Greymouth Evening Star. TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 1948. "Warmngering"

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 March 1948, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. TUESDAY, MARCH 1 6, 1948. "Warmngering"

PERHAPS the most important change that has eome in the post-wai’ Period has been the growing disinclination oi the Western nations to be blackmailed am longer by the type, of propaganda which argues that to resist Russian demands, oi even to be impolite to Russia, is to move towards-war. Moscow’s greatest bargaining asset has been the encouragement o fear of the danger of war. The talk. “warmongering” began in Moscow, purpose is clear. The Communist argument against the Marshall Plan has always been that it is a war-making p an. The only reasonable deduction from this contention is that if the Marshall Plan succeeds, then the favourable conditions for Communist expansion will be diminished, if not entirely eliminated. In other words, the alternative to the I lan is Communist domination. Therein lies the real reason for Moscow’s opposition to the European recovery programme. The argument of the Communists contains its own condemnation. If, they say the Marshall Plan is a war-making plan, then the Communists will be the only people responsible for war should it result from the implementation of that plan. They have declared their intention oi opposing it; in effect, they have said that, il the nations of Western Europe do not accept their undemocratic system, then those nations shall not have peace. The price of peace, then, is submission to Moscow; the cost of not submitting is war. And yet Moscow accuses others of “warmongerinfn a sense the Western nations forced the Russian hand when they adjourned the last London session of the Foreign Ministers’ Council. Since then they have continued forcing it. The British Government published “Protocol M. revealing secret Communist plans. The Americans published the Molotov-Ribbentrop documents. The French have taken stern action against saboteurs, and now the Western European Union plan has been launched. TT . The Western European Union movement is in reality a measure complementary to the Marshall Plan. The argument in United States Congress circles had m recent times crystallised around the question whether American foreign po my towards Europe should be based on the idea of a revived Western Europe or on the idea, of a revived Germany. All this has now changed. It is an ancient political maxim, as valid, today as ever, that strength attracts while weakness repels Weakness and division m Western Europe have been the main enemies o the Marshall Plan. The movement for Western Union has struck right at the heart o the issue by expressing both inherent, strength in Western Europe and a will Io greater strength. For if Britain, h rance and thc Benelux “Little Three” can move steadily ahead toward a closer relationship in all fields—economic, political ami militarv_then this bloc will have the kind o strength which will not only attract, hut reciuire, American support. . So far the main Soviet reaction has been an increase in the bitterness of its propaganda attack. Recent press messages from Washington, however, reflect flowing uneasiness over the state of world affairs. The Communist technique ol aggression has so far been step-by-step infiltration until finally power over the f 4o yf™pm’’ and the populace is obtained. The alaim which is reported from Washington suj?-o-ests that fears are held by the authmiHes that Russia, realising that time is running against her, wil> abandon her familiar technique in favour ot a mititai. coup to achieve the domination of- a 1 Europe before the union movement, is allowed to consolidate resistance m solid form. Although there is no public evidence that such a swift change m policy is contemplated—no such evidence can really be expected—prudence and knowledge of the nature of the Communist menace suggests that preparedness lor any eventuality is the wisest course.