RUSSIA CELEBRATES REVOLUTION

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25955, 8 November 1949, Page 5

RUSSIA CELEBRATES REVOLUTION

Mr,Malenkov Speaks On Foreign Policy

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LONDON, November 6. “The Soviet Union stands firmly for peace and the friendship of nations,” said the Soviet Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Georgi Malenkov) to-day. “It does not want war, and it will do everything to prevent war.” Mr Malenkov described the basis of the Marshall Plan, however, as “preparation for war,” and said that the aim behind it was to transform the whole world into a colony of American imperialists. “The Soviet people do not fear peaceful competition with the capitalist world, but *hey are sure of their might, and they know very well that any war adventure will end in disaster for the imperialists,” he said. Mr Malenkov was addressing the Moscow City Soviet at its traditional meeting to mark the thirty-second anniversary of the Soviet Revolution. “Atomic energy in the hands of the imperialists is a source of production of death-dealing weapons, whereas in the hands of the Soviet it must and will serve as a mighty weapon of unprecedented technical progress and further the speedy growth of the productive forces of our country,” he said. Armaments Policy Mr Malenkov said that Russia’s policy included the curtailment of armaments and an unconditional ban on atomic weapons. He said that one of the main aims of the Marshall Plan was the forcible militarisation of European countries, leading directly to a new world war. So-called atomic diplomacy was based on the assumption that the United States had an, absolute monopoly of the atomic weapon. The Soviet had never concealed its own possession of that weapon. “The programme of the enemies of peace is becoming clearer, ’ said Mr Malenkov. “It presupposes the creation of a world American empire by means of new wars. The scale on which this empire is to be built must exceed that of any known empiremaking process. It is a question of transforming the whole world into a colony of the American imperialists and bringing sovereign people to the status of slaves.” Mr Malenkov said that the congresses of the Partisans of Peace, held m Prague and Paris, had found a great response in all countries. If imperialism unleashed a third world war. the result would mean the grave of capitalism as a whole. History showed that the First World War, which had been “started by imperialists,” had led to the Russian Revolution. The last war, “also begun by imperialists,” had led to the strengthening of the popular democratic re§imes in Europe and “the victory of emocratic China.”

Mr Malenkov added: “The American people know very well that in the event of war, suffering will visit the American Continent too. If there is a new blood bath there will be weeping mothers also in America.” Reference to Marshal Tito

The Western Powers were “criminally undermining the people’s democracies,” using for that purpose, in the first instance, ‘the espionage hand of Tito.”

He spoke of the importance of “uniting the democratic forces of the German people.” European peace could not be assured if the German problem were not solved.

Dealing with China, Mr Malenkov quoted Lenin as saying in 1923 that the outcome of the world struggle between capitalism and Communism depended in its final balance on the fact that Russia, India and China represented a gigantic majority of the world. American imperialists counted on using China as their main base for Asian domination, and as one of the decisive links in the encirclement of the Soviet. Mr Malenkov said that in the United States signs were mounting of an approaching economic crisis. Since last autumn, said Mr Malenkov, American production had declined steadily. Last July it had represented only 60 per cent, of the war-time production. American industrial output had decreased by 11 per cent, in October. Industrial shares were fluctuating and falling, American exports were decreasing, and stocks of com-

modifies were' increasing. The number of totally unemployed had doubled this year. Mr Malenkov said that Russia’s prewar level of production and economic development had been reached and surpassed. In 10 months compared with last year Soviet production had risen 20 per cent ’Phis year’s Soviet harvest exceeded ‘he pre-war levels. In 1950 Soviet production would rise to a general level 50 per cent higher than before 1940.

“Whereas Soviet production has grown in the last 20 years by nine times, European production has remained at the same level,” he said. Mr Malenkov said that in the “capitalist world” there were about 40,000,000 unemployed or partly employed people. “The devaluation of the various currencies may serve as a clear example of the aggressive American economic policy, which cannot but end in disaster,” he said. After devaluation America planned to seize whole branches of the industry of Western European countries, and also the colonies cf the European Powers. Never in its history, he added, had Russia had such equitable and welldisposed frontiers. The “frontier injustice” had been rectified for Byelorussia and Moldavia. There was no longer a hostile East Prussia. Lenin- > rad’s defence was assured. In the ar East the Kurile Islands and Sakhalin had helped frontier defence. “Poland is strong, Czechoslovakia is united and strong, and the Soviet has loyal friends in the peoples of Hungary, Rumania, and Bulgaria.”

Germany and Japan Mr Malenkov said that Russia’s programme provided for “the precise execution of the Potsdam agreement regarding the German problem, a. peaceful settlement with Japan, and tne development of trade and economic relations with other countries.”

Of Germany, he said that the problem there could not be solved unless Germarty took its fate in its own hands and deprived “the Prussian magnates of their political and economic foundations,” and unless radical democratic reforms were carried out. The diplomatic correspondent of “The Times” says that the fact that Mr Malenkov replaced Mr Molotov as the official to deliver this year’s anniversary speech in Moscow strengthens the view that Mr Malenkov is regarded in Moscow as Mr Stalin’s successor. The speech used to be made by Mr Stalin, but in recent years he has stood down. Mr Molotov made the speech in 1947 and 1948. Messages of greetings and congratulations were sent to Mr Stalin on the anniversary of the Soviet Revolution from Jugoslavia, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Rumania, and Israel. Czechoslovakia’s greeting was carried across the whole country by relay runners and handed, at the frontier to Soviet officials by the Olympic runner. Emil Zapotek. Russia believed that Communism and capitalism could exist together without war. said the Moscow newspaper “Bolshevik.” which is the official publication of the Soviet Communist Party’s central committee. The “Bolshevik” said: “The inventions of bourgeois newspapers that the Soviet does not want co-operation with the capitalist countries are vicious, base slanders. These slanders are intended to conceal from the masses that it is not Russia, but the United States and Britain which disrupt collaboration.”

Aboriginal Runholder.—A famous aboriginal artist, Albert Namatjira, who is now living with his family on an aboriginal reservation at Hermannsburg, will be the first fullblooded Australian aboriginal in the Northern Territory to take out a grazing licence and run his own cattle on his own country. He has been granted about 700 square miles of country north-west of Haast Bluff, about 200 miles from Alice Springs. He is now assembling plant and equipment, and will buy his cattle from aboriginal stockmen in the native reserve.—Darwin, November 7.