Evening star., 1951-07-30
Our Great Chance

IL Tie OOVleC UNION ndQ QefnODl1Zed aIter
the Second World War, if it had lived up to
the solemn pledges made at Yalta and else
where, if it had embarked on course of honest
cooperation in the United Nations for the
building of a good and enduring peace, human
ity today would be moving forward into what
could well be the brightest epoch in its history
But the Soviet Union chose otherwise While
the United States and the entire Western world
displaying a naive faith in the good intentions
of everybody, recklessly disarmed to the point
OF relative defenselessnesS, the Stain dictator
ship maintained huge armies In combat readi-
ness and dedicated itself to building up massive
submarine and air power plainly designed for
offensive purposes.
At the same time, in brazen violation of
all its pledged words, it subverted nearly
dozen once-independent lands-from the Baltic
states and Poland westward to Czechoslovakia-
and dragged them behind the Iron Curtain. AS
for the U. NJ, the men of the Kremlin sys-
tematically sabotaged or vetoed its every effort
such as the effort to control the atomic estab-
lish peace guaranteeing genuine collective
security. Finally, in addition to unleaShing an
unprecedented and ceaseless campaign of vitu-
perat1on and monStrous, hate-incting lies
against our own country in particular and the
free world in general they made clear their
they gave their puppets the go-ahead signal
for armed aggression in Korea. ~
1t is because of all this, because this menace
has grown rather than diminished, that the
United States and its Allies are now engaged
belatedly-in a great and costly program to
rearm and organize a powerful common front
designed to counterbalance and hold in check
the Soviet Unions tremendous armed forces
That is why the cease-fire talks in Korea must
not be allowed to lull our world into slowing
down on what 1t is doing. For the truth is, as
the President declared in Detroit on Saturday,
that whether or not the talks succeed, whether
or not they lead to an acceptable settlement
over there, we must keep on reckoning with the
grim fact that the men of the Kremlin, oper-
ating in theaters spread throughout the globe,
are putting their own and their puppets mill
tary strength into positions where they can
commit new acts of aggression at any time"
One OF the most ominous examples of this threat
can be found in satellite Bulgaria, Romania and
Hungary, whose treaty-violating armies-buit
up by the Russians-are poised for action and
appear to be preparing for an attack on
Yugoslavia.
In such a situation, in this age of atomic
weapons and intercontinental bombers, it is OBJ
vious that we and like minded nations can be
secure only to the extent that we are powerful
enough to make the Stain dictatorship realize
that it will be courting disaster for itself if it
holds fast to the course it has been following
ever since WI day. So it is imperative that
we become truly formidable. Common sense de-
mands that. The fundamental law of self
preservation demands it. For although we NAV
hope and believe, as the President has said
that we will not have to use the armed might
we are developing, although our aim is to put
an end to war, Our great chance lies in building
up such strength and unity among the free
nations that the Kremlin will have to drop its
plans for aggression and subversion"
In the Presidents words, when we reach
that point, there can be peace between the
Soviet Union and the rest of the world They
can have peace any time they want it." OF
course there can be no guarantee that the build
up of our own allied military power will deter
the men of Kremlin from new adventures in
war-breeding aggression, but it certainly should
tend to give them pause, especially in view of
the doubtful loyalties and growing restiveness
within their satellite empire
After all, if the free world with its incom-
parable manpower and industrial resources, sue
ceeds in organizing genuinely powerful common
front-an impregnable front capable of inflict-
ing total defeat on any aggressor-what will it
profit the Red totalitarians to challenge it? Let
us get on with the task before us. It holds out
real promise that war can be prevented and the
Kremlin persuaded to cooperate, eventually in
building good peace.
d. H.~LT~ Il a. Gil @-IsL.