Greymouth Evening Star. MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1947. Empire Communists

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 March 1947, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1947. Empire Communists

unionists, who, setting more store on militancy than policy, have trustingly voted Communists to executive control of their unions must view with at least some interest the markedly un-British aims enunciated by. delegates to the Empire Communist Parties’ Conference in London. To many, too, who are given to minimising the danger arising from Communist infiltration throughout the Empire, it must have come as something in nature of a surprise to read that such a conference was being held. If a surprise, then it is also a warning, because if this London gathering has proved anything it has proved that the Communists throughout the British Commonwealth are exceedingly well organised. They intend remaining so and they intend to continue spreading their insidious doctrines in the hope of gaining a substantial accession to their ranks and thus bringing nearer the day when they will be able to realise’ their aims. Those who would suggest that there is exaggeration in that statement would do well to remember that the London conference was not called for social purposes.

Inside the unions and on election platforms, the Communist expounds his seemingly innocent short-term objectives of higher pay and lower prices, greater control of industry and shorter hours of work. Only in the inner councils of his party, pud at Marxian conferences abroad, does he speak openly of the less palatable planks in the Communist platform. The Communist Party in New Zealand as in other Dominions, places allegiance to Russia above all national loyalties. For instance, Australian Communists, a report of the London conference says, “are agitating for decisive action on behalf of the Indonesian Republic by Australian workers, and are campaigning against Dr. Evatt’s line-up with the Byrnes-Bevin-Churehill war-mongering against Soviet policy. Australia’s value as a Pacific base imposes special duties on us.” In other words, presumably, the Australian Communist —and no doubt his New Zealand comrades —see as their major duty the rendering of Pacific bases as little usefu. as possible to the Anglo-American Powers. In view of Communist allegiance to Moscow and the expansionist policy followed by the ruling clique there, no other meaning can be taken from that statement. Leftist Tactics

One of the most illuminating aspects of the tactics of the Communists is the emphasis with which they advocate the removal of causes of Russian suspicions. They say, in effect, that Soviet suspicions of other countries are mor£ than justified, but they omit or* distort to their own advantage all references to numerous examples vindicating world suspicion of Russia’s own motives and policies. We must allay Russian suspicions, they urge (we have already appeased her to the limit), but omit to say that Russia also must allay our suspicions. The purpose of this type of advocacy is so obvious as to require no elaboration.

Russia, according to Communist propaganda, has been and is beyond reproach. She has never been guilty of an act to which the Western nations could take exception. Russia has always followed a straightforward policy, giving no cause for suspicion as to her ultimate aim. They have a ready—but entirely inadequate—explanation for the infamous Russo-Ger-man pact of 1939, which was the signal for the Second World War, aihd the subsequent partition of Poland by both parties, for Russia’s unprovoked attack on Finland in 1939, for which she was expelled from the League of Nations, of Russia’s subsequent absorption of the three Baltic States —Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and the breaches of numerous treaties with her neighbours in the process. All this is history, but Russia cannot complain if the Western nations, remembering the past and in the absence of strong evidence of a change of heart, view with suspicion her present policy and the activities of her ardent apologists throughout the world.

The Communists also refer to the American monopoly of the atomic bomb, but, of course, omit to mention Washington’s offer to hand over atomic secrets to a world authority, provided the latter has absolute powers of inspection, to which Russia has so far refused to agree. Communist propaganda continually presents a one-sided picture. Russia is always right. World statesmen ardently desire Russia’s friendship, but her own actions, her fifth column everywhere, the “iron curtain,” and her lack of reciprocity make this most difficult.