Notes on Soviet Power

...To insist upon an inaccessible "bedroom" is tantamount to rejecting control, and to reject control is to reject disarmament...

...For an impotent West and heavily armed East would be dangerous to Britain...

...In my opinion, prohibition of atomic arms in Central Europe, combined with a withdrawal of foreign military forces, would accomplish this Soviet aim...

...We will not sit and sip tea...

...In short, set them at the table and they will put their feet on the table...

...Development of nuclear weapons —while convincing West European nations to reject such weapons...

...It has been painful to watch France's gradual deterioration—her inability to overcome internal difficulties, her absorption in futile colonial operations and the mounting possibility of a deal with Russia to counter Germany...

...But if NATO troops and installations were attacked today, the countries that have men attached to it would automatically come to their support...

...Foreign military units must be kept in Germany until a continental force emerges that can rival Soviet power...

...It is also being stressed that the USSR, not the U.S., was the first nation to build an atomic power plant and conquer space...

...Thus, according to the theory of "economic materialism,' the present stand of the world's "productive forces" guarantees Russia's rise to first place in the community of nations...

...that Soviet arts are "admired all over the world...

...Did the Polish Foreign Minister have to accept contrecoeur, the Soviet thesis that Soviet A-bombs are not dangerous and only American and British bombs must be kept out...

...Actually, the Soviet Union knows more about the armaments status of the West than vice versa, and if disarmament is agreed upon, Moscow would have a multitude of means of its own for observing and judging Western compliance with the prescribed rules...

...With the aid of Communist China and of the Bandung powers, Soviet "socialism" seems to be engulfing the sinking fortress of "capitalism...

...missiles...

...What simpletons we have been not to have known it before...

...Europe will be defenseless...

...Long a contributing editor of The New Leader, his articles have also appeared in the New York Times Magazine and numerous other publications in the United States and Europe...

...According to Adam Rapacki himself, Poland would like atomic bases as far as possible from her borders—an understandable and legitimate desire since, however small the protection afforded by European distances in an era of jets and missiles, there would still be a certain amount of comfort in the knowledge that the nearest A-and H-bomb stores were hundreds of miles away...

...It is surprising, therefore, that many knowledgeable Westerners favor one or another variation of these plans...

...But even here Soviet victory "is not far away...

...The latter has been the silent hope of most of those who would accept disengagement, but it is a vain hope...

...When you visit a person whom you do not know well, he said, "you may get into the hall...

...Even among the Soviet elite, who have access to foreign sources of information, this propaganda has great effect...

...The high esteem in which Germany has always been held by Moscow and Germany's present decisive role in European defense make the Bonn Government the first target of Soviet diplomatic and power drives...

...There is another reason for assuming that the Rapacki Plan is actually a Gromyko Plan...

...Since the beginning of time, it is reasoned, the reins of world supremacy have been changing hands, with the nation in power forced to give way to a younger and more vigorous successor...

...To protect Europe's Western and newly-liberated Eastern nations from any possible Soviet threat, Hook proposes to maintain the North Atlantic Treaty Organization...

...It must be remembered, too, that this conviction is nourished daily by the Soviet press, which feeds its readers the lavish compliments paid the Soviet Union not only by the satellites but also in the West...

...But we don't want to fly over your country and don't want the smell of you over our country...

...The best solution for Moscow would be a "de-nuclearized zone" from which all foreign troops would also be removed...

...Four decades ago, when the Soviet Union first promised to "catch up with and overtake America," the accent was on economics: industrial techniques, efficiency and, most important, living standards...

...In principle, Hook presents a program of disengagement which is similar to that of George F. Kennan, although he rejects Bertrand Russell's policy, which amounts to unconditional surrender to Soviet power...

...Since 1945, however, military power has had the top priority...

...So far, however, the Soviet attitude in this respect has not been encouraging...

...The political climate of the Soviet Union, its police system, and general rigidity almost preclude such a degree of rapprochement with the non-Soviet world...

...He has written numerous books on Soviet history and politics, including Soviet Russia9s Foreign Policy: 1939-41, The Real Soviet Russia, Forced Labor in Soviet Russia, Russia in the Far East, Soviet Espionage and The Changing World of Soviet Russia...

...In line with this thinking, the January issue of International Life declares: "The steam engine and the dynamo were the pride of the capitalist civilization of the 19th century...

...This is a delicate issue for Moscow...

