British Relations with Russia
NEARLY a year has passed since the Arcos raid and the breaking off of relations with Russia. Nothing has happened during the past ten months to make us alter the opinion we expressed when the rupture took place. No doubt there are many people who, if they were making the map of Europe afresh, would relegate Russia to some other continent. But unfortunately we live in a world of facts, and one of the chief facts in the European situation is that Russia is both the largest and most populous country west of the Ural mountains. It is not possible, therefore, to ignore her existence or to imagine that British-Russian relations can remain indefinitely on their present unsatisfactory footing.
When the break with Russia took place last May we did not hesitate to criticize the conduct of the • Soviet Government and its representatives in this country, but we questioned the wisdom of the " bag and baggage " policy, and we cannot find any new factors in the situa- tion. A year before the Arcos raid Sir Austen Cham- berlain said : " A breach with the Soviet would give us no weapon for fighting disorder or disloyalty or revolution within our own borders. - It would . . increase the instability of European conditions which it is and ought to be our chief object to remove."—wise words, which - are as true to-day as when they were spoken. - We have never sought to defend the conduct of the Soviet regime, but we do not think that putting Russia in Coventry will make her leaders amend their waYs, nor do we see any' advantage to be gained from an attempt to isolate her from the comity: of- European nations. The _other countries of Europe have no intention of following our lead. Six months ago we took special pains to study on the spot the relations of the European neighbours of - Russia with the Soviet' Government ; in no country did we find any intention of following the British lead.: France has shown greater wisdom than -Great Britain- in her Russian policy. If a Soviet emissary misbehaves himself the offending party is bundled out of France, but diplomatic intercourse with Moscow is maintained.
We think that Great Britain should make a serious attempt to re-establish diplomatic contact with' Moscow for two reasons. The first, and much the more important, reason, however much we may dislike the fact; is that European peace cannot be achieved without the co-opera- tion of Russia. Recently there have been occasional gleams of returning sanity in Moscow, and the best way to strengthen moderate opinion there, and to enable it to become articulate, is for Great Britain to have her diplomatic representatives in Russia. But as a Polish diplomat once said to the writer, when Great Britain enters into diplomatic relations with Russia; she should insist that for every Russian diplomat or trader in - England there is one Englishman in Russia as a means of keeping down the number of Russian representatives to reasonable proportions, and thus possibly checking in future the misbehaviour which- has naturally exasperated the British Government and public. . _ Whenever the question of British-Russian relations is discussed, there are Many who use the argument about " shaking hands with murder," a policy which if it had been pursued at the time of the Anglo-Irish peace nego- tiations would have made the signing of the Anglo-Irish Peace Treaty impossible. But it has never been the practice of this country, as far as we know, to have diplo- matic relations only with those countries of whose internal and external conduct it approves. When the Armenian massacres were at their worst in the reign of Abdul Ilarnid Great Britain Continued to be represented on the - banks of the Bosphorus.- We have -frequently main- tained- diplomatic contact with countries of -whose con- - duct we disapproved: • If we wish to Communist-ideals, we shall certainly not do so successfully as fur as Russia is concerned by the negative Method of refusing to have anything to do with her - 7 _ ".. _The second reason why _we _advo_cate the resumption of diplomatic - relations with' Russia - is an economic-. one. This does not weigh so much with Us,- but it is important .neVertheless, especially when we -have a -million unem- ployed: -Europe Great' Britain and Russia- are compleinentary to One another. We can use the raw Materials Russia Can provide, and Russia can consume many of the .produCts of our factories. Russian orders which would otherwise have come to this country have undoubtedly been -placed in Germany -and Sweden surd elsewhere, as the trade figures show. We are not stupid -enough to imagine that trading with Russia will be easy, and no doubt very great care will have to be exercised When it comes to working Out the financial details. Bdt it shoUld be quite possible to overcome the difficulties, granted good will on both sides; We believe that Moscow has learnt some .lessons and is anxious to re-establish -contact; although- it does not . quite know how to set about the task. There must not be too scrupulous an insistence on punctilio on our part.
The fact that Russia was represented at the Disarma- ment Conference in December was a decided advance, and we hope that when Sir Austen Chamberlain goes -to Geneva to attend the next Council of the League he will - take an' early opportunity of -discussing ways and means - Of re-establishing diplomatic relations. Nothing that we - have written implies any lessening of our --detestation of much that the present Soviet- system stands for, but the welfare of Europe as a whole must be our first considera- tion, and personal antipathies have already- played too large a part. There have been many- tragic pages in the history of British and Russian relations during the past century as the result of misunderstandings and prejudices on both - sides. Let us make an. honest attempt to negotiate with Russia ; in so doing there is no need for us to sacrifice any of the ideals we hold dear.
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