Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-18


trade offensive cannot be viewed
as a bluff.
Behind it stands a powerful
Soviet industrial machine turn
ing out in increasing quantities
the Sinews of peace and war
fuels. raw materials, machines,
ornaments, and everything else
that goes to make modern
nations mighty.
It's true enough that Soviet
leadership is making exceedingly
clever propaganda use of each
new step it takes in the foreign
trade and economic field. While
Soviet trade officials conclude
deals to buy and sell from non
Communist countries. there
emerges from Moscow and from
sources abroad in sympathy with
Soviet trade aims a hail of
statements, announcements, and
offers or hints of offers designed
to impress the world with Soviet
Willingness to do big business.
There's little doubt that behind
this large scale Soviet effort
there stands a brilliant master
mind.
Armenian Behind Plan.
The man is small, sharp, tough,
able AnaStase Mikoyan. Mikoyan
Is an Armenian. He comes of
talented stock. His brother is the
designer of the famous MIG
plane.
Anastase Mikoyan has run So
Wet foreign and domestic trade
for years. He has the title of dep
uty premier of the U. S. S. r.
and minister of trade. Last fall
he was dislodged as minister of
foreign and domestic trade when
this ministry was divided and
Mikoyan was left with the do
nestle half. 1t looked then as
though he would have little
to do with the foreign trade field.
But in Moscow nowadays as bust
ness deals accumulate, he's very
much in evidence and his con-
tinued authority over Soviet for
eign economic relations is clear.
Under him is a Soviet top-level
executive. known as a genius for
organization of complex business.
He is Ivan Kabanov, put in this
Job after heading successfully the
large electrical industry which
made possible development of
Soviet Atomic energy, and then
later the Soviet industrial ma
terials priorities agency-known
as "GOSSNAB"-a war produc-
ton board.
There's been a lot of con-
fusion in the Western world
and in the United States over
what the Soviet foreign trade
drive really means Some re-
sponSible citizens have claimed
1t reflects primarily Soviet do
nestle economic difficulties, thus
tntimating that the Russians are
having serious troubles at home.
Basic Motive Political.
But the developments of the
last half-month reveal clearly
that while there Is economic
need behind Soviet efforts to
expand foreign trade. the fun
damenta1 motive is political.
To put it simply, the Russians
have been jealous for years of
the international economic power
and authority of the United
States. They would have liked
to offer a Soviet Marshall plan
to counter the American foreign
aid program. But at the time
they were helpless. Recovering
from a devastating war, they
even had to extort reparations
from neighboring nations, to
seek aid from UNRRA, to rig
trade deals with the satellites
80 that it was the U. S. S. r.
which got the maximum benefit.
For years Soviet leaders had
to keep quiet while they watched
most Of the free world look to
America for economic assistance
and leadership.
Loan to Finland.
And they knew better than
any one else how important a
factor this American economic