Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1943. AN ENDURING COMRADESHIP.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 November 1943, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1943. AN ENDURING COMRADESHIP.

WHILE she .is making a noble contribution, to those decisive blows which the Allies are determined, as Marshal Shilm lias said, to deal at the enemy, Soviet Russia has other .and additional claims to the congratulations she has received from Britain, the United States and many other countries, including New Zealand, on the 26th anniversary of her October Reyolu-. tion. Looking to the future of world relationships, the qualities of endurance, strength and prowess in war of which the armies and people of the Soviet Union have, given and arc giving signal proofs are not more important than the union ol mutual ly ls and understanding in which Russia is now linked ■with the Eng-lish-speaking and other democracies. _ The developed and latent military strength 01. the Soviet Union has never been in doubt, but until a comparatively recent date grave doubts were entertained by large numbers of thinking people, particularly in the British Empire and the United States, as to whether it was possible for these democracies to establish with Russia a firm basis of common understanding and partnership in world affairs. Similar doubts were felt, and were expressed very frankly, in the Soviet Union. It is probably well within the facts to say that these doubts have in great part been swept away. An essential identity of aims was disclosed at the Moscow conference, in the agreements reached, not only on the conduct of the war, but on post-war policy.' There was further hopeful promise of the development of a common policy in the speech by Marshal Stalin which wak reported yesterday, notably in what he had to say about liberating the peojiles of Europe and giving them the right to organise their State and life in accordance with their own wishes, heavy punishment of those responsible for crimes and atrocities, and the establishment of an order which will exclude the possibility of new German aggression. It would be foolishly optimistic to believe that agreement on all details of continuing international policy and dealings between nations will be reached easily by the. Soviet Union. and the English-speaking democracies, not to speak of other nations, large and small which all have their part to play in world affairs. In the hard and searching test of war, however, Russia and the Western Allies have reached a degree and depth of understanding on essentials which is of excellent promise as it bears on the future and may well justify the faith declared by the British Foreign Secretary (Mr Eden) in a message from Cairo to the Soviet Foreign Commissar (M. Molotov) —a message in which he said: —

I am convinced that the work we have carried out in Moscow will make a durable friendship and comradeship between our countries for many centuries.

Where this comradeship is concerned-, the spirit in which Russia has fought and is fighting is not less important- than the prowess of her valiant armies on the field of battle. Much that enters into the political organisation and methods of the Soviet Union is as far as ever from finding favour with the weight ol: opinion in the English-speaking democracies. Differences of this kind are overshadowed very completely, however, by the heroic constancy with which the people of Russia have endured martyrdom on a scale without precedent rather than come to terms with the foulness of Nazi gangsterdom, and throughout this terrible ordeal have steadily built up the tremendous striking force which today is well on its way towards giving them ultimate victory. The war has not only given proof of the vast, resources of the Soviet Union and of the courage and staying power of its people, but has demonstrated that in spite of some superficial resemblances in political organisation, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany stand at opposite poles in all that is most essential in national and international policy. Substance is thus given to the hope that time will deepen the understanding and strengthen the comradeship in which Russia is now linked with the English-speaking and other democracies.