Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-23
BY PIETRO NENNI
Leader Of Italy's Leftwins Socialists

Leader Of Itaiys Lsftwins Socialists
Peaceful coexistence between East
and West Is. am convinced, pos
sihility. Although. perforce. such
coexistence win not be simple or
idyllic in nature, feel that both
Eastern and Western leaders must
do everything within their power
to make 1t q workable reality. This
amounts to saying that they should
organize the peace. and organize for
future peace as wen.
Ideologies, concentrations and
distractions must. IN my opinion,
be reduced to q minimum. ! should
like to hear less about good versus
evil. individualism versus collective
ism. Christianity versus material
ism and more and more about the
eifoft TO find real, concrete solutions
for problems which themselves are
real concrete and tangible in
nature1D
But you have asked me to pass
judgment on two specific figures in
the fields Of politics. First Of al,
let US remark that obviously one Of
these figures belongs to the domain
Of history, whereas the other Is still
alive. and in the realm Of action.
Stains story has been completed.
but Khrushehev's Is still in the
writing. and viii consequently be
subject to revision.
Shortly after the close Of the
Twentieth Party Congress. the fol-
lowing tale was making the rounds
In Moscow:
One day Q little girl said to her
mother. "Mommy, Is It true that
Stain was bad bad man?"-sYes,
its true" replied her mother,
Stain was . bad bad man.
Really bad?" continued the child.
Really bad. bad man?"-"Yes,"
answered the mother. really q bad.
bad man. n-"And what about Nikita
Serghevitch?" Queried the little girl,
els he a good or q bad mani
Sweetheart" the mother said. Il
don't know yet. but promise to ten
you three years after he dies"
Khrushchev, as ! knew him In
Yalta in 1855. is sanguine. pleas
ure-loving Ukrainian, and ! feel
sure that when he heard this story,
he must have burst into laughter.
So We must naturally reserve
judgment on Khrushchev and, In
fact. on all Of today's Soviet leaders.
Criticism Of Stain, however, can be
based on actual facts, even though
we are still awaiting the explana-
tons and the objective documenta-
ton which Russian historians prom.
Used us at the time Of the Twen-
tieth Moscow Congress.
Two CrucioI Moments
During Stains lifetime. Soviet
foreign policy traversed two special
moments Of climax. both Of them
corresponding to crucial periods in
the greatest crisis Of our era.
These two climaxes were: The
r us S o-German non-aggression
pact. signed In August, 1899, on the
eve Of the war. and the Yalta
agreements. reached in 1914 in an
ticipation Of the cessation Of hos
tilities. Both accords gave evil
dence Of Q wish to avoid taking
risks and, in the realm Of foreign
relations. Of the. intent to apply
the Stalinist theory Of socialism
IN the homeland alone.
The 1899 pact with Hitler was an
error which Europe and the Soviet
Union were to pay for with their
very blood. Had the West given
away to its fear. and accepted COM
promise with Hitler after the first /
two years Of defeat. this error might
have caused the Modification Of the
whole continent, Russia included.
This fact Is true even though in
all fairness We can no longer deny
that the parliamentary democracies
Of the West had Amply justified
Stains missivings as to their in
tentions.
Now. the Yalta agreements.
signed toward the end Of the war,
constituted In all probability the
prime achievement Of Soviet diplo-
macy. But. for all three victors,
they were a proof Of wisdom and
realistic thinking which served the
best interests Of all concerned. Per-
sonally, ] have always disagreed
with those who hold that, in Yalta.
Roosevelt allowed himself to be
outplayed by Stain.
In my opinion, 1t is q mistake
to say, as many people do, that
having won the military war, the
West lost the political war at Yalta.
In the first place, the West had
not won the struggle unaided. Sec
ondly. the division of Europe and
Of the world into zones Of iniu-
ence was at that time q necessity
dictated by logic. and neither
Roosevelt, Churchill nor Stain
could escape that fact.
We might note that, in the decade
between Yalta and his death, Stain
never once abandoned the idea of
q world cut I'm inkn zones NJ infl,,-