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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, AUGUST 24, 1984
PAGE 11
lenge is to manage u.s.-west German relations in a way that will
cast America as the champion of Germany's national aspirations
rather than as the cause of their frustration.
The German problem, notes Angus Macpherson in THE MAIL of Britain, August
5, is compounded by a defiant spirit that is growing throughout the frus
trated nations of the Soviet-dominated East Bloc. Macpherson believes that
there has been considerable encouragement given to the East Germans by
their fellow satellites.
Western diplomats are convinced that these are not just spontane
ous gestures of defiance.
They are being orchestrated.
There
must have been collusion between many satellite leaders and prior
agreement to resist Moscow.
Hungary
I
s defence of EastGermany
against Moscow attacks was too swift not to have been planned.
Possibly a conspiracy to rebel was hatched in the corridors of
the Comecon meeting in June.
It was certainly then that things
began to go awry.
This first summit of the Communist bloc "Com
mon Market" in 15 years was a disaster. The satellites stubborn
ly refused Moscow's pressure to integrate their economies more
closely with Russia and cut down on their valued trade with the
West.
The Soviets, for their part, declined to offer one ruble
to help their allies pay off huge Western bank loans.
Little
came out publicly.
But Pravda reported it had been "comradely,
but also businesslike"--i.e. a flaming row.
It was this debacle that seems to have been a turning point. As a
threat to the Communist way of life, the new recalcitrance in
Russia's empire does not approach the seriousness of the Hungar
ian Revolt in 1956 or the Czech "human face" experiment of 1968,
both terminated by Soviet tanks.
Not yet, anyway.
But because
it is both more widespread, more orderly and more disciplined, it
is an even more fundamental challenge
to
Russia's hitherto un
challengable authority•••.
The dissent is not only political and economic.
It is even
starting to pose a threat to the huge but unwieldy Soviet
mili
tary machine.
Rumania--ironically the most Stalinist, locked
away society of all--has also always been the most maverick to
wards Moscow. President Nicolae Ceausescu has for years refused
to allow the forces of his Warsaw Pact allies to exercise on his
territory.
This year he even banned Russian officers from a
"map-reading" exercise. Now there are persistent reports that he
is plannin l to quit the Pact altogether when the treaty comes
EE
Tor renewa
next year.
Russia's long-surviving Foreign Minister, Andrei Gromyko,
has
flown to Rumania to try to scotch this devastating prospect.
He
appears to have failed totally. Offers of a new Russian pipeline
and cheap gas were spurned. Gromyko made a volcanic speech blam
