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PARTISAN R' EVIEW
"liberals" w.ere too busy to raise that question. Besides, as everyone
knew, certain reactionary groups in Iran were a distinct threat to
Russia. A nation of 15 million a threat to a nation of 180 million!
When
Izvestia
made this fantastic charge, it was following precisely
Hitler's tactic towards a country he had designated for absorption or
conquest-and Hitler had never been more preposterous in his claims
of imaginary aggression.
Russia may not gobble up Iran, and the Iranian case may subside
into a relatively minor incident; in which case you can expect the
"liberals" to set up a shrill hue and cry that the matter was a tempest
in a teapot, engineered by reactionaries, over a few months' longer
occupation by the Red Army-a few months being, as we all know,
but a moment in world history.
PM
has already hinted at this high–
historical piece of apologetics. Certainly Russia's operations in Europe
are
at this time
immensely more important, however rich in oil Iran
be and however decisive Middle Eastern politics will shortly
be
in the
total international picture. Stalin's pressure on Iran eliminates the
possibility of opposing pressure against Russian operations in Ger–
many, Poland, and the Balkans. Above
all
he gains time, which is so
important for him. The longer he can operate unchecked in Europe,
the more democrats he can shoot. Even if forced to pull back entirely
from Iran, he has still won a point, since the Council has been un–
able meanwhile to bring up the other situations. The Russian game of
chess again, and so far working beautifully. Thanks in large part
to his various Fifth Columns abroad, who consci usly or unconscious–
ly, succeed in misleading public opinion.
But whatever happens, the Iranian case cannot be considered a
"minor" incident if· for no other reason than that it showed beyond
any shadow of doubt what Stalin thinks of the UN. When Gromyko
walked out of the Council, his gesture epitomized perfectly the essen–
tial
rudeness
of Stalin's regime. Russia-with whom its foreign advo–
cates have persistently demanded "cooperation"- showed itself un–
willing to cooperate on anything but its own terms. Protected by its
veto, Russia knows it has nothing to fear, and indeed everything to
gain from the UN. Stalin will continue to use UN as a front organ–
ization, while he carries on his own brand of politics behind the scenes.
A few more such walkouts and the UN will
be
revealed to the world
for the farce it is.
Even the die-hard "liberal" apologists became a little hard–
pressed as the Iran affair dragged on, and were glad to draw a breath
of relief when the Russian satellite, Poland, brought up theJ Spanish
