RUSSIA AND TURKEY

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 October 1945, Page 5

RUSSIA AND TURKEY

RED ARMY NEAR BORDER BULGARIAN MISGIVINGS LONDON, October 21. “Russian troops in Bulgaria have taken up tactical positions only a short distance from the Turkish border,” says the correspondent of the Associated Press in Sofia. “Military observers believe that these dispositions are being made as a bargaining weapon. Few people in Sofia believe that Russia would endanger world peace by an attack on Turkey. It is reliably estimated that there are 200,000 Russian troops in Bulgaria, only part of whom are considered to form the army of occupation. “Troops armed with newly-arrived tanks and. artillery have been crossing the Danube in a fairly constant stream for several weeks. Quantities of heavy armaments and some troops are being brought in from Western Rumania, and the number of tanks moving through the Sofia area has sharply increased. Bulgarian forces are reported to be manning tire actual frontier regions, while the Russian forces are further back from the border. The Bulgarian forces, however, are well salted with Russian training staffs. “Meanwhile the Bulgarian Prime Minister (Mr Georgiev) said in a speech that the decision to postpone the elections from August 26 to No-, vember 18 was a grievous blow to the national pride. The Bulgarian people had received it with deep bitterness, as they believed that it was imposed from abroad. Bulgaria was endeavouring to establish and maintain the friendliest relations with the three great democracies. Her relations with her neighbours generally were satisfactory, but Greece continued to show animosity and hostility. “Some irregularities in Bulgarian life were inevitable in the transition phase, but measures were being taken to avoid abuses, he said. Bulgaria had crea'ted an economic democracy in which there would be social injustice and a rising standard of living. The Patriotic Front did not contemplate the introduction of a Soviet regime or the elimination oi private property and enterprise. The Bulgarian War Minister (General Damla Velchev) sajd the Bulgarian Army would be reduced even below the level required by the terms of the armistice with the United Nations. AGREEMENT WITH HUNGARY LONDON, October 21. “The British and American Governments have conveyed to Moscow strong protests at the terms of the Russian--Hungarian economic agreement,” writes the diplomatic correspondent of “The Times,” “They did so reluctantly, for it means that the Western Allies are openly differing from Russia on yet another phase oi policy in Central and South-eastern Eurone. After careful study oi the terms, however, they felt they had no other choice.” r , The Press Association’s diplomatic correspondent, commenting on the British and American protests against the Russian-Hungarian pact, says: “It is understood that the pact gave Russia a half interest in practically the whole of Hungary’s economy. No details of the protest are available in London, but it can be assumed that exception was taken on the ground that the pact was concluded unilaterally without consultation of either Britain or America.

ZHUKOV’S TRIP POSTPONED WASHINGTON, October 20. White House has released a letter from Marshal Zhukov to General Eisenhower, saying that owing to his illness, and also to many difficult organisational problems confronting Soviet forces with the coming Winter, he is compelled to postpone his trip to the United States until 1946.

RELATIONS REVIEWED. DISSENSIONSINCRE ASING.

(Rec. 10.40 a.m.) LONDON, October 22. Whether the atomic bomb is the cause or not. the fact remains that an increasingly gloomy , view is being taken here of relations between Britain and America on one hand and Russia on the other. The failure of the London conference has not been followed by any move towards clearing up the misunderstandings of that ill-fated meeting, reports from every quarter ot Europe as well as Japan indicate that —to use an understatement —the relations between the big Powers could be happier, and on every side there are indications that the Powers are drifting further and further apart.. The protest of Britain and America against the Russian proposal that Hungary should sign a five-year economic and trade agreement with her is regarded as symbolical of the present impasse. As “The Times s diplomatic correspondent points out, “it means the Western Allies are openly differing from the Soviet Government on yet another phase of policy in central and south-eastern Europe.” In Hungary itself it is clear; says “The Observer,” that a Government and State crisis has broken out. He adds: “It is clear also that the crisis has been caused by new Russian demands, accompanied, it seems, by severe pressure upon the Hungarian Government and parties, The whole development so far is ominously reminiscent of the ‘cold revolution’ in Rumania last March, when the all-party Government of Radescu was overthrown and the Groza dictatorship imposed by the use of force on the part or the Rumanian Communists.’ This, is seen here as a part of the Russians conception of security by the maintenance of buffer States and Governments backed up by a policy described by the diplomatic correspondent of the “Glasgow Herald as. r ‘Be my brother or I will knock your block off.” ' i+ 4. •» While Hungary is the latest instance of disagreement between the Western Allies and Russia, unfortunately, one can read almost daily of

