The Russian Attitude

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 258, 29 July 1939, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Russian Attitude

“The Soviet Government demand is,” says the “Yorkshire Post,” “that the pact against aggression shall cover all countries on the Western borders of the Soviet Union. That is natural, since German military occupation of any one of them would directly menace Russia. “The smaller countries might be terrified into accepting some form of Ger-' man ‘protection’ which would mean the free passage into and through them of German troops. “Internal dissension, promoted by Nazi intrigues, might create a state of affairs in which ithere even existed no Government able to make an appeal to the Peace Alliance for assistance in preserving the country's neutrality. That is, in effect, what has taken place tn the remnants of Czechoslovakia. Yet there was, none the less, definite aggression and any such further attempt needs to be promptly resisted if the general purpose of the dictators is to be checked. "It is also necessary that this intention should be unequivocally stated, because this is the only hope of firmly dissuading the dictators from attempting a further coup. It thus offers the only prospect of preserving peace. “The Russian requirement of unconditional guarantees of the border States is perhaps easier to realize if we consider the situation in which we and France should be placed in the event —though it is happily unthinkable—of Holland or Belgium being unable to refuse the passage of German troops or even unable to ask aid for preservation of its neutrality. We should, none the less, be forced to act promptly’ln our own interests to prevent German misuse of Dutch or Belgian territory.”