Who Is Going To Start Third War?

Chronicle (Levin), 2 April 1948, Page 5

Who Is Going To Start Third War?

r (N.Z.P.A.-

- Reuter .

Covvriaht )

Iieceived Thursday, 7.0 p.m. LONDON, April 1. A11 interest ing addition to recent eonniients and speculations about a>, thij'd world war, is made by Air. Vernon Bartlett in the News Chronicle. Mr. Bartlett has just returned from a visit to the Oontinent and he announees: ' AVhat seems to ino so nnlikely as to be almost impossible, is that we are 011 the eve of another war — another fighting war. Yes, almost impossible. Who is guing to start the wai'?" He goes 011 to say that the idea that the Americans whose isolationism is so deeply, rooted, should deliberately staiT a preventive war some 4500 miles away from' the Aliddle West, is surely absurd. Of the Russians he saysi "Tlea.ven knows they do and say ( many provocative things - — so many tliat they strengthen my belief that they are frightened rather than over-eonfident. But if they had an aggressive war in mind would they have toru up the railways in their zone of (fermany and earried them baek to the Soviet l nion? Oould they afford thus to destroy vital communieations to the west? Can they forget that although their great factories may now be in remote places beyond the Urals, their oilfields are extremely vulnerable from air bases in the MidcUe'East? Are they likely 'to overlook the fact that any invasion o"n Bizonia,

would automatically be a declaration of war 011 the United States as well as Great Britain so that they could not bank on a period of Anierican neutrality as Hitler was able to do?" Air. Bartlett also says: "Aloscow's information about other eountries nui.st be fantastieally ineomplete for even those Russian diplomats who have knowledge of foreign languages are allowed no contact with the ordinary people in the capitals to which they are aecredited. »Is it not possible, therefore, that they will become so obsessed by fear of encirclement tliat they will strike out in fear 'and desperation ? There, I beJieve, lies the only danger that the guns will go'' off again and that danger can be immensely increased by talk of another war. Sueh talk might push the Russians or Americans to Some irreparable aet of provoeation. Such talk must encourage panicky- and reactioiiary measures which will reinforce the Commtmist hfth column in every country. And disaster is more likely to result froin such measures than from a possible war they are designed to prevent. The moment is; of course, dangerous but the British can make immense eontributions towards peace. Tjbose contributions are a cairn, tolerant respect for the individual. If we keep our heads, otir tempers and our principles, the danger, I believe, will pass or will at least be postpohed. "