work
together, with as much unity as possible, for
their common defense. Only in that way can
the Red imperialistslpe stopped