Evening star., 1955-11-20

which begins next April. It has
been estimated that India will fall
short of paying for her projected
programs by some 81 billion to SIS
billion. The gap is to be covered
by floating loans.
Only the Soviet Union or the
United States has the capacity TO
lift India out of this predicament.
BY discreetly letting the United
States know Of her shortage on the
eve Of the Soviet leaders visit. New
Delhi now finds itself in much the
same position as Cairo. The worlds
two big rivals have an unwritten
invitation to bid for the privilege
Of coming to India's aid.
Some American policymakers
were nervously waiting for the
explosion from New Delhi when
Comrades Bulganin and Khrushchev
make some high-sounding loan
offer.
Effects Of Red Loon
A loan from the Communists
could have two important effects:
First. it could build up popular
pressures heavy enough to force
Mr.. Nehru farther into the Soviet
sphere Of influence than he intends.
Second, 1t could be used as an
opening wedge for subversion. Steel
plants and tractor factories need
Russian technicians who would
train Indian operators. That is the
kind of an entree that intelligence
agencies dream about.
What applies to India applies
elsewhere in the third force" areas
of Asia and the Middle East. The
controlled Soviet economy can well
afford such transactions. especially
since repayment OF the loans Is In
commodities Russia can use. Fur
thermore. few OF the outlays are Of
large magnitude. Afghanistan,
for instance, has cost the Soviet
Union an estimated SIS million so
far, compared with SGT million con-
tributed by the United States. Yet
while the backward mountain king
dom is not yet a Red satellite. her
orientation is swinging significantly
in Moscow's direction.
Washington observers. impressed
with the swiftness of Moscow's
moves into the Middle East and
South Asia, would not be surprised
to see a similar bid for Japan.
too, although here there probably
would be an awkward problem OF
coordination with Red China,
which seems to have captured the
leadership OF the Japanese Com
munist Party.
Red Chinese Expansion
Peiping, for It's part, is playing a
quiet game Of expansion of her own
in the Far East. Singapore is be-
lieyed by some to be ripening for a
Czecnosloyakia-type coup d'etat.
Southern Wet Nam and tiny Laos
are by no means free Of the Peiping
threat. And the buildup around
Formosa and the offshore islands
continues.
Red Chinese military leaders still
speak passionately Of taking For
mosa. ITO undertake this sacred
mission :. !" Defense Minister
Peng Teh-huai says, 1--WE must
speedily build up powerful, mod
ernized armed forces. We must
have not only mighty army but
also q mighty air force and q
mighty navy"
The United States has programs
to combat both Communist threats,
economic as well as military. But
both the foreign aid and defense
programs are at levels the Soviet
Union seemingly intends to top or
at least force higher. The danger
is not that the United States econ
ony cannot more than match the
Soviet Unions, but that it will un-
derestimate the threat.
Friday night Secretary of State
John Foster Dulles. reporting on
his troubles at Geneva, told the
Nation that no radical revision OF
either the mutual security linclud-
Ing foreign add or defense pro-
grams is needed. Their general
order Of magnitude can remain "a