Evening star., 1954-05-28
Soviet Wedge-DriNing

Speaking through Pravda and Izvestia, the
Kremlin has fred yet another salvo in its un-
ceasing propaganda offensive to shatter the
common defensive front of the Western powers.
This time it has concentrated its efforts on the
British. In effect, using relatively sweet words,
1t has called upon them to- abandon their pres
ent foreign policy, stand aloof from the United
States, and hitch their wagon to the Soviet star
for the sake Of peace, security and prosperity.
This latest Of Moscow's divisive appeals has
been made in connection with the 18th anniver-
sary of the Anglo-Soviet treaty of friendship
and alliance. Taking note of the fact that the
treaty now has only eight more years to run, the
Kremlin's two chief mouthpieces have sug-
gested that the Malenkov regime might be re-
ceptive to the idea Of extending the pact's
duration to cover a much longer period. But
the price for such an extension apparently
would be nothing less than a willingness by
Britain to give up its present vital role in the
interallied effort to safeguard the security of
the free world.
At any rate, as indicated in Pravda and
1zvestia, the Kremlin wants the British to do
the following: Q) Stop cooperating with the
United States in banning the shipment Of stra-
tegic goods to the world behind the Iron Cur
tain; CD withdraw its support from the pro-
jected Six-nation European Defense Community:
CD quit the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
in its present form or back up the Soviet I'm
ions rather fantastic bid to become member
Of that alliance against Red aggression; and
az join hands with the U. S. s. r. in joint
effort to work out an all-inclusive security pact
for the whole Of Europe.
In other words in exchange for paper prom
ises Of non-aggression and highly dubious
prospect Of a great increase in profitable trade
with the Soviet empire, the Kremlin would have
the British follow course whose only effect
would be to break up the Western alliance. Ger
tainly, it takes little imagination to visualize
what would happen to that alliance If the Lon
don government were to adopt the Pravda-
Izvestia suggestions and undertake to do such
things as press for Russia's entry into NATO
as full member-a Trojan-horse member con-
spring for the effective subversion and hquida-
ton Of the Atlantic community
OF course, all this seems almost too pre-
posterous to be worth serious attention. Yet,
even though the British can be counted upon to
scorn it because of its fraudulence and because
their own future as free people is inextricably
intertwined with ours in partnership indis-
pensable to our two countries, the men Of the
Kremlin still persist in trying to drive wedges
between us to split us apart And they still
persist in doing the same thing-with monu-
mental lies and palpably ridiculous proposals.
in the case Of the French and our other friends
and allies throughout the globe.
Why? The answer must be that the Soviet
rulers have a real hope that they will eventually
succeed in sowing enough confusion and dis
cord to bring about fatal weakening Of the
West Accordingly, to frustrate that hope, our
interallied world should feel a great and press
ing compulsion to do everything possible to ease
the strains and seal the assures now troubling
it. Otherwise the wedge-drivers may attain
their grim objective.