The Daily Worker Newspaper, June 13, 1925, Page 7

“The idea becomes power when it pene- trates. the masses.” —Karl Marx. The Soviet Union and Great Britain - 2 cose cticterin Extract from the Report on the For- eign Political Situation to the Third Congress of the Soviet Union. We print below that portion of Comrade Chicherin’s Foreign Poli- tical Report dealing with the rela- tions of the Soviet Union to Eng- land.—Editor’s Note. The Combinations of the Great Powers. JG\VERYWHERE, no matter where : we -look, in -the last resort we encounter the chief combinations of world politics, that is, the world politics of the great powers which are stretching out their feelers in all directions, which are active in Po- land, in our western neighboring states and in the whole of the Near and Far East. And here in these main combinations of world politics we can distinguish two categories, two important, one could say, anta- gonistic tendencies. The one category consists in the formation of a united front against us. The combinations of the other kind consist in the efforts, arising out of the antagonism of the great powers and which seek to draw us into one or the other combinations of the capt- talist states. For example, in France in the press and in the statements of statesmen in the period of Herriot government—of course not of Herri- ot himself—the following combination was contemplated:: France against England, that is, France and Russia along with Poland and Japan against England, which latter on her part is allied with Germany. That was one of the recent combinations, while at the same time other combinations ex- isted, for example, Germany along with us, etc. In the complicated political situa- tion in which we have to conduct our policy of peace, our policy of creating peaceable relations upon the basis of the right of determination of the peo- ples, we stand between these two categories of international combina- tions: united front against us, or at- tempts by means of this or that com- bination to make use of us and draw us over to one or the other side. NE must say, however, that in re- cent times the first of these cate- gories has prevailed. In the recent Political situation, in connection with the strengthening of reaction in the most important countries of the world, the setting up of a ‘united front against ‘us fs the main theme. If in the Geneva press, which is in close touch with the league of nations, the league of nations is represented as a possible basis of a united front against us, it is only the continuation of that policy of combinations which during the last six months has filled the press of all the ruling great pow- ers, . ? The chief role is still being played . by England. England however, is closely connected with America. In cases where it is a question of the immediate interests of the United States, the latter comes forward with decisive declarations and speaks in a tone of command, as the deciding factor. he Dawes plan, the results of which consist in the. immediate domination of American capital over European conditions, is of so much in- terest to the American government that it threatens the European states _ With the withdrawal of its support in the event of the Dawes plan being threatened. by the disunity of the Eu- ropean states. As after the world war the world’s gold supplies have -accu- mulated in the valuts of the American banks, that means that as America is the present chief creditor and also the only possible chief creditor of the SPECIAL MAGAZINE SUPPLEMENT THE DAILY WORKER. JUNE 13, 1925, ee 290 whole world in the future, it is quite; tions in this direction, we must at any clear that this threat of financial pressure can play a decisive role in international relations. If, however, American diplomacy, in some. main questions which interest Americar capital, acts quite independently and in a decisive manner, in other cases of international daily life, where. the minor questiong of all. countries are interwoven with one another’and con- stitute the object of discussions, it is years old. Next Week: Story by Liam O'Flaherty rate reckon with the existence of an exceedingly strong tendency to the creation of.a united front against us. And we must say, that it is one thing to make reassuring. declarations re- garding the general principle of a boy- cott, or the creation of a united front against us, while practical -politics is another thing. We should like to ex- press the wish that the real political actions of the English government EXT Saturday’s magazine suplement of the DAILY WORKER will contain a short story from the gifted pen of Liam O'Flaherty, a young proletarian writer who has already won an international reputa- tion thru his books and short stories. UR of his books have been published within two years: ; Neighbor’s Wife; The Black Soul; The Informer and a collection of short stories. One of England’s one of the best five short story writers in the English language. One of those short stories, dealing with the civil war in Ireland, in which he fought on the side of the Republicans, is listed in the collection of the best short stories produced in Great Britain during 1923. 1AM O’FLAHERTY led a colorful life, tho now only twenty-six He left a little fishing village in the Arran Islands on the west coast of Ireland at an early age for college, where he was trained by the Jesuits for the propaganda mission. grateful to his tutors as-his writings show. ~ After the official ending of the war, in which he participated with the Irish Guards, he went to South America and afterwards traveled thru the Near East landing in Smyrna when the Turks decided to kick out the Greeks. He jumped ship in Alexandria, Egypt, later on taking a “tramp” for Canada. While there he worked as a lumber jack, belonging to the I. W. W. E finally crossed the border into the United States, worked as The leading critics declared that he is He is anything but telegraph messenger boy, dish washer in a restaurant, and helper in a powder factory. He jumped to South America again and after several months returned to Ireland where he participated in the war against the Free