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INTRODUCTION: According to the BBC, "world comment on President Truman's decision
has for the most part been limited to saying that it was inevitable. In some circles,
however, it is feared that this is the beginning of an armaments race." In general,
the same description applies to the considerable amount of comment that has been moni-
tored from foreign radios outside the Soviet orbit. Within the Soviet-Communist sphere
the only radios to have reported or commented on the President's decision are Radio
Leipzig and the ADN press service in Soviet-controlled Germany, and the Soviet-controlled
program of the Austrian station at Vienna. The substance of the German comment, however,
is of particular interest in view of past instances when the finally established Soviet-
Communist propaganda line on important new situations and events has been at least
partially foreshadowed by initial broadcasts from the Soviet-controlled German stations.
And currently, the German comment about the hydrogen bomb dwells on its "blackmail"
character and on unusually pointed, implicit counter-threats about Soviet development
of a similar bomb and about the importance of manpower in deciding the outcome of a
war. Also somewhat unusual is a personal attack on the President--"War Inciter Number
One" who, with "his clique, knows one objective only, and that is war, and more war";
Truman and his clique are "nothing but quite ordinary crooks who only think of how they
can burn, scald, and suffocate our children, women, and mothers."
THE QUESTION OF DIRECT U.S. NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE USSR: Radio Leipzig's first
relevant broadcast reports, with implied approval, the American Communist Party's
demand that the President should retract his decision and "start direct negotiations
with the Soviet Government concerning the prohibition of atomic weapons. This
sentiment, however, is not repeated in the subsequent Soviet-controlled comments. Nor
is it even broached in broadcasts from radios outside the Soviet orbit. Some of the
latter cite the President's decision as: a "solemn warning to the Russians (to)
hasten to join the atomic control group before the U.S. undertakes manufacture of the
hydrogen bomb" (Radio Paris quoting the Radical Socialist L'AURORE); or as a possible
"hint at a new effort" to secure atomic control agreement by way of an implied willing-
ness to close down the hydrogen-bomb project once adequate agreement is reached (BBC
reporting the MANCHESTER GUARDIAN's opinion).
AMERICAN "SUPER-ELACKMAIL": It will be remembered that one of the major Soviet-
Communist propaganda themes attendant on the announcement of a Soviet atomic explosion
was the "consequent failure of American atomic diplomacy and blackmail." And currently,
the major theme of the as yet relatively limited Soviet-controlled German and Austrian
radio propaganda about the hydrogen-bomb decision is that "in the name of humanity,
* Leipzig also reports the American Communist charge that the decision "bypassed the
American people" and was arrived at "without public debate.'
** But in a later broadcast, Leipzig charges that, to date, the U.S. has used all sorts
of subterfuges to evade the Soviet Union's demand for unconditional outlawing of all
means of mass destruction. "The reason is that the U.S. needs a bogey... to persuade
mankind of U.S. superiority.'
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"ocrText": "RESTRICTED\nINTRODUCTION: According to the BBC, \"world comment on President Truman's decision\nhas for the most part been limited to saying that it was inevitable. In some circles,\nhowever, it is feared that this is the beginning of an armaments race.\" In general,\nthe same description applies to the considerable amount of comment that has been moni-\ntored from foreign radios outside the Soviet orbit. Within the Soviet-Communist sphere\nthe only radios to have reported or commented on the President's decision are Radio\nLeipzig and the ADN press service in Soviet-controlled Germany, and the Soviet-controlled\nprogram of the Austrian station at Vienna. The substance of the German comment, however,\nis of particular interest in view of past instances when the finally established Soviet-\nCommunist propaganda line on important new situations and events has been at least\npartially foreshadowed by initial broadcasts from the Soviet-controlled German stations.\nAnd currently, the German comment about the hydrogen bomb dwells on its \"blackmail\"\ncharacter and on unusually pointed, implicit counter-threats about Soviet development\nof a similar bomb and about the importance of manpower in deciding the outcome of a\nwar. Also somewhat unusual is a personal attack on the President--\"War Inciter Number\nOne\" who, with \"his clique, knows one objective only, and that is war, and more war\";\nTruman and his clique are \"nothing but quite ordinary crooks who only think of how they\ncan burn, scald, and suffocate our children, women, and mothers.\"\nTHE QUESTION OF DIRECT U.S. NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE USSR: Radio Leipzig's first\nrelevant broadcast reports, with implied approval, the American Communist Party's\ndemand that the President should retract his decision and \"start direct negotiations\nwith the Soviet Government concerning the prohibition of atomic weapons. This\nsentiment, however, is not repeated in the subsequent Soviet-controlled comments. Nor\nis it even broached in broadcasts from radios outside the Soviet orbit. Some of the\nlatter cite the President's decision as: a \"solemn warning to the Russians (to)\nhasten to join the atomic control group before the U.S. undertakes manufacture of the\nhydrogen bomb\" (Radio Paris quoting the Radical Socialist L'AURORE); or as a possible\n\"hint at a new effort\" to secure atomic control agreement by way of an implied willing-\nness to close down the hydrogen-bomb project once adequate agreement is reached (BBC\nreporting the MANCHESTER GUARDIAN's opinion).\nAMERICAN \"SUPER-ELACKMAIL\": It will be remembered that one of the major Soviet-\nCommunist propaganda themes attendant on the announcement of a Soviet atomic explosion\nwas the \"consequent failure of American atomic diplomacy and blackmail.\" And currently,\nthe major theme of the as yet relatively limited Soviet-controlled German and Austrian\nradio propaganda about the hydrogen-bomb decision is that \"in the name of humanity,\n* Leipzig also reports the American Communist charge that the decision \"bypassed the\nAmerican people\" and was arrived at \"without public debate.'\n** But in a later broadcast, Leipzig charges that, to date, the U.S. has used all sorts\nof subterfuges to evade the Soviet Union's demand for unconditional outlawing of all\nmeans of mass destruction. \"The reason is that the U.S. needs a bogey... to persuade\nmankind of U.S. superiority.'\nRESTRICTED"
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