IMPASSE REACHED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21977, 22 March 1946, Page 3

IMPASSE REACHED

SOVIET RELATIONS SOUTHERN NEIGHBOURS PROTECTION OF BORDERS (10 a.m.) WASHINGTON, March 21. M. Eugene Tarle. one of Russia s most frequent spokesmen in recent months, writing in the current issue of the Russian Embassy bulletin, says that a deadlock has been reached in Russia's relations with her neighbours or her southern border. “Russia is determined not to permit a repetition of 1941 when Hitler attacked Russia.” he writes. “'.Ve shall not permit even the most modest preparations for an attack on our borders.” M. Tarle laid down two points of Russian’ policy: “First. Russia is not striving for world domination of which we are accused by Mr. Churchill, who naturally does not believe such nonsense himself and. secondly, in an effort to achieve this legitimate necessary aim, Russia will not submit to any threat, any cunning or brandishing of any new weapons.” Russian Stand on Loan Issue Government officials who requested that they be not identified told the Associated Press that Russia had refused to discuss economic relations with Rumania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia as a preliminary to discussions on the proposed 100,000,000-dollar loan to Russia and had intimated this attitude in a Note replying to the United States inyitation to send representatives to discuss the proposed loan to Russia and also objected to other unspecified conditions.

In view of the importance attached to the Russian loan, the Government is now considering counter-proposals which might meet the Soviet halfway. Colonel Lanza, commentator for the semi-official Field Artillery Journal, says that Russia, without lend-lease supplies. lacks enough food for war. Russia at present faces a critical shortage of labour and military supplies, as well as food. Her impressive war efforts were made possible by the tremendous quantities of supplies furnished by the United States and the British Empire.. Russia cannot produce enough food for immediate needs, let alone for war.