State in the Communist detachment of the Republican army. HEN the civil war ended he took to writing and after living pre- . cariously on “fish and chips” he made good and is now eating regular food. The magazine section of the DAILY WORKER is able to promise its readers artciles and short stories from Liam O’Fiaher- ty’s pen from time to time. . England and English diplomacy which plays the most active and influential role, as English foreign minister has of- ficially declared that he was not, is not and will not be the initiator and originator of any plans of a unit- ed front against us. Nevertheless we find many indications in the world press and in the English press, that English influence is playing a role in ereating that atmosphere of general hostility against us in which we have to work. We have already mentioned that a deputation of conservatives approach- ed the English government with the demand that relations be broken off with us, The conservative press states that the English foreign min- ister declared that England could not alone venture on a breach with the Soviet Union. If these words are rightly reported, this would «suggest that England as a member of a united front, would be capable Of severing re- lations with us. This means that in- fluential conservative’ circles, which belong to that party which is in pow- er, consider it important to Support the idea of the united front against us. Thus, whether this only represents a tendency within the conservative party, or whether we have to reckon with the possibility of government ac- were in harmony with these declara- tions of the English minister. EANWHILE the official attitude of the English government towards us during the last few months has been vacillating. It has altered. At the commencement of the year, in that pericd when in a whole number of questions, as Morocco, Tuunis, etc., England did not succeed in arriving at am understanding with the contin- ental states, the official position of the English government was as fol- lows: the Soviet government may pro- posé negotiations, we are prepared to negotiate: the Soviet government may make proposals, we will examine these proposals. We declared at that time: we are ready at any moment and with the greatest pleasure to commence and conduct these negotiations, we only want to know in which respect the treaty signed by MacDonald is accept- able for the new English government. They said to us: “Submit a propos, al”; We, however, said: “There is the treaty, show us wherein it is ac- ceptable and then we will know what proposals are possible.” This how- ever, was not done. The Question of Propaganda. Kiger present standpoint of the Eng- lish foreign minister is somewhat different. He says, that the establish- ment of friendly relations with the SECOND SECTION This magazine supple- ment will appear every Saturday In The Daily Worker. Soviet Union is impossible so long as it does not cease its propaganda. That is another question.. That is the liter- al repetition of the words of Lord Curzon when we met in Lausanne. When I asked him what possibilities he saw of improving our relations, he replied that no better relations were possible, so long as. we did not cease our prapaganda. I then asked him: “What is propaganda? We have a government which has an official ap paratus and employes at its disposal The government and its whole appar atus pledges not to carry on any prop aganda. The government, however, cannot accept responsibility for what any private citizen may say. If a private citizen infringes the laws or) the treaties, then he will be made re- sponsible. We cannot however com pel the Communist Party to cease to be a Communist Party. We cannot compel the members of the Commun- ist Party to refrain from acting as Communists.” And Curzon replied to me: If it means that it is here a ques tion, not of a 100 per cent, but of a 50 per cent propaganda being conducted then the government of his majesty cannot negotiate in this respect. The same idea is to be seen in the declaration of Chamberlain: “Cease conducting propaganda!” HAT is propaganda? We stand before the main question of our foreign political relations: Our g@v-. ernment is, prepared to seer ane: cepts all the obligation nd with international relations. e English government proves th. > are misusing our diplomatic’ connec- tions, then we are prepared to agree to everything demanded of us in this respect. If, however, we are told that all propaganda must cease in the Soviet Unions, this is tantamount to demand- ing that the Communist Party shall cease to be a Communist Party. Here it is a question of whether we shall continue to exist or not. It concerns the main question of our relations with the capitalist world by which we are surrounded. If Chamberlain says to us: © “All propaganda must cease, the Commuyn- ist Party shall cease to be a Comman- ist Party,” then we must answer: “Faites le, citoyen Chamberlain,” “Do it, Citizen Chamberlain!” OU have already attempted it, but you did not succeed. What do you really want? War? You do not want war. You cannot want war. A fresh intervention? You have already tried that. What then do you want? You must understand that between England and ourselves, between the capitalist states and our state, a mo- dus vivendi must be created. But in order to create a modus vivendi, the English government must adopt its former standpoint, that is to say, reg- ulate the relations from government to government. The English govern- ment must abandon its present stand- point which consists in demanding that the Communist Party shall cease to be a Communist Party. Everything that is possible with regard to the government’s policy, with regard to agreements, obligations of the govern- ment as regards the official apparatus, our government is prepared to under- take and will undertake. On this basis concrete demands can be discussed and definite agreements arrived at. We may mention that when, in 1921, we concluded a tem- porary treaty with England, which to- day is the only valid treaty between us and England, we proposeed to England that it shoura not limit her- (Continued on page 8)