COUNTER-OFFENSIVE?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27390, 16 May 1950, Page 4

COUNTER-OFFENSIVE?

The communiques issued at the conclusion of the Big Three Foreign Ministers’ Conference in London differ considerably from those given out on occasions when the Big Four met. Instead of a report of a prolonged session marked by sundry incidents and productive of little that was definite, it has been possible to issue a general statement of united aims in all parts of the world. And this after the two very important proposals already made public concerning Indo-China and the merger of control of French and German steel and coal. Such a demonstration of ynity has not been possible when the Russian Minister made a fourth at the table, but Great Britain, the United States and France have not been satisfied to let the communique tell its own story. They have taken the opportunity to restate their pledge to humanity that their, power will never be used for aggressive purposes, emphasising that this declaration has been made necessary in the face of “ a calculated campaign of misrepresentation of our purposes and policies conducted by the only militaristic and aggressive Power in the world.” This is a most outspoken condemnation of Soviet Russia and is the more impressive because it has emerged from sober conclave, not from the heat of a debate in a public forum such as is provided by the United Nations General Assembly. Such a stricture cannot have been lightly made, but it must be a matter for conjecture what its real purpose was. As a declaration of honesty of intention it is perhaps intended to appeal to those behind the Iron Curtain and to those who are still undecided whether to respond to the wiles of Soviet Communism. Such an explanation is hardly sufficient. Russia will certainly ponder the matter and will very probably declare that it. is a veiled threat and marks the end of a process of encirclement. The comments of diplomatic observers which have been reported have been guarded and are rather unhelpful. The explanation is probably that the Big Three are convinced that Russia intends to carry on the “ cold war, and the matters touched upon generally in the communiques are indications of the grand strategy of the counteroffensive which the Western democracies intend to initiate. Berlin, for example, is still to be an outpost of freedom, not only stoutly defended but proclaiming a message to the prisoners of Communism. Its importance is to be enhanced by the development of plans for integrating Western Germany into a European family of nations. Immigration is suggested to relieve Italy’s over-population, thus reducing the misery which leads to political desperation. In Africa, economic and social welfare are to

be pursued in order to frustrate Russian propaganda. For South-east Asia, there is to be a plan which resembles an application of President Truman’s “Point Four” on a broader base. If such an interpretation of the communiques is correct, then the conference has been a momentous one. On the other hand, if the communiques merely present a series of pious aspirations, Russia will have, without the slightest effort on her part, achieved in the cold war a victory which will have serious consequences.