European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 8, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 8 the stars and stripes thursday August 8, 1968mnrtrurr-n-Mbimut r by of impotence by Henry s. Bradsher Moscow a the soviet Union has of late been learning a bitter lesson that is Long familiar to the United states a superpower is often powerless. All of the military and econ Omic might of a great Power cannot guarantee that its influence can be exerted beyond it sown Borders. Subsidizing a nation does not necessarily buy it cooperation and might Breed its Defiance. And it is usually impossible to be Good friends with both parties to a feud. Around the world today the soviet Union is having these facts of International political life brought Home to it in uncomfortable sometimes painful never has the soviet Union been stronger in both Industrial and military terms. It reportedly is closing the missile Gap with the unite states rapidly increasing the number of nuclear warheads it can deliver to any Corner Orthe Earth but destructive Power is not the same thing a influence particularly when the Power cannot be used for prac tical realistic purposes. Soviet naval squadrons have recently begun to cruise the world s oceans providing a significant military potential in the Mediterranean a political in fluence in the Indian Ocean Symbol of a Long Range Power elsewhere. But . Domination of the seas for the last Quarter Century has not insured Domina Tion of the land. As it has grown stronger the soviet Union has suffered from an erosion of Power. This is most clearly visible today in Eastern Europe. Using the red army the soviet secret police and Moscow trained local communists Joseph bal in absolutely and completely controlled the Tito s Yugoslavia broke free and when Stalin snapped his Finger at it nothing happened. Years later Albania trailed off after communist China which never had really been As much under soviet in fluence As appeared on the sur face. Then went Romania which in the last four years has carved out an aggressively assertive position of Independence right on the soviet Borders. The Kremlin was incensed but impotent to control romanian economic and foreign there is Czechoslovakia. The use of soviet tanks to Hal Prague s deviation into the for Bidden Forest of Western demo cratic traditions would Only prove the Point of lost influence. Farther afield problems continue for the soviet is subsidized by some $400 million a year but this soviet Money does not buy in fluence. Worse it is paid to a openly defiant regime that is too hot a potato to hold Ana too hot to Fidel Castro is trying to Foster revolutions in Latina Erica Che Guevara style the soviet Union argues that the area is not Ripe for revolution and prefers peaceful Trad relations with anti communist governments. Castro openly in sults the soviets but the sub Sidy expensive is North Viet Nam and the whole vietnamese War which costs the soviet Union a billion or More dollars a year in Aid and Handicap soviet Domestic economic de is generally assumed by stars and stripes columns czechs win ont on free press Prague a press free Dom the barometer of Czecho Slovakia s liberalization has settled at a level that compares favourably with those Western countries where restrictions on news Are at a minimum. Editors use More self restraint than in the first few months after censorship was lifted but their main concerns the National interest. The free press has Beena Thorn in the eyes of Czecho Slovakia s critics. The soviet Union and its ideological allies have been Quick to use it to claim that the developments in Czechoslovakia Are in reality anti communist. Reintroduction of censorship was one of the chief demands of the Warsaw letter signed by the communist parties of the soviet Union Poland East Germany Bulgaria and Hun Gary. The czechoslovak leadership rejected this and has made it Plain that censorship was no part of the Deal in the press War truce agreed to at their meeting in Bratislava with the five Warsaw letter signatories. From our Point of View the halt in the polemics in no Way reduces the duty of the news Paperman to inform his Reader broadly and truthfully editorialized the youth organization newspaper Mlada Fronta after the Bratislava meeting. We believe that Czecho slovak newspapermen Are mature enough to avoid All the cheap invectives and provocations which filled the press of the five Warsaw letter Signa tories the new czechoslovak Leader ship that ousted Antonin Novotny from his Post of party chair Man in january maintains that the country can have a free press and communism too. The press helped the new leaders consolidate their Posi Tion by publicizing the stalinist past of Novotny and his conservative followers and was in Strumental in his ouster a president last March Sheji censorship was officially