LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
" OURSELVES AND RUSSIA "
Sta,—Mr. Philips Price's article reads like a piece of blatant Soviet Communist propaganda. There is hardly a single statement which he makes that could survive critical examination. His theme evidently is: Let us agree with Russia on everything. Give her everything she asks for and wants, and then we can have her friendship. If we don't do this, then we are to blame if there is suspicion and enmity between us." He starts off with the cliché that the " interests of great States remain fairly constant throughout the decades." This, of course, is not true whether in ancient or in modern times. Maybe, of course, Mr. Philips Price is trying to tell us that the imperialism of Stalin is exactly the same as the imperialism of Peter the Great. We are told the Russians have long memories, and have not forgotten our intervention in their civil war. Has Mr. Philips Price a long memory? Has he forgotten that, in violation of her pledged word, Russia made a separate peace with Germany and enabled her to release hundreds of thousands of her troops to be hurled against us in the West. and so helped her to very nearly win the war? Without our victory Communist Russia could never have survived.
Again, we are told that " since the October Revolution we have given them plenty of ground to be distrustful of us." Russia has no clean sheet in this matter, as in the same period she has given us more than equal cause to be distrustful and suspicious of her. We are next informed that Russia has an immense problem of internal reconstruction. We agree, and will help as far as we can, but other countries have the same problem. No .city in Europe is more completely destroyed than Warsaw. Don't let us forget Russia could have saved most of this city, but didn't. Again we are told that Russia has been invaded three times through Poland. We are not told how many times Russia has invaded and devastated Poland. We are next told that " owing to faulty policy after the last war Prussian militarism got back into the saddle." Whose faulty policy? No country has a greater responsibility in this matter than Russia.
It was Russia who first. started to rearm Germany. It was Russia who gave every facility for training the new German Army. It was Russia who supplied arms and equipment to the Germans for experiment and training. It was Russia who helped to re-establish Germany's armament industry. It is utter nonsense to say that French diplomacy established a cordon sanitaire sound Russia. Everybody knows that France had only one object in view in all her alliances—namely, the protection of France against a powerfully rearmed Germany. Next, Mr. Price says that some Poles are anti-Russian. This may be so. It is, however, equally true that some Russians are anti-Polish. After all, in view of the treatment they have received, is there any reason in the world why Poles should be pro-Russian?
We are finally informed by Mr. Philips Price that we should " cease trying to export our particular brand of Parliamentary democracy." Note that this is not written by a Fascist nor by an avowed Communist. It is written by a Labour Member of Parliament. It is in direct contra- diction to everything that the British Labour Party stands for. Evidently we have to stand aside and see freedom destroyed everywhere in Eastern Europe. We have to see hideous police states created. No freedom of the Press, no freedom for political parties, no freedom of expression, no right of public assembly ; only totalitarian tyranny and the con- centration camp, if not assassination! Not a single one of these countries, if they were free, would choose or agree to the systems of government that Mr. Philips Price does not object to being imposed upon them— an amazing position for a member of a democratic Socialist Party. The people of this country want to be friends with the Russians. Some years ago Mr. Eden ,crystallised the feelings of the people of this country when he said: " There is in our minds no reservation when we say that we wish to work with the Soviet Union in the fullest and closest collaboration." That is still the policy of the British people. It is the policy of Mr. Bevin and the Labour Government. There has never been the slightest evidence at any time that Russia reciprocates that sentiment. There should and there can be friendship and good feeling between the two countries, but it can only be on,a mutual basis of upright
Previous page