OTHER DIFFICULTIES between them in other quarters. Take Germany and its four occupation zones. Sir St. Vincent Troubridge, who served on General Eisenhower’s Military Government staff, said that an iron curtain of silence had descended, cutting oft the Russian zones from the Western Allies. He adds: “Everything east of the line running north and south approximately through Lubeck and Brunswick and coming within 150 miles of the Rhine is now as remote as and milch less accessible than Tibet, and “unjustified suspicion and secrecy run mad are doing much to endanger the truly allied nature of the occunation.” J ~ , (T . ~ In Austria, reports .the Daily Mail’s” correspondent, is a situation so tragic that it- borders on the comic. Instances are given of British and Americans attempting to assist the Austrians in the Russian zone but the Russians are refusing point-blank. One of the many results of the Russian refusal to assist in establishing order from chaos is that Austria is now faced with certain inflation. Coincident with reports from Bulgaria that the Opposition has declared its intention to boycott the election, comes the report that Russian troops are taking up tactical positions in the south within a short distance

of the border of Russia and Turkey, and there is evidence that quantities of heavy armament and some troops are being brought into Bulgaria from Western Rumania. From Poland comes the news that Russian troops have been “invited” by the Warsaw Government to help suppress bandits and outlaws throughout Poland. The position in Japan as between the Americans and the Russians was commented on last week by a New Zealand journalist, Mr. Macdonald, when he likened the former Allies to men squaring up for a bout of fisticuffs.

The effect on the average man in the street is to ask what it all means. What are the reasons behind the Russians’ actions? A commentator on Russian affairs who is highly regarded is Alexander Werth, Moscow correspondent of the “Sunday Times/ who is now in London. In an article he discusses the question, “Russia—is it hopeless?” He admits that Russian stock has slumped heavily and that five months after V.E. Day the Allies were passing through a crisis of mutual distrust. “While we dislike the way the Russians are acting m Central and Eastern Europe the Russians are acutely shocked at the idea of their wartime Allies trying to ‘intimidate’ them —as they put it—with the atom bomb.” RUSSIAN SUSPICION.

Mr. Werth, expresses the opinion that the Russians do not want to go into isolation. He says the disapnearance of Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Churchill seriously upset the Russians, while under tne new men came the announcement of the atom bomb. “All that was against the Russians —for instance the Swedish Press —hooted with joy. It was rubbed in that victorious Russia, with all her be-medalled marshals, could now be ‘kept in order’ and some even said that she became a second class Power.’ All this produced two reactions in Russia: A feeling of great distrust of the capitalistic world’ and a sudden feeling of insecurity at a time when it was least expected, and secondly, a feeling of injured pride and prestige. That was one of the explanations of the Russians’ unhelpful attitude at the London conference. They unquestionably were hoping for some gesture to be made in connection with the atom bomb, and it was. not ±orthccming, conditionally or in any otherway. Their alternative was to intensify their atomic research. Militarily, the atom bomb may not be of the slightest importance, but psychologically the effect in Russia, conditioned as she is, has been much deeper than most people realise. Mr. Werth expresses the opinion that the Russians want in the mam to return to the Big Three principle. There is reason to believe, he says, that they would like to take the next step, but they are still hesitating, hoping for some atom bomb gesture, Mr. Werth adds that in addition to not wanting isolation, the Russians, until the atom bomb upset them, had the objective for the next 50 years of turning Russia into* the ‘most prosperous country in the world. Clearly, he says, there can be no reconstruction without demobilisation, but at present only non-cadre men over the age of 29 years are being demobilised, which is insufficient. He expresses the opinion that Stalin is giving serious thought to the present , deadlock and is preparing a decisiye- ’ ly important statement for November 7 ‘ This is the day before the United Nations Preparatory Commission meets in London. The Assembly oi the United Nations, of course, is due to begin n December 4, when delegations of the Big Powers may be led by the Foreign Ministers. This Assembly is an entirely different thing from "the Foreign Ministers’ Council as decided upon at Potsdam, but failing any step being taken between now and December for clearing up the misunderstandings of the London conference, the Assembly will be the first opportunity of the Foreign Ministers again meeting—that is if they lead the delegations. Meanwhile the impasse between the major Allies continues, and distrust and suspicion grow on both sides. U.S.A. CREDITS DEFERRED Recd. 1 p.m. NEW YORK, October 22. The National Association of Manufacturers’ Journal “Nam News,” reports that until satisfactory diplomatic understanding can be reached with Russia, all applications for credits by Russia arid other nations within the Soviet sphere of influence are being pigeon holed by the United States. „ ~ , ~ , The “News ’ says that thousands of manufacturers are involved to the tune of more thari 1,000,000,000 dollars worth of current orders. The countries affected include Poland, Jugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Albania, and Greece. It is expected that former enemy countries within the Soviet sphere, such as Austria, Hungary. Rumania, Bulgaria and Finland, will be similarly treated when and if they need American financial aid.