Evening star., 1952-03-30
Red Economics
The Soviets, Of All People, Are Stoeing
BIG Foreign Trode Porley This Week
By Belmont Fories

~ UetmC
Soviet propagandists, who don't
mind using capitalist idea to serve
Communist purpose. are all set to
proclaim that what the world needs
is more foreign trade.
An international Economic Com
ference. opening Thursday In Mos
COW. win provide the forum. Some
400 delegates from all parts Of the
world viii discuss ways of increasing
international trade for the benefit of
all concerned particularly Soviet
Russia.
Elimination Of governmental re-
strictions on the free now Of goods
Is the goal, program which sounds
more like Adam Smith than Karl
Marx. But it is q rather one-sided
form of free trade the Russians have
in mind. They want other govern
ments to stop interfering with deals
made by their nationals with Soviet
trade authorities.
Few Big Names
Although delegations viii be on
hand from oil Of the Western ma
tions. big names are likely to BE-
scarce. The meeting has been de-
nounced by Secretary Of State Ache
son as . propaganda move. and most
Of our Allies have fallen into line,
more or less willingly. with the United
States stand.
The Russians win exploit the con-
ference's propaganda value to the
full. Of course. but the meeting has
an important practical value for them
as well. The Soviet bloc needs ma
chinery and raw materials from the
West. and is prepared to make what
ever deals are necessary to get these
things. The security controls inn
posed on exports to Russia obviously
are beginning to hurt.
Advance publicity has been careful
to disassociate the conference, obvi-
ously Communist In inspiration, from
the Soviet government. The original
suggestion for the meeting seems to
have been made more than q year
ago by the World Peace Council, the
Communist organization which pro-
NOTED the Stockholm peace appeal.
Ex-Americon Plonned Il
Planning has been in the hands Of
DR.. Oscar Lange, former University
Of Chicago professor. who gave up his
American citizenship to become Am
baSsador to the United States from
Communist Poland. AS chairman of
the preparatory commission for the
conference. he set up Offices In Copen-
hagen last October and sent out thou
sands Of invitations. AcceptanceS
have been . little disappointing.
The initiating committee outlined
the purpose Of the conference in
these terms:
THE conference will discuss the
present state Of affairs in the field Of
international trade and will work to-
remove the difficulties existing In this
field. 1t will study ways and means
OF extending international trade rela-
tionS and diminishing the economic
difficulties which many countries have
experienced of late. The conference
will consider how the development of
normal trade relations between coun-
tries and the expansion Of foreign
trade can help extend production, in
crease employment and reduce the
cost of living. Among other things,
it will consider extending trade be-
tween East and West, and between
the economically developed and the
underdeveloped countries"
No Politics
Delegates were to be manufac-
turers. businessmen, economists,
trades union and cooperative leaders
and representatives Of honest" COR
porations. The committee said reas-
Suringly it had no intention of call
ing such delegates from Britain,
France and the United States to pro-
pose that they approve of the Soviet
system; nor did it propose to suggest
to representatives of Poland or Czech
oslovakia that they accept capitalism.
Secretary .Acheson didn't see the
matter in just that light. He charged
that the conference was stratagem
to lure unsuspecting men of good
reputation to the meetings ito mis-
use their names and their public
standing"
Sponsors of the conference, he said,
hoped to organize pressufes In nom