Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-09-29

tirely Communist body Of the
state. The Soviet government,
and above it the ruling clique Of
the Soviet Communist Party, con-
stantly are most careful to main
tain the military in Q strict ideo-
logical obedience to the doctrine
and the party. The military
leaders have received q thorough
party education. President Eisen-
hover recently described what a
stubborn Communist Marshal
Zhukov was.
A political hierarchy. super
imposed on military command.
oversees the armed forces. Mos
COW takes no chances on loyalty
military or otherwise.
Granted that the military lead
erS, in their contacts with their
counterparts of the free world.
acquired saner notions Of the aims
and policies of the West. Granted.
too. that they are sincere Russian
patriots and have primarily in
view the welfare Of the Soviet
peoples-or We should rather say
of the Russian people. as distin-
guished from the multiracial, null
Irrational Soviet Union.
But practically all Of the out
standing Soviet military leaders
are Great Russians" They will
cater to the interests and aspira-
lions Of the dominant-always
domineering in the past-Russian
people to the detriment Of the
other nationalitieS Of the Soviet
Union, not to mention the peoples
of the satellite states, curbing for
that purpose both groups under
an even harsher totalitarian rule.
In addition. the severe disci-
pline Of the Soviet armed forces
together with what might have
survived of the equally harsh ira
ditions Of the old imperial army.
could not but develop in these
men habits Of authoritarian
thinking and acting.
Traditional Directions
Perhaps as Soviet rulers they
would be less temperamentally
concerned with events or gambits
in Guatemala or Australia. But
they would be the more ambi-
tious. persistent and aggressive
along the lines Of the traditional
Russian expansionism, namely in
the Valley of the Danube River.
the Balkans, the Middle East and
the Mediterranean Basin, and in
Central Asia.
1t may not be mere chance
that the new vigorous phase Of
the Soviet drive in the Middle
East conceded with the increase
of the Soviet military influence
in the Kremlin.
Syria and Egypt are footholds
in the Mediterranean very much
in the path of the centuries-old
Russian drive in that area. They
are better footholds, indeed. than
the ephemeral protectorate secured
over the Ionian Islands by Cath
crime the Great or the even more
ephemeral Grandmastership Of
the Sovereign Order OF Malta ac-
quired by Car Paul I.
In the Balkans. the reconcilia-
ton of the Soviet government
with Marshal Tito can be ex-
planned by the concern for re-
establishing a substantial Soviet
base on the Adriatic.
Other historic targets for an
imperial tradition tainted Soviet
expansion are, Of course, Iran,
Afghanistan and beyond them
India. that dreamed-of land of the
Muscovites from Sadko of the
folklore to Paul I to Gen. Skobelev
who, near the end Of the 10Th CEN
fury, led his Cossacks to the Roof
Of the World" the plateau OF
Pamyr towering over India.
With the Konevs and Zhukovs
in command in the Kremlin. we
might have to face a different
brand Of imperialism. but it still
would be an aggressive. militant
imperialism Semper idem.
In some respects 1t would be an
Imperialism more dangerous to the
prospective victims, for 1t would be
backed by the Russian people.
backbone Of the Empire, much
more than the Communist ideo-
logical imperialism has ever been.