Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-03
MoIotov's Old Refrain

Judging from the news stories, Foreign
Minister Molotovs plan for Germany has sur
prised and shocked more than few observers
at the Big Four conference in Berlin But such
a reaction seems unrealistic, for the plan is old
stuff and its latest presentation is quite IN
keeping with the propaganda put out by the
Kremlin as prelude to the current talks. So
there is nothing particularly startling or dis
maying in what Mr.. Molotov has said. He has
simply repeated himself once again, and as
long as he does that there will be no real
reason for surprise or shock of any Kind,
pleasant or unpleasant. There will be reason
only for boredom-and for continuing allied
unity and preparedness in the teeth of Soviet
intranSigence.
Actually, the Western foreign ministers
Mr.. Bidault Of France, Mr.. Eden of Britain and
Mr.. Dulles of the United States-entered the
conference fully expecting Mr.. Molotov to speak
as he has just spoken. They have expressed
the hope, however, and presumably they still
feel the same way, that his initial speeches
uncompromising though they sound-will be
followed in due course by proposals constructive
and acceptable enough to make possible at
least a little progress toward agreement before
the Berlin meetings come to close. If they
can accomplish only that much, they will be
satisfied. Meanwhile, as the talks go on, they
remain sufficiently hardened by past experience
not to be astounded or upset by the fact that
the Kremlin seems determined to offer nothing
but the phony bill of goods 1t has been trying
to sell ever since the end of the Second World
War.
AS for the Molotov discourse on Germany,
Mr. Dulles, although speaking for himself, has
effectively summed up the general Western
reaction in these words &c. while can keep
awake indefinitely under the stimulus of new
ideas, find it very difficult to keep alert when
an old refrain is played time after time after
time" And he has gone on from there to
attack the plan for what it really is-a thread
bare fraud that would permit the Germans to
unite only under conditions that would insure
the eventual communication of their country as
a Soviet satellite. In addition, as has been
shown dozens of times before, it is fraud that
would require the free West to render itself
helpless against the menace of Red aggression
by scrapping the projected European Defense
Community and by doing such other things
as abandoning military bases essential to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
In sum, this stale plan would enable Red
Russia to proceed, step by step, toward the
ultimate conquest of all of free Europe. Need
less to say, it is totally unacceptable plan.
Needless to say, too, the Berlin conference will
end in complete Illustration unless Mr.. Molotov
submits something less absurd before the day
of adjournment Still, nobody should be either
surprised or shocked by this prospect 1t has
long been the central problem of our time, and
it will be with us until the day comes-if it
ever comes-when the Soviet Union makes up
its mind to stop blocking the road to decent
peace. In the meantime, of course, the West,
If 1t wishes to survive, must hold fast together
in state Of armed vigilance.