DEFENSIVE ACTION

Chronicle (Levin), 9 March 1948, Page 5

DEFENSIVE ACTION

- Stalin's Policy Examined Received Monday, *8.50 p.m. LONDON,- Marcli 8. "Paradoxical though it may seem," says The Ecpnomist, Russia's action 111 Czechoslovakia is in.oiie important respect a defensive act — a consolidctfion oi control' already in being iif prder' to ward off imagiiied' dange.f's from without. ^ N' CThe Russians," it continues, f'Oiave been on the det'ensive ever since a chance of a reeovery -pro* gramme appearcd" on Europe 's hprizon, when the 'Cominform; was' hastily brought into 'being as the general staff of an ideological war against the Marshall Plan. Czechoslovakia, ' the most democratic. member in J'orm and spirit of the 'Easterti Bloc, was the most expo'sed salient in tlre 'anti-Marshall line. Last week's eoup hainmered out the salient and closed the "ehief door by which pernicious influences from the West inight have entered. "The policy at Prague bears many of the marks of action dictated by i'ear, and like most such actions some oi' its results will nol accord with what its perpetrators intendcd. The Communists" the Economist believes, "have in fact vastly increased the chances that Ihe Marshal] Plan may succeed outside their sphere. "There is now .a general awareness of the real meaning of the great variety of Oommunist Cshadow • organisations'. , Every red light,,., every Iprgfa,!? al^pr^ every whisfle, *ha^;4|cn:|et jPinkf ing and bla'ringt.froth ofie ihd ofj the (Mntinent to the other. 'Pfew&i:! The, Lconomist eontinues: "Lhat: to recognise the Oommunist danger for what it is and to realise that the latest movys are pritnaVi. ily defensive is not, however, toi say that there is 110 real tlireat toi Western Europe and %hat%ofMa^! needs to l)e done. " It opines that the answer to the Czech coup is, (irstly, to mahitahi -free government in Italy and Erance ; secondly, at the same time to lay with all possible speed the foundations of a V'estern Union. The. New Statesman and Nation deelares that what the action oi' the Czechoslovak Communists does is to underline in red the dividing line which runs across Kurope and to remind us that the Soviet idealogical war is total in its-demand for e.onformity. " It opines that the Russian threat is not a threat of milita'ry aggression.. Mr. Stalin", says'tiuietly that the- noH-Oomrihinist worjd is bound to disintegrate through its own inherent contradiction, accelerated in the first instance by -the action of the various Commuiiist parties, and then when the moment eotnes explpited for revoiutionary purposes. The Russian Cominilnist is convineed that his cause is bound to win in the long ruu. If war can he averted capitalism will be given time to destroy itself. If 'war comes, Mr. Stalin hopes to win it; but war introduees Incalculable risks and he prefers to rely for .victory 011 "the contradietions of capital - ism. " - . The New Statesman and Nation thinks Russia does not want to precipitate a war with Amdriea, and for that reason the immediatc struggle will be fought. out in economic and social terms. '"The job of ddmocracy in Western Europe is not to organise armed forces suflieient "to defeat Russia, but to construct a Western Union wliose social system makes Communism unn ec essary • and re- ' futes the prophecies of the ICremlin sagcs. If we permit indign-a-f tioii at the events * in Prague ,to " defleet us from this positive- pur]>ose We shall be digging the grave of western demoeracy and Socialism. ' W '