SOVIET POLICY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 February 1943, Page 3

SOVIET POLICY

IN THE FAR EAST.

MR WALTER DURANTY’S OPINIONS.

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, February 7.

The North American Newspaper Alliance says that Mr Walter Duranty, who is considered to be an outstanding authority on Russia, states; “If Germany cracks before the British and the Americans have penetrated deeply into Europe, Stalin may be unable to resist the temptation to rush his armies to Berlin, but what he really wants is not concerned with Europe, where he is only interested in holding the Baltic States and getting access to Istanbul and the Persian Gulf. “His interest is focused on the Far East, where he desires to establish independent Soviet republics in Manchuria, Korea, and even in northwestern China. Whether General Chiang Kai-shek likes it or not, Stalin’s outstanding post-war aim is to control the West Pacific; in other words the Chinese coast. He is not opposed to the British recovering Singapore and Hong Kong as long as the Russians hold Port Arthur and Dalny. This does not mean that Stalin is unwilling to co-operate with the Allies, but there is one thing that must be understood — Stalin does not love Japan. “Therefore I predict that as soon as the German pressure against Russia . is reduced, and as soon as the Allies are able and ready to put at least 1000 first-line planes with pilots and ground crews at Vladivostok the Russians will co-operate in our death-stroke against Japan.”