NAME CHURCHILL RED RAG TO RUSSIA

Chronicle (Levin), 7 February 1947, Page 5

NAME CHURCHILL RED RAG TO RUSSIA

LABOUR SHIES OFF UNITED LABOUR IDEA LONDON, Feb. 6. The national exeeutive of the Labour Party has "advised" members^of thc party not to support the United Europe ! Committee which is launched under thc | leadership of Xlr. Churchill. In a state | ment explaining this ' ' advice ' ', Xlr, 1 Xlorgan Phillips, secretary of thc Labour Party, said: "The nationai exeeutive realises that it is thoroughly desirable to encourage maxiinum cooperation between the nations oi Europe. Such cooperation, however, is scareely likely to be stimulated by the organisation led 'by "Xlr. Churchill. Thc future peace and progress of Europe depend upon the success of United Nations and therefore on the strengthening friendly collaboration between Russia, United States and Britain. Xlr. Churchill, however, explicitly exeludes Russia from the united Europe which he envisages. This fact, eoupled with ,Mr. Churchill 's known record and ommon rep-ardinu Russia: means that

the committee 's policy will be interpreted rightly or wronglv as aiming ut the elimination of Russian influence from Europe." The Daily Herald, editorially, describes this decision by the party exeeutive as "very satisfactory" aiid says that even i£ the aims of .the committee were above criticism, the fact that Xlr. Churchill is its ehairman, would be sufficient to arouse Soviet antagonism. The Herald says: "We don't want to appease Soviet Russia, to make excuses for the obstructionist attitude of her spokesmen at many an international conference, or to condone the malevolenee of her propagandists in _ the press and on the radio when they comment on British policy. But we refuse to believe that the day is ;past when patience and tolerance on the part of the western powers can induce a friend-

lier attitude on the part of the Soviet authorities. If that day is" past then indeed United Xations could be written off as a failure and States would be justified in seeking whatever alliances they could muster as insurance against a coming war. "But United Xations is not a failure. Slowly, despite enormous obstacles and tortuous difiiculties, it is gaining strength. Any movement wliich may even appear to divide Russia from the rest of Europe is, in our view, ari impediment to great Power collabora'tion on which this peace depends. " Six . Socialists, headed by the pubiisher, Victor GoIIancz, are among the foundation members of the committee.