Motive Behind American Move To Settle Differences With Rassia

Chronicle (Levin), 13 May 1948, Page 5

Motive Behind American Move To Settle Differences With Rassia

(N.Z.P.A.-

-Reuter,

Co-pyright)

Received Wednesday, 7 P-W, WASHINGTON, May XI, The American Note to tlie Rnssian Eoreign Minister (Mr, Molotov) was an effort to avoid "misconce'Pion or confusmn" about American foreign policy in the mind of the Soviet fiuveipD. ment, said Prcsident Truman in a formal statenient today. Hc added that the aim of the Note was to mahe it ( 1 uumistakab'iy clear that the United States has no hostile or aggTessive destgps wliatsoever in respect to the Soviet TJnion." Diplomatie cireles are confident that 110 eonferenee between the Soviet and United States will result from the- exchange_ of Notes . between Air. Molotov and (leneral Tleclell Smith. Officials interpret the Russians' surprise publieation of General Smith 's statenient as an attempt, by a breacli of diplomatie confidence, to place the United States in the emharrassing position of appearing to turn doAv-11 a Rnssian effort to settle Ameriean-Russian differenees, It is believed that if the Soviet genuinely intended a fullseale diseussion of the differenees, it would hardly have published g confidential statenient as the first step toward harmony, AlthqUgh the State Department declined eomment 011 the possihility of Ameriean-Russian talks to settle the differenees, officials say the talks will only be held if the Soviet makes the first move. "We would be delighted to discuss anything specific that the Soviet may propose hut \\*e are not interested in sitting on a stratpspheric cloud -l'or the diseussion of glittering generalities, " said one official. Diplomatie officials are -not enthusiastic about a meeting between Prcsident Truman and Marshal Stalin and feel it should he between Mr. Marshall and Mr. Molotov, preceded by extensive preliniinary negotiations. Reuter's Washington correspondent says President Truman 's statenient is "an attempt to dampen over optimistic liopes of an . earlv AmerictHi-Russiaii settlement. " The UniD'd Press says: "President Truman has dashed hopes , for immediate peaee in the cold war with Russia, . The whole thing is the result of a Rnssian mistake in interpretation. The two ^nations are 110 nearer agreement today than they were vesterday."

The exchange of Notes was prompted from the American side by the necessity oi' making the United States' position perfectly clear, according to the New York Times5 Washington correspondent, Mr. Janies Reston. "Ever since the Uommunist coup in Uzechoslovakia, Anierican officials have been atTaid the Uommunists might be operating under one or two miseoneeptioiis. The first was that, in an election year or because of an eoonomie depression, the United States might be ininotent to deal effeetivelv with a Soviet policy of expansion. The seeond thing that worried our officials was tlmt Rnssian officials might really believe their own propaganda — they might believe our econoniic aid to Europe, our en"ouragement of a Western Eurooean TTnion. and our rearmameni •irogramme, are really the aetions of a United States Goveniment that was encircling the Soviet and preparing to make war 011 her. Tt was thought that if Soviet officials believed either of these two things, they might, acting on the inisconception. deeide to attack hefore they felt we were readv. Tt was to prevent this and emphasise that we were neither ' impotent nor helligerent — not +o staffi formal negotiations — that General Smith vas instructed. at the hevinning of May. to rbstate our poliev of. firstlv. remm'ning firm hut. second1y. leavinv the door open to the veorientation of the Soviet nolicy. "