Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1939. M. MOLOTOV’S SPEECH.

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 November 1939, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1939. M. MOLOTOV’S SPEECH.

VEN making 1 allowance for the fact 1 hat the report was necessarily greatly condensed, owing to the exigencies of the service, there appears little in the speech of- M. Molotov likely to set the Volga or the Rhine on fire, to say nothing of the Thames. So far as Germany is concerned, there is nothing to show that her reported hope, to the effect that the meeting of the Supreme Soviet Council would prove Io be the turning point of the war, had any reason for justification. In fact, the speech must have been disappointing to Herr Hitler, in that M. Molotov failed to make any promise of giving military help to Germany; on the contrary, in outlining the Soviet policy, he emphasised a continuation of Russian neutrality, with the object of trying to bring the war to a conclusion, instead of enlarging its extent. He also stressed the intention of the Soviet to retain a free hand in international affairs, which may be regarded as the serving of notice on Berlin, that he does not intend to take an active part in pulling Nazi chestnuts out of the European tire. In other words. Russia is apparently determined to look after her own interests. first, last, and all the time, and to secure for herself any pickings that may bo available, as she did in Poland. When the conclusion of the Rus-so-German pact was first announced, the vision of Soviet armed forces pouring to the aid of Germany against the Allies was naturally conjured up, but events have proved any such fears to be unfounded. In this connection, views recently expressed in Britain by Mr. Harold Nicholson, M.P.. the former diplomat, are interesting. “1 do not for one moment believe.” he wrote, “that M. Stalin would agree to send, or Germany agree to receive, a Rus-

stan expeditionary force.” In explanation, he declared his belief that each side is afraid of deriving political infection from the other. The presence of German troops on Russian soil, or the presence of Russian troops on German soil, would no I be acceptable to either Government. The German people possess a hereditary suspicion of the Russians, and have for the past six years been indoctrinated with a special suspicion of the Bolshevik Army. M. Stalin, whose main preoccupation is with the maintenance of his own ascendancy, would be most unwilling to despatch an army outside his own frontiers on any adventurous quest. So far, the Soviet tactics against Estonia, Latvia, and other comparatively-small States have borne out this contention, action having been confined to the Nazi policy of making threats in order to achieve the desired objects. Finland, however, is not proving amenable, and the developments in connection with the Soviet demands upon her arc an interesting possibility.

A desire to extend economic relations with Germany was stated by M. but this will bring scant, satisfaction to the Nazis, in view of the fact that the Soviet needs practically all she can produce for her own use. It is unlikely that she can supply Germany Avit.h any large quantities of war material, which, owing to the effect of the Allied blockade, are essential if the war is to be carried on for any considerable time. M. Molotov appears to think that he can assist his pact-partner by seconding Herr Hitler’s suggestion that a ■ conference be held, with the object of negotiating peace, but in this he is depending upon a broken reed. The Allied reply has already been made, in unmistakeable terms. Nor can the Soviet Premier hope to gain anything by attempting to place upon Allied shoulders the responsibility for war; that argument has also been clearly answered by Britain and France. The denunciation of Britain as an aggressor, and the accompanying statement that Germany is striving for peace, merely amount to a ’wilful distortion of the facts. As a useful contribution to the international picture, the speech of M. Molotov has no more merit than that of Herr Hitler.