Only formal restriction on editors now is a 35-Page list of economic and other official secrets that has been consider ably list or some version of it will become part of a new press Law that parliament is to pass later this year. It May also be coupled with new libel legislation. The present rules which provide maximum fines of 400 crowns $25 and do no permit damage suits Are deemed unsatisfactory. Most editors Are members of the communist party or other organizations in the communist led National front. From Timeto time they Are asked by the party leadership not to stress particular stories or to write about particular subjects. Direct attacks against soviet leaders will probably fallin this category following the Bratislava meeting. Newsmen have been critical of wrong information about the withdrawal of soviet troops. Asa direct result the association of military writers has asked the defense minister to remove his press spokesman from his Job because of incompetence. Jiri Kanturek one of Czecho a 1 o v a k i a s leading television commentators told a Public meeting sunday we Are ready to cooperate with the leadership in order notto pull the Rug from under them. But they must not be angry atus if what we say is sometimes uncomfortable to ancient Basque language dying out " Western observers that Hie so Viet Union wants the Vietnam War to end although the opposite argument can he made that it wants the United states to stay tied up Ami be bled White in Vietnam. If the soviets do want the War to end they Are unable to translate their essential Aid forthe communist War Effort into influence. Hanoi takes the Ai but pursues its policy and Moscow cannot Force advice on and economic Aid is not influential in Syria last year s Arab israeli War Syria has refused to Fol Low the soviet line that a Politi Cal rather than military solutions needed for the Middle East problem. The Kremlin is in the awk Ward position of supplying Syria with the weapons it fears might be used to ignite another very unwanted Middle East conflagration. Then there is also the Middle East problem Iraq Mihl be a current Case although no one Here seems sure of pouring Money into a country Only Tosee a revolution sweep away those who were maybe being influenced and replace them with coldly umut la Ernecl new examples or rather worse ones Are some si.3 Bil lion in Aid to Sukarno s Indonesia some $400 million for be Bella s Algeria ss9 million for Nkrumah s Ghana. The men who ousted those leaders do no share their attitudes toward of the soviet Aid programs of All. Some $2.1 Bil lion in economic help for India has now been caught up a the explosive anger of a neighbor Hood soviet Union has recently Given in to years of pakistani urgings to provide some weapons for thinks Pakistan wans arms Only to threaten it caught in the Middle of this Fonh just the was the in lieu states has been in previous Yean the soviet Union is being roundly castigated m catalogue is. A Long one. Much of the experience in it i common to both superpowers. For the soviets w1 a newer and there Washington up the the Basque people who occupy the basques nurture the Basque language seems Des Severi provinces in the Western land As a Trust from their fore ui1u Sto die Tefa use of tourism pyrenees and nearby coasts of fathers and As a Promise to at the moment in Raton and use of Spanish and French France and Spain Are an an their heirs the Magazine said revolution than it is tons the client eople whose origins Are estates Are passed to the cans. The Sovie is ,$nce.ans of Supei Pouvi Mucor business transactions e National geographic says. The article coincided with re ports that Spanish head of state Generalissimo Francisco fran co had placed the Basque prov Ince of a Lipuzcoa under a state of Alert because of the assassination of a secret police chief there last Magazine which did not Cien people lost in 750,000 live in the Spanish provinces of a Lipuzcoa Vizcaya Alava and Navarra. Another 120,000 reside in la Bourd Basse Navarre and soul All part of the French department of basses pyrenees. The Magazine said in Addi Tion to their language a self. Eldest child. Mention any political matters imposed isolation has been Thein the feature article said that secret of the preservation of the Basque language now is the exclusively Only in the article was written by Mountain said that philologists be Lieve the language which the National geographic described As the most ancient european edition col. James a Campbell Usa it col jr., a of Mart Proctor Elmer d. Frank Henry �. By Stein Edi or in Cal Deputy Edlor if managing production circulation describe state or in Vaoa m mop. of . The. . Of . By the. A t of euro in the Spring of 1988 Basque Corning commercial publication not constitute no the Star. A link be separatists demonstrating Tor a , ,.T. R. " a of cowl Tell a Ull i
