Suchergebnisse

Coincident with the outbreak of the "cold war" the Soviet Union began a series of propagandistic attacks on the United States, its leaders and its policies, using every medium of communication for this purpose, but with special emphasis on radio propaganda. For some time the United States Government suffered these attacks to go unanswered, but in February, 1947, the "Voice of America" began to include among its other foreign programs regular broadcasts in Russian to the Soviet Union. At first these programs were confined almost entirely to music and straight news reports, but gradually more and more time was devoted to answering Soviet attacks considered hostile to the United States or harmful to its national interests.In retaliation Moscow, on April 24, 1949, embarked on a vast effort to jam the American programs, and is at present devoting over 1000 broadcasting stations to this single purpose. The American Government protested through diplomatic channels and to the International Telecommunications Union against this jamming campaign. Furthermore, jamming was condemned by the United Nations Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and of the Press at its Montevideo meeting in May, 1950, as a violation of accepted principles of freedom of information. Also, the Economic and Social Council, at its eleventh session, held in Geneva during the summer of 1950, adopted a resolution recommending to the General Assembly that it call on all Members to refrain from jamming.

Before the United States can extricate itself from the untenable position in world affairs which it is cur rently maintaining, it must learn that it cannot prevent a third world war by means which would have avoided the sec ond. The Soviet Union is not a duplicate of Hitler's power- hungry fascist state, determined to obtain world domination at all costs. The Russians and Chinese would much prefer to devote their energies to their internal affairs; our policy of con taining and encircling the Communists has generated the very military power which we fear. We must learn, since we can not make a fortress of the Western world, to withdraw grace fully from our outposts. We must accept the changes taking place in the world and stop trying to force history into our own pattern. With the end of the garrison state must come a con version of that tremendous part of our economy currently spent on armaments to such useful purposes as education and slum clearance. Increased negotiation will lead to an increase of mutual trust, which in turn will lead to the international co- operation and trade which are such an inevitable outgrowth of modern technology. Under capable leadership the United States can do much to make the world a unit for the benefit of mankind, instead of, as it now is, a unit for holocaustic war.—Ed .

It is a dangerous, current cliche to say America is in the midst of a deep crisis. For suddenly, with the success of Sputnik, our mood of righteous selfcongratulation has given way to the.mood of the crash program. And our new sense of urgency develops simply as a reaction to Russia's technological achievement. Thus it is that so many can argue that the crisis will be resolved if only the United States can close the gap in military research, if only the old nuclear supremacy can be restored.