Russia and the British Public

...Soviet "reformers" may lose the battle with the "Stalinist diehards...

...Be that as it may, there can be no doubt that the hope of further internal "liberalization" has inhibited many journalists in their treatment of Soviet affairs, particularly when it comes to the totalitarian features which survive and flourish in post-Stalinist Russia...

...With his keen sense of history, the British Prime Minister has probably realized that his country's status in the international community now depends to a large extent on its ability to initiate and maintain a certain level of diplomatic activity...

...Velebit, the Yugoslav Ambassador in London, during the Trieste crisis...

...The success of the Macmillan Government in stimulating mass consumption and giving the man in the street a feeling of well-being or, at least, one of impending affluence is so great that the New Statesman and several leading Socialists, including Barbara Castle, went out of their way before the general election to remind their party's rank and file that, after all, socialist principles are more important than mere material gains...

...This, like her new small car, is now within her means—on the never-never system...

...As a result of this general trend, public expectations became higher and higher and pressure for an accommodating attitude toward the Soviet Union grew steadily...

...Thus, some of those with Britain's status at heart necessarily imply that the influence of a country should not and does not depend on the size of its armed forces, but rather on the greatness of its traditions and, above all, on the diplomatic role it can play on the world scene...

...The day has come when the young secretary who, only a few years ago, looked upon a weekend in Brighton as an exciting treat, now insists on two weeks of winter sports in Switzerland or Norway...

...True enough, but then, who is ultimately responsible for the state of public opinion...

...To claim that one favors a settlement with the USSR is not so much the expression of a political viewpoint...

...In Britain installment buying debts have now reached $2 billion...

...Consequently, in some cases, a tacit agreement is reached: The correspondent will not offend Soviet susceptibilities too much and the officials will not make life too difficult for him...

...As an afterthought, this man said to me: "Besides, if I really were to let go, what would happen to my reputation for objectivity...

...The Russian expert of a leading London paper said that if he wrote all he knew about the USSR he would write himself out of his job in no time...

...K." By temperament and tradition the British public is inclined to believe that compromise is the mother of wisdom...

...The extraordinary thing is that these meaningless incantations have been adopted in one form or another by all the leading political parties in Britain...

...Why does the British Government hesitate to do this...

...But has British diplomacy, in its classical sense, much scope when it comes to negotiations with Russia on the major issues which still divide East from West...

...The fact that many members of the Commonwealth and other countries seem to acknowledge the actual or potential contribution which Britain can make to world peace flatters the public...

...In the circumstances, is it surprising that ordinary people, who believe that every dispute can be settled over the table by a "man-to-man" talk or a chat "between us women...

...He would become persona non grata with the Soviet Embassy, his contact would be severed, and there would be no hope of obtaining another visa...

...This approach is particularly dear to the influential Sunday Observer...

...Practically nobody has even considered the possibility that a popular Soviet regime is more—not less—dangerous to the Western world...

...The London expert on Soviet affairs could, of course, make up for the silence of his Moscow colleagues, but he does not always do so...

...Most of our experts agree that the greater material affluence of Soviet society will, or may, result in a "liberalization" of the Soviet regime...

...He sounded so sincere that I resisted the temptation to recite the last part of La Fontaine's fable, "The Ox and the Frog...

...When the talks did finally collapse, the failure received very little attention in the press...

...Withdraw only half the LIONEL BLOCH has written on international affairs for Twentieth Century, Time and Tide and Soviet Survey...

...The new Elizabethan era which was heralded so exultantly at the time of the Queen's coronation has finally descended upon the British isles...

...I shall never forget my conversations with Dr...

...When the Opposition fails to oppose or expose a meaningless policy, one cannot blame the public for its illusions and false hopes...

...Since Sir Winston Churchill's famous speech in May 1953...

...LONDON NOWADAYS, more than ever before, the average Englishman's conception of the cold war is reminiscent of the Epicurean's conception of the gods: He does not go so far as to deny their existence but dismisses them as a remote conglomeration of atoms, unimportant, non-interfering, unable to influence the destiny of man or the course of history...

...As such she occupies a supremely important position in the world...

...He spoke about his country's new mission of maintaining sanity in Europe and beyond...

...You know very well that even if the worst atrocities are committed by the Russians, one cannot denounce them without taking the risk of being dismissed by the pundits as a 'propagandist.' Remember, we are supposed to write about the people who have hit the moon and whose Moscow underground has special seats for expectant mothers...