...In the early stage, when Warsaw was discussing the plan with Prague and East Berlin, it had also, as a matter of course, been in consultation with Moscow...

...thus, the terrible danger of Communist military aggression would be eliminated by agreement with the Communist governments themselves...

...The latest Soviet statements concerning possible control are no clearer than earlier ones...

...To those familiar with the real situation in the U.S...

...Less than two years ago Poland threw out a Russian marshal and his aides...

...This thesis is buttressed with "scientific" Marxist arguments which still have great validity in Russia...

...You may get into the parlor or even the dining room...

...This solution, however, suits Soviet interests better than it does those of Poland and Czechoslovakia...

...We are for control, but they want to establish a kind of control that would mean interference in the internal affairs of our state, infringement of our sovereignty...

...But what about the area to the east...

...There is no government in the world that will get involved in the dirty business of war simply because it once put its signature on a piece of paper...

...The United States took over the top position from England as a result of World War II, and now, a little more than a decade later, it has to move on to make room for a young nation whose ascendancy spells the triumph of "socialism" over "capitalism...

...Every answer to this question is fraught with complications...

...Poland wants the zone to stretch to the western borders of Germany, 500 or 600 miles from Warsaw...

...As Khrushchev said in a speech on April 10: "We will achieve a higher per capita production of consumer goods than in the advanced capitalist countries...

...After all, the Soviet border —and a possible A-bomb base—is only 60 air miles from Warsaw...

...Explaining that this would result in the rapid and peaceful spreading of "socialism," Khrushchev went on to say: "When we reach the highest level of production and prosperity of the toilers, people from capitalist countries who visit us will say: 'This is Communism, this is Soviet power...

...Once in power, the Laborites would undoubtedly reverse themselves...

...More reliable than such a "solemn pledge" would be international inspection and supervision of partial or total disarmament...

...But we must recognize that there is no magic formula for limiting the fanatic aggressiveness of certain parties or governments, that they will use any concession or compromise to continue their offensive...

...superiority...

...acknowledges that it is falling behind and that the Soviet educational system must be emulated...

...The Soviet Union," Khrushchev said in January, "will not stand still while they are catching up...

...This is exactly what the toilers need.' " The "imperialists" in the U.S., it is admitted, will try to catch up with the USSR and to regain first place, but they will not succeed...

...Thus, recent proposals for an East-West settlement—whether they are called "disengagement," the Rapacki Plan or something else—are in accord with Moscow's policies...

...and that, since the Olympic games, the Soviet Union has occupied first place in sports...

...But the conviction is there, and this is an important factor...

...The inference is: "Who is encircling whom at the present time, capitalism or socialism...

...The very fact that the first Socialist nation of the world was the first country to break the way into the cosmos," the March issue of International Life insists, "signifies a new era in the evolution of mankind...

...In that case, the rest of West Germany would be the next target of operations...

...If such an agreement were reached and (inevitably) weakened Western Europe militarily while leaving a strong force in the East, would Moscow take advantage of the situation...

...Then a profound NATO crisis would be unavoidable...

...Khrushchev was even more frank at a diplomatic reception at the Indian Embassy in Moscow on January 27...

...Only in the economic field does Moscow acknowledge U.S...

...Force is the only thing that can keep them within their bounds...

...Since no effective local armed resistance could be deployed, it might be annexed to East Germany before Bonn, Washington, Paris and London could react...

...Would it not be more logical for the Polish Government to demand a "de-atomized" zone with Poland in the geographic center...

...A most alarming recent development is the growing Soviet conviction that Russia is succeeding in its race to "catch up with and overtake" the United States...

...Petersburg University and won a doctorate in political science at Heidelberg University...

...Of Western Europe's two key nations, Germany is still insufficiently armed and France is in the throes of an agonizing paralysis...

...and, despite all of Nikita Khrushchev's talk about meat, milk and butter, it still ranks as the Kremlin's number one objective...

...But you do not go into the bedroom...

...What a strange belief in paper promises...

...Should Moscow, then, entrust the ultimate weapon to potential adversaries...

...Finally, the Rapacki Plan would rest upon the "solemn pledge" of the A-powers to comply with the rules for the "zone" and keep nuclear weapons out of it...

...But the facts must be faced...

...We are making our calculations now and say that not much time will pass before we will clear the highest barrier of the capitalist countries, and will surpass the level of production in the United States of America...

