Evening star., 1951-08-12

Every one is familiar with Stain
as "the great leader" In a broad
cast on Russian air force day on
July a poem was read in which
was this line: Stain, the hope Of
all humanity. the symbol Of peace.
is the guiding light of humanity"
The speaker said that the glorious
victories of World War II were
achieved by the wise leadership of
the Bolshevik Party and "the incom-
parable superiority of Soviet state
and social organization"
On Navy day. July 80, the Russian
radio broadcast a Pravda editorial
which ended: Long live the great
Lenin-Stalin party, inspirer and or
ganizer of our victories. Glory to our
leader and teacher. Generalissimo
Stalin."
The Germans, of course, stressed
their superiority as people and the
superiority of their culture. Culture
justifies the conquest Of those lack
ing it. One of the Nazi culture
claims sounds extraordinarily Soviet
these days. 1t concerned one Martin
Behaim, German renaissance fig
ure, known as the designer of one of
the earliest globes. Since Columbus
could not have discovered America
without globe, the Germans argued.
Behaim must have been here before
Columbus.
Russia, too, goes in for culture and
boasts of its cultural and scientific
achievements. Russians, naturally.
have invented everything. Russian
radio listeners were told last month
that one Polzunov invented the steam
engine, the foundations for steam
ships were laid in Russia, a Russian
invented the airplane in 1880.
The Germans, trying to SOW dis
cord among her enemies, told the
French they were colony of Eng
land, told the Russians that their
soldiers were being sacrificed for the
British Empire. told the British their
seamen were being drowned because
President Roosevelt made them sail
through submarine-infested waters.
Do They Believe 1t?
The Russians ring changes on these
themes. Western Europe. they say,
is producing cannon fodder for Amer
ican imperialists. Britain is being oc-
cupied by American airmen who are
"hooligans" A Russian broadcast in
French said: "The militarization of
France and the ruin of the French
taxpayer brings astronomical profits
to the United States monopolies."
1t may be objected that much OF
the Russian propaganda is unbeliev-
able and could easily be contradicted
with the simple truth. But is it unbe-
lievable to the Russian masses? And
can the truth reach them?
Propaganda, said Hitler in ''Mein
Kampf," has to conf1ne itself to lit
tie and to repeat this eternally. 1.-The
masses, with their inertia he said,
always need a certain time before
they are ready even to notice thing.
and they will lend their memories
only to the thousandfold repetition
of the most simple ideas
The spiritual level of propaganda,
he said elsewhere in the book, "has
to be screwed the lower the greater
the number of people one wants to
attract"
Our reactions to the story the Rus
sian radio told its listeners about
the little dog Toby" whose owner,
a mad American woman, left it $75
million and a house on Fifth avenue
full of servants. is that the story is
toe silly for even the Russians to
expect their masses to believe.
But the Russians have been told
time and again that we are gov
erned by a ruling class of rapacious
and selfish millionaires. In this story
they are told that this is what hap
pens in imperialistic America-a dog
sleeps on a golden bed and children
and workers roam the streets In
search of a crust.
The Russians don't care II we
laugh at 1t so long as their people
get the desifSd impression Of u.s.