Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-03-10
MuIenkov on Peace

In his Grafton at Stains funeral-hiS first
public speech as the new chief of the Kremlin's
hierarchy-Georgi Maenkov has been at pains
to assert over and over again that the prime
objective of Soviet foreign policy is to prevent
another world war and promote peace among
all nations.
What makes this assertion seem particu-
larly interesting is that Malenkov has placed
considerably more emphasis on it than on any
other subject discussed in his speech. DomeSti-
cally, as if having in mind internal discomfort
or division of some kind, he has Cd promised
ito strive for further improvement in the ma
terial welfare" of the masses, (2) called for q
strengthening of unity and friendship" among
the various ethnic groups in the multi-national
Soviet Union, and 90 laid down the line that
the countryS Communists--in addition to hav-
ing to merge their wills in the will and wishes
of the party"-must not neglect their 'unbreak-
able bonds with the Russian people as whole.
But these and similar home-front matters,
significant as they appear to be, have been
subordinated to the peace theme of the address.
Thus, while making little more than pass
ing reference to the sacred duty to strengthen
by every means the mighty Soviet armed forces"
Malenkov has devoted relatively the major part
of his funeral grafton to declarations processing
his regimes resolve to do nothing to provoke
armed conflict with the West or the free world
in general Instead, the Soviet Union-which
has invariably" championed the cause of peace
will continue to struggle against the prep
aration and unleaShing of a new war;" 1t will
do so, according to him, by seeking "interna-
tional cooperation and development of business
relations with all countries, policy based on
the Lenin-Stalin premise of the possibility of
prolonged co-existence and peaceful COMPETE
ton of two different systems, capitalist and
socialist"
To that end, speaking for himself and his
collaboratorS, Malenkov has declared that "our
main care consists in not permitting new war
and in living in peace with all countrieS"-the
kind of peace all nations "thirst for" peace
based on mutual trust, operative and sup
ported by facts and confirmed by facts" These
are fair words, and if they could be taken at
face value, they would be exceedingly encourage
ing. Unfortunately, however, Stains successor
has coupled with them glowing statements
about the stubborn battle" of the heroic"
North Koreans, the courageous" fight Of the
Communist guerrillas in Indo- China, and the
eternal indestructible" quality of Soviet
Chinese friendship. Although he has referred
only to the peoples" involved rather than to
the Red regimes themselves "a curious and pos
sibly significant fact), he has said nothing to
suggest any intention to stop the fighting and
dying in Asia.
Nevertheless, whether to reassure the Rus
sian people, or to hold out genuine olive
branch, or merely to delude everybody with
soothing propaganda, Malenkov has been most
emphatic in proclaiming the Kremlins desire
for peace, and he has refrained entirely from
the usual Soviet practice of heaping vitupera-
ton on "warmongering Anglo-American i'm
perialists" To that extent, his speech has
somewhat conciliatory tone. But it is only
speech, after all. 1t can mean nothing, it can
lead to nothing, unless and until it is followed
up by concrete evidence of good faith-such as
evidence of sincere wish to negotiate an hon.
orable armistice in Korea and to 60 on from
there to ease tensions elsewhere in Asia and
throughout the globe.
Certainly, until there are convincing Soviet
moves in that direction, it will be sheer cyn1-
cism, cruel burlesque of the worlds hopes, for
men like Malenkov to talk about mutual trust,
operative and supported by facts and confirmed
by facts" For the facts as they stand today
rule out such trust and they will continue to
do so as long as the Krennln clings to its peace
h1iphtino nolicV