...Now the atomic power station, the atomic icebreaker and the rocket engine that overcomes gravitation represent the banner of Socialist civilization...

...Formation of an East German Army—while mobilizing its allies against the West German danger...

...Maurice Tho-rez's party would reciprocate the anti-German thrust from the East—and who is to say that some of the nationalistic French forces would not join them...

...In recent years, the Kremlin has aimed at the following sets of goals: • Western demobilization—while keeping a formidable Soviet Army in being (1945-47...

...Once Eastern pressure on West Germany grew severe, Moscow could reasonably expect a resurrection of French Communism...

...An international disarmament agreement—while preventing efficient inspection in the Soviet Union...

...Elimination of West Germany from the Western alliances is a primary aim of Soviet foreign policy...

...Let's face it...

...There is no other solution to the problem—except surrender...

...Was it Warsaw's or Moscow's idea...

...We, too, will be doing something so that we shall not be overtaken...

...and USSR, the prospect of a hitherto backward nation like Russia emerging in the near future as the leader of world civilization appears fantastic...

...Once these men are withdrawn, NATO will be little more than a commitment on the part of 14 nations to wage war in certain cases...

...After nine years, NATO is still merely the embryo of a military force that is hardly on a level with the forces of the East...

...And now Sidney Hook ("A Foreign Policy for Survival," NL, April 7) urges the withdrawal of Allied forces from West Germany in exchange for Soviet withdrawal from non-Russian areas in Europe...

...but in view of the rapid and unpredictable changes that might occur in the highest echelons of the Moscow Government, acceptance of the Polish plan involves a great deal of chance-taking...

...Two trends are strong in Russia today: belligerent Communism, .and a rampant anti-Western nationalism...

...The overall aim is a weakened or disarmed West and a strong East...

...Clever use is also made of Western criticism of its own policies ("look at the Russians," "follow the Russians...

...The answer can only be a resounding "Yes...

...This "dizziness with success" in Moscow is extremely dangerous...

...On the other hand, were it to agree to effective control, it would have to permit far-reaching contacts between Western representatives and the Russian population both in regard to armaments and in general...

...Why should not the zone extend 600 miles in the other direction, that is, as far as Kursk or even Moscow...

...Is the Rapacki version of disengagement really a Polish plan, or is it a product of Soviet brains...

...Therefore, British Labor's attitude toward disengagement, dictated mainly by domestic political considerations, is irresponsible...

...A high degree of international confidence is therefore an obvious precondition of the plan...

...that Soviet superiority in modern and conventional weapons is undisputed...

...Moscow knows this, of course, and thus would do its utmost to browbeat the small nations into "peace...

...Rearming of the satellites—while blocking rearmament of West Germany...

...The British Labor party and the German Social Democrats appear to support them...

...Khrushchev, for example, said on April 10, 1953: "They propose control...

...West Berlin might well be the first victim of military disengagement...

...The eagerness with which so many Western leaders seek formulas for disengagement, neutralization, etc., is understandable...

...He visualizes a neutral zone that might eventually be extended to the Middle East and Far East...

...NATO's existence, Hook claims, will keep Khrushchev's forces in their barracks...

...Revealing atomic secrets and supplying atomic weapons to allies are matters that bother not only Washington and London, but Moscow, too...

...in Hungary a Soviet-trained army turned over its weapons to a revolutionary populace...

...The present Anglo-American forces in Germany are a substitute for native European military forces...

...The ruling circle of the Western powers say: Let us agree that our planes will fly over vour country and your planes over ours...

...What will you say then, gentlemen...

...The Soviet statements that have been put forward publicly on the issue of international inspection are, therefore, unconvincing...

...This small island in the East German sea, although it has only two million inhabitants, is of supreme political importance and could swiftly be invaded from East Berlin...

...Construction of ballistic missile sites on Soviet soil—and preventing the West from taking similar steps by threats of annihilation...

...Moscow has promised more than once to make inspection possible, but the promises have been unclear and evasive...

...Quoting lavishly from American statements, the Soviet press has been pointing out lately that the U.S...

...It has also been bragging that Soviet missiles are larger and travel faster than U.S...

...Khrushchev combines both trends, which is why he is the supreme leader...

...Sooner or later a decision will have to be made by the Soviet Government, and an answer will have to be given to inquiries on the part of satellite military leaders and general staffs about A-weapons for their armed forces...