Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-10
Disturbed by Brown

ciate reading the well-inter-
preted news and comments on
the editorial page of The Eve
ming Star. the leading news
paper Of our Nations Capital,
and also many of your colum-
nists.
But when I read the article
by Constantine Brown. "On
Getting Along With Soviets"
December 10. 1850. I was
both astonished and disturbed.
This distinguished columnist,
whose penetrating criticism of
communism has always met
with my approval. unexpectedly
asserts that the Soviet policy
is only a continuation of the
old Russian policy of before
the revolution. Criticizing
President Eisenhower's advisers
and Prime Minister Nehru, he
writes: They "are over
looking basic historical facts
that the Russians have
triggered, so far, two world
wars" He continues; World
War l resulted from the assas-
Sination of the Archduke Fran
els Ferdinand the murderer
"a Serbian student, Princip
-. was only the inStru-
ment of the Pan Slav move
ment sponsored by St. Peters,
burg it was the Russian
minister in Belgrade, Count
(sic) Hartvig. who financed
and encouraged the plot to
murder the Austrian Archduke
-. this triggered World War l,
as the men around Gar Mich
olaS knew It would. 1t resulted,
as is obvious now :. in a per-
manent disaster for the whole
world. II established com
muniSnt in Russia emphasis
mine and slgnaled the be-
ginning of the war on Western
civilization.
So we are informed that not
tie Communists but Imperial
Russia was the chief culprit
who established communism"
and started two world wars
on Western civilization.
A really startling discovery.
1t reminds me of similar inter-
pretations in the Soviet press
explaining their policy of the
peoples democracy"
In order to re-eStablish COR
rect understanding of the facts
l feel myself obliged to repeat
my explanations concerning a
similar article Of Mr.. Browns,
which appeared in The Star
of November Is, 1855. on the
same theme.
Then l wrote: II cannot
agree that the inspiration to
assassinate Archduke Francis
Ferdinand came from St. Pc
tersburg. nor let pass the
statement that Hartvig fl
nanced' the terroristic- nation
allst organization to which
Princip belonged" And /
added: THE imperial Russian
government not only did not
want war, but it was particu-
larry reluctant to the idea of
a war with Austria backed by
Germany. Mr.. Hartvig
(whom l succeeded in Bel
grade) did his best to prevent
Serbia from being pushed into
what might have been a fatal
war. Even when the rul-
ers in Vienna were ready TO
launch an attack against Ser
bia the Russian government
advised Serbia not to retail
ate but to entrust her fate
to the great powers interest
ed in the conflict" Not In
perial Russia but Germany
triggered World War /.
My letter was printed in The
Star on December 3, 1855. and
! am sorry that it escaped the
attention of Mr.. Brown, or
was ignored. That is why, in
the interest of truth, / beg you
to be so kind as to print this,
my second answer.
National Russia and the
Russian people were the first
victims of communism and
they will be our great allies
behind the iron curtain in any
armed conflict with the Soviets.
This was proved in Hungary
when authentic Russian SOL
diers helped those who were
rebelling against Soviet domi-
nation. And this is one of
the main reasons why the So
Wet dictators are deferred from
starting another war. 1t is in
the interest Of our American
national defense not to con-
fuse National Russia and the
Soviet Union and not to use
these terms anonymously.
Basil de Strandman.
Former Charge d'Affaires OF
the Imperial Russian Le-
CATION in Belgrade, Serbia,
J in 1914.