...During the last few years British foreign policy has been under the spell of a vicious circle: The public wanted a relaxation of tension and consequently our politicians emphasized everything conducive to such relaxation and minimized everything pointing the other way...

...This cry of despair represents a significant shift of emphasis in the party traditionally identified with promoting British working-class material interests...

...No discussion of the British mood towards the USSR is complete without a reference to the role played by our press in fostering the present climate of "better understanding...

...Hence, the Conservatives, the Socialists and the Liberals have embarked on a seemingly unending auction to impress the British public with their respective plans for peaceful co-existence...

...In other words, the tendency of compensating the wounded national ego is a noticeable factor in the prestige-thirsty foreign policy of Great Britain...

...refuse to discuss the Berlin problem) because, for one thing, this would be going against popular feeling...

...The "philosophy" of the common man—as one hears it in pubs, clubs and kitchens—might be summed up as follows: "If the price of continuing to enjoy the fruits of Tory capitalism is to come to terms with Soviet Communism, then, by all means, let us have some 'sensible settlement' with Mr...

...Incidentally, similar views flatter the Yugoslav national ego...

...These correspondents, whether they work for a paper or for an agency, know that their ability to supply good stories regularly and to make sure that they arrive in good time, depends very much on the good will of Soviet officials...

...After all, even when the Kremlin's demands for a summit reached their peak, the Soviet press and radio continued their customary vituperation against the West's "certain circles," NATO, etc...

...What is worse, most newspapers greet each "liberal reform," be it the strengthening of "Socialist legality" or the abolition of compulsory State loans, with an enthusiasm which suggests to the ordinary reader that a corresponding improvement in the Kremlin's attitude toward the West must follow as a matter of course...

...One could, of course, argue with equal force that powerful criticism could accelerate reforms in the USSR, whose leaders are sometimes so sensitive to world opinion...

...American bases in Europe...

...Another sign of our times is the sumptuous $196,000 apartment buildings which are now being built in London's elegant district of St...

...Apparently, many of our editors feel that their experts are not much good unless they can periodically visit the Communist world and stay in close touch with the Soviet Embassy...

...Give up only half of West Berlin...

...it is simply a demonstration of responsibility, a way of advertising the fact that one is a thoroughly decent fellow and not a sabre-rattling warmonger...

...My Conservative friends assure me that whilst Macmillan is well aware of the Kremlin's machinations and ultimate objectives, he is not prepared to advocate a hard line towards the Communist powers (e.g...

...Britain, it is argued, can still make a major contribution in mediating between America and the Soviet Union...

...The fact remains that on the whole people in Britain are quite cynical when it comes to political principles, particularly in the sphere of Anglo-Soviet relations...

...James' overlooking Green Park...

...British headline writers and commentators have been very conscious—perhaps too conscious—that "indiscriminate ' criticism may retard the development of "liberalism" in the USSR...

...The vicious circle could only be broken by a determined drive to familiarize the British public with the hard facts of Soviet foreign policy...

...Astounded by their newfound prosperity, exhilarated by the discovery of Italian fashions, seized by a mad quest for vivid colors and gay patterns, the British public has little time and no patience for the unrewarding complexities of world politics—or for that matter, for the controversies between or within British political parties...

...Therefore it favors some "give and take" without ever saying what we can give the Kremlin, protests its desire to "live and let live," as if it is in our power to stop the Soviet Union from undermining our interests, say, in the Middle East, and urges everybody "to meet half-way...

...If we remember that the "Geneva spirit'' was acclaimed, at the time, as one of the greatest achievements of all our diplomatic encounters with Russia, one can understand why discriminating observers lend to get a little impatient with the pretentious postures of our diplomacy...

...are inclined to apply the rules-of-thumb of their microcosm to the bewildering maze of world affairs—and expect good results...

...This trend is marked by a departure from the hard-boiled political empiricism of the 19th century whether of the Palmerston or the Disraeli variety and its replacement by the spurious "diplomatic" mysticism of today...

...There is a strong belief that if every little reform is not greeted with thunderous applause...

...His insistence on the need "to keep up the momentum" (commenced by his fateful visit to Moscow) is part and parcel of a wider historical process which has developed as Britain changed from the greatest power into a greater power...

...Moreover Britain's national papers cover the Soviet Union and the Communist world either by sending their own special correspondents to Moscow or by relying on agency dispatches...

...For instance, when the discussion on the prevention of surprise attacks started in Geneva last year practically the whole British press emphasized the "great" possibilities of the talks, although it was perfectly clear to all those familiar with the problem that in view of inherent technical difficulties, the talks were doomed from the start...