Milford chronicle., 1956-11-23
RUSSIAN STRATEGY

Out of the trend of events and the sue
cession of crises since the end of the last
war; pattern of Russian strategy seems to
be emerging. The Russians appear to be
engaged in global pincer movement or en-
velopment They with their Chinese ally
are entrenched in Asia. The Red army is
poised in the center of Europe With success
in Hungary, they can cowl the people of the
satellite countries. And they have begun a
penetration of the Middle East.
With these footholds, the Russians are
establishing a solid strategical position. Wes-
tern Europe divided, weak and no longer
center of power, can in these circumstances
be terrorized and possibly even conquered,
nation by nation With this happening our
position is weakened, and if it continues we
will end up as Fortress America. This may
not happen, but Americans must think about
the matter.
Politics, blackmail, threat, propaganda
and war all have been and are part of the
Soviet arsenal. The existence Of the hydro
gen bomb assists them; they can play upon
the fear and the humanity of the world. And
their power inside the Russian-dominated
regions appears too great for the, people to
revolt successfully, as the situation in Hun
gary seems to demonstrate.
If the SOVietS are now unqueStiOned mas
ters of Hungary, and if they become arbiters
of the Middle East, this means that they pos
sess the initiative and can press forward
again. A big prize in new advance would
be West Germany. especially the Ruhr. For
with the Ruhr they would be in a position to
tip the industrial balance against the West.
All this is written, not to cause alarm but
rather to emphasize that Americans must
now think and act in the best way to assure
the survival of the free world.
&Z@&S
CuOp EAPIv
Each year about this time merchants be-
gin to advise us to "Buy early-and avoid
the Christmas rush" That is always good
advice. And this year, it would seem, it is
better than ever. For, according to the
Chamber of Commerce of the United States,
Christmas sales, auto sales excluded, will
total more than seven per cent above those
of the 1855 season, for new all-time record.
The dollar total for November and Decem-
ber is forecast at $31.1 billion. The Chamber
also observed that the 1856 retail boom is
healthier than last years, rejecting a more
normal expansion in population and person
al income.
This season the millions of people who
flock through Americas retail stores, in
search of either holiday gifts or the routine
things we buy at all seasons, will be offered
an almost bewildering assortment of wares
from which to choose. They will see the best
and most attractive standards of display,
sanitation, advertising ard promotion. They
will, with few exceptions, be met by friend
ly, courteous and helpful sales people They
will-unless their wants are unusual indeed
find exactly what they are looking for
And they would do wellAto consider what has
made all this abundance possible The most
important force in that has been the COM
petitive, free enterprise system, in which
no one has monopoly on anything, and in
which the rewards go to those whe please
the public most, and who offer the best value
for the dollar.