MOVE BY RUSSIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 May 1934, Page 12

MOVE BY RUSSIA

JOINING THE LEAGUE ? That Soviet Russia had about decided to enter the League of Nations and might, take the necessary action to do so at the September Assembly is reported from usually reliable sources in Paris, says the “Literary Digest.” it was said in diplomatic circles that soundings taken by Moscow leaders had convinced them that Russia would not only be welcomed into the League, but that a seat on the League Council was assured. The Soviet Union, as a Paris correspondent of the Associated Press pointed out, must be officially recognised by such League members as Holland, Denmark, and others with whom Russia has no diplomatic relations as yet.

As long ago as the past December Joseph Stalin, Secretary-General of the Central Committee of the Communist. Party and generally spoken of as Russia’s “Big Boss,” told Walter Duranty, of the “New York Times,” at Moscow, that in so far as the League “despite its obvious shortcomings” might act as an obstacle to war, it was to that extent of interest in Soviet .eyes. In the present complicated European situation, Mr. Duranty reported, it was clear enough that Great Britain and France were making strenuous efforts to retain and strengthen the League as a bulwark against war dangers which even the most unprejudiced observer must admit appeared chiefly to threaten from the two Powers which demonstratively withdraw from the League, namely, Japan and Germany. Both those Powers have given the Soviet Union cause for anxiety, which has not yet been wholly removed, and as Mr. Duranty put it, “in other words a situation had arisen 'such as Mr. Stalin contemplated, wherein the League was in a position of an obstacle to and a screen against firebrands.”

) TAKEN UP AGAIN t The League conversations between France’s former Foreign Minister, Joseph Paul-Boncour, and Valerian ’ Dovgalevsky, Soviet. Ambassador to ’ France, were abandoned during the > French Governmental crisis. But after J a period of delay they were renewed L by Louis Barthou, Minister of Foreign - Affairs in Premier Gaston Doumer--1 gue’s Government of National Union. Meanwhile League officials were informally making inquiries among the anti-Soviet States, and it was believed that an extraordinary session of the Assembly might be called whenever the Paris conversations made this ■ worth while. Such was the report from Geneva by a “New York Herald-Tri-bune” correspondent who noted that admission to the League must be approved by two-thirds of the fifty-seven States, the Constitution of the Assembly, and since Russia expected a permanent place in the Council, a unanimous Council vote also would be required. The Council was scheduled to meet on May 14. Moscow’s position as disclosed by one of her most important diplomats in discussing the question of League membership officially with this Geneva correspondent was summarised as follows: —The Russian diplomat explained that hitherto the unwillingness of the Soviet Union to join the League has been due to the fact that Germany and Japan were members. These were countries, he said, with foreign policies basically at variance with those of the Soviet Union. When they were in the League they created “an inner contradiction within that institution,” and Soviet participation would have been productive of no good.

That impediment having been removed, the Soviet Government held the belief that the League could be J strengthened and made effective as

lan agency for the preservation of world peace. ; According to the Russian diplomat cited, this could be brought about by close co-operation of the four Great. Powers, the United States, the Union of Soviet Socitalist Republics, Great Britain, and France, and also, perhaps, Italy—all of whom were described as definitely anti-war and pro-

peace. On this basis Russia was expected to press its demand for a definition of aggressor, in order to strengthen the security provisions of the Covenant which had been badly compromised by the Chinese-Japanese “debacle.” The

Russian definition- of aggression was said by this Geneva correspondent to have been summarised by President Roosevelt —the presence of armed troops across a foreign frontier.