SOVIET POLICY ON PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE SET rh IN 1920 INTERVIEW

‘Let ‘us trade in peace’, Lenin proposed to world

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U the leaders of the Soviet Union really believe
in the peaceful co-existence of socialism and
capitalism ?

Do the Soviet (Communists think that the
revolution against capitalism can be exported
from their country to other lands ?

Are the Russians interested in trade with the
capitalist world?

Do Marxist-Leninists believe that w ar is in-
evitable ?

On numerous occasions since the end of the
war, Premier Joseph Stalin has repeated the
statement that the Soviet government favors
peaceful co-existence with the capitalist world.
Stalin told that to Harold Stassen when Stassen
interviewed him in Moscow. He told it to Henry
Wallace. Soviet leaders like Deputy Premier V.
M. Molotov and G. M. Malenkov, Communist
party secretary, have ‘repeated these statements.

*big business press that ee statements are “pro-
paganda.” The enemies of the Soviet Union have
cited the writings of V. I. Lenin, the founder of
the Soviet state, to “prove” that Communists be-
lieve war is inevitable and that peaceful co-exist-
ence between the socialist and capitalist systems
is impossible,

Some months ago, ev ery daily newspaper in
the Soviet Union reprinted an interview with Len-
in which appeared in the Hearst paper, the New
York Journal, 31 years ago. We are publishing
that interview below.

Here you have an authoritative answer to the
questions we posed above by the man who led
the Russian revolution in 1917 and‘was the first
premier of Soviet government.

Lenin and Stalin never concealed their views
that the big bankers and factory owner will al-
ways try to stir up wars. These big business in-

ets, sources of raw materials and places to. invest
surplus capital.

The big capitalists want to destroy the social-
ist world because they oppose a social system
where there are no capitalists and where the
means of production are owned in common.

The reason socialism stands for peace, on
the other hand, is that there are no bankers and
private munitions makers who can profit from
war. Bocialism requires peace to build up its
economy and the culture and welfare ofits citi-
zens.

But does that mean in turn that the imperial-
ist camp will inevitably make war on the social-
ist world?

- On the contrary, Marxists believe the organ-
ized working class and a huge united movement
of the people for peace can stay the hands of the

Nevertheless, it is still being charged in the

\

By KARL H. VON WIEGAND

Universal Service Staff Correspon-

dent. Copyright, 1920, by Universal
Service.

BERLIN, Feb. 21--Soviet Rus-
sia is planning no military of-
fensive against Poland, Rumania
or any other. country. Her main
wish is to live in peace with all
the world and to reestablish
healthy, normal trade conditions
with Europe and America. -

She is ready to pay for the
things she needs not only with
gold, but with raw materials.

Nicholai Lenin, the Bolshevist
premier, makes these .tatements
in a long wireless communication
to me, in an answer to a series
of direct questions I put to him
in a radio message. The impor-
tant lengthy message I have just
received from him amounts. there-
fore. to a “wireless interview,”
unique in the annals of journal-
ism.

WORLD CLAIMED FOR
SOVIETS

M. Lenin makes the flat pre-
diction that the future belongs
to the Soviet system all over the
world, but denied that the Soviet
Government intends to bring this
about by force of arms.

Touching ‘upon the deportation
of radicals by the United Btetes,
he says:

“We are not afraid of revol-
utionists. We are not afraid of
any state or country. We wel-
come any citizens whom America
thinks dangerous, with the excep-
tion. of course, of criminals.”

The Bolshevist chieftain’s mes-
Sage to me follows, in full:

“Do we intend to attack Poland
and Rumania? No. We have de-
clared most emphatically and of-
ficially, in the name of the Coun-
cil of the People’s -Commissars
and the All-Russian Central Ex-

ecutive Committee, our peaceful

‘intentions,

“It is very much to be regretted
that the French capitalistic gov-
ernment is instigating Poland
(and presumably Rumania, too)
to attack us, This is even men-

tioned by a number of American

radios from Lyons. id

“You ask about our plans in
Asia, They are the same’ as in
Europe: peaceful, neighbourly life
with all peoples; with the workers

and peasants of ajl nations .

awakening to a new life — a life
without exploiters, without pan-
handlers. without capitalists, with-
out merchants.

“The imperialistic war of 1914-
1918, the war of Anglo. French
and Russian capitalist groups
against Germany’s capitalist
group for the partition of the
world has awakefied Asia and has
strengthened there, as everywhere
else, the tendencies toward free-
dom, towards peaceful labor and

against possible wars in the fu-—

ture.

terests bring about wars in their drive for mark-

w armakers.

“You ask me: ‘What would be

the basis of peace’ between Rus-

sia and America?’ —

_“My answer is: Let the Ameri-
can capitalists leave us alone. We
shall not touch them. We are
even ready to pay with gold for
any machinery, tools, etc., useful
to our transport and industries.
We are ready to pay not only
with gold, but with raw materials,
tod,

“ ‘What are the obstacles to
peace between Russia and Ameri-
ca?’ you ask.

“None on our part; imperialism ‘

en the part of the American as
of the other nations’ capitalists.

“As to our view of the depor-
tation of Russian revolutionists
from America, we have received
them. We are not afraid of revol-
utionists here in this country. As
a matter of fact, we are not
afraid of anybody, and if America,
is afraid of a few more hundred
or thousand of its citizens, we are
ready to begin negotiations with
a view of receiving any citizens
whom America thinks dangerous,

_with the exception of course, of

criminals.

“The possibilities of an econ-
omic alliance between Russia and
Germany, regarding which you
ask me, are, unfortunately, not
great, because the Scheidemanns
are bad allies.

“We stand for an alliance with
all countries, excepting none.

“ ‘What are our views upon the
Allied demand for the extradition
of the German alleged war cul-
prits?’ If we are to speak ser-
iously on -this matter of war
guilt, the guilty ores are the capi-
talists of all countries. ‘

“Hand us over all your land-

Jords owning more than a hundred
hectares of land and the capital-

ists having a capital of more than
100,000 francs (nominally $20,000),
and we shall educate them to use-
ful labor and make them -break
with the shameful, base and
bloody role of exploiters and in-

stigators of wars for the partition "

of colonies. Wars. will then. be
absolutely impossible.

N ‘What would be the influence
of peace between Russia and the

rest of the world upon the econ-
omic conditions in Europe?’ you
ask,

“Exchange of ‘machinery for
corn, flax and other raw materials
~-I ask, can this be disadvanta-

geous for Europe? Clearly, it can-~

not be anything but beneficial. ,

“As to our opinion regarding

the future development of the ~

Soviets as a world force, the fu-
ture belongs to the Soviet: system
all the world over. The facts
have proved it. One has only to
count, say, by quarterly periods,
the growth in the number of
pamphlets, books, leaflets, and
newspapers in any country stand-
ing for the Soviets.

“It cannot be otherwise, Once
the workers in the cities, the
landless peasants and the journey-
men in the villages. as well as
the small peasant$ cease to con-
stitute the medium of exploita-
tion; once this enormous majority

of toilers has understood that the ~

Soviets give the whole power into
their hands, releasing them from

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JANUARY 19, 1951

the yoke of landlords and capi-
talists — how could one prevent
the victory of the Soviet system
all over the world? I, for one, do
not know of any means to prevent
it.

“Has Russia yet to fear a coun-
ter-revolution from without? Un-

fortunately, it has, because the —

capitalists’ are stupid, greedy
p@ople. They make a series of
such stupid, greedy attempts at
intervention that one has to fear
repetitions until the workers and
peasants of each country thor-
oughly re-educate their capitalists.

“Is Russia ready to enter busi-
ness relations with America? Of
course it is ready to do so, not
only with America, but with every
other country.

“Peace with Estonia, to which
we have made enormous conces-
sions, has proved our readiness to
give for the sake of business re-
lations, even industrial conces-
sions. . ‘ pre

‘ “LENIN”.

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