TWO SIDES TO A CURTAIN

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 412, 16 May 1947, Page 19

TWO SIDES TO A CURTAIN

Sir,-Your issue of April 11 contains a BBC broadcast, under the above heading, by A, J. P. Taylor, in which he pictures Britain.as a monster of iniquity persecuting a poor, peaceful, but .a sadly misjudged and maligned Russia. Apparently he has quite forgotten that there is such a thing as two sides to a question as well as to a curtain. He accuses Britain of refusing to allow Russia control of the Straits (whatever that may mean). Can Mr. Taylor assure us that if Russia were to get such control she would not immediately limit the freedom of other nations. as she has done

in the Baltic and Black Seas and as she is trying to do on the Danube? He fails to understand that Britain stands for Freedom while Russia’s aim is suppression of Freedom as it is understood by the British. Again, he says, "We oppose the Yugoslav claims on Trieste!" He is quite right in supposing that this is in opposition to Russia, but what right has Russie to insist that Trieste be given to Yugoslavia? Italy, to whom it belonged, and Austria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, all of whom need it as a port, should be considered as well as Yugoslavia, which has already gained the near-by port of Pola as well as the whole eastern Adriatic coast. Can Mr. Taylor assure the Western World that Russia wants Trieste for a free Yugoslavia and not for herself through its agent, Tito? In his next complaint that "we oppose the Bulgarian claims to an outlet to the Aegean Sea," he completely ignores the fact that Bulgaria fought for Germany against Russia, also that little Greece fought valiantly for the principles. of freedom which Bulgaria did her best to destroy. Many think that the cession of a strip of Bulgarian territory to Greece would be a more equitable arrangement. Why does Russia oppose Britain in this? To agree to Russia’s proposal would not benefit Bulgaria so much as it would give Russia a_ right-of-way to . the

Mediterranean over which Bulgaria would have only nominal control. Could Mr, Taylor explain why Britain’s protest against the Rumanian elections should be interpreted as antagonism to Russia? Is it because Russia has complete control, through her secret police, over Rumania as she has over Poland’s nominally free elections? In Poland, the new government under Russian tutelage, is planning to spend nearly three times as much on her secret police as she is on replacing her chief mainstay, agriculture. A similar position exists in Bulgaria, Rumania and Czéchoslovakia, all -of which enjoy the doubtful benefits of Russia’s favour. Can he explain just why this horde of secret spies is necessary in a free country? Russia, he says, is suspicious of us! Quite so, but for exactly the same reason that a boy caught stealing apples is suspicious of anyone approaching him. Under the thin excuse of war, Russta has stolen Esthonia, Latvia, Lithuania, a large part of Poland and parts of Eastern Asia and she is determined to keep tight political control of all parts of Europe and Asia over which her armies have passed. No wonder she is suspicious of the Western Powers, but only a very warped mind could blame Britain for this suspicion.

CONSIDER BOTH SIDES

(Auckland).