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| 13. HOPJD COHHU1TISH The Hear East and Asia, In the frear 2ast, the Soviet Union is sponsoring a separatist movement in northern Iran. It is likewise putting pressure upon Turkey to give the Soviets partial control of the' Dardanelles, In the same political orbit, although removed geographical- ly, are the attempts to foster independence movements in the colonies of Grc:at Britain and the Netherlands. While man$rindependence groups in India have the welfare of the country at heart, best available information is that the Communist move is aimed at embarassing Great Britain so that she cannot concentrate upon the Continent of Europe, It is significant that the activity of colonial groups dominated by the Communists is in inverse proportion to the warmth of Soviet friendship with Great Britain. There are no important front movements in the United States directed towards these ends* Elsewhere in the Orient, the Soviet Union is concerned about" Korea and Japan. Northern Korea has been occupied by Soviet troops. Initial reports are that the results are similar to the pattern established in the Balkans. In regard to Japan, the first move is a campaign to in- stall a joint Allied control of the nation, in contrast to the"present American control. IrThile both the United Kingdom and Australia, both of whom made relatively substantial -contributions — in the light of avail- able-strength — to the final victory, are satisfied with MacArthur«s rule, the Communist press is baying that the Soviet Union must be permitted condominium. They even" have the insolence to credit a major share of the victory to the U.S.S.R., since it followed so quickly upon the latter*s entry into the fray. Apparently Tass has not informed them as yet of Japanese peace feelers, through Russia, months before Soviet entry into the war. A group with even a touch of humor ?/ould realize that the "conquest" had all the recklessness erf I.Iussolini»s Heroic triumph over France. Other American activities include the very important front group, the American Council of the Institute of Pacific Relations, with Frederick V, Field as the chief spokesman, the Council"for a Democratic Japan, and promotion of Andrew Roth's Dilemma in Japan. The Communist connections of Amerasia were well publicized recently when six Dersons were arrested for alleged rifling of State Department documents. The Chinese situation may well be studied in Communist schools as a masterpiece of propaganda, comparable in its spher.3 to the classic military campaigns of General Lee. To those inclined to discount the effectiveness of Communist propaganda, it might well serve as an object lesson. If one were"to compare the article in the Readers* Digest by Max Eastman and J. B. Powell, the text of Congressman's Judd»s address or its summary in Time, the special supplement "Comintern versus Koumintang" in the Hev? Leader, Hay 26, 1945, and various articles in the Catholic Digest with the material put out by Edgar Snow, Owen Lattimore, Agnes Smedley, and the Institute of Pacific Relations, it would be difficult to realize that the same country was being discussed. Some of the material given out by wishful-thinking fellow travelers (that the Yenan government was not really Communist; that it was independent of Moscow) has since been repudiated by the Chinese Communist leader Mao. As to the rest, it would be impossible to go into details here. It is sufficient to note that a careful study of both sides of the question, using such sources as those noted above has convinced-this observer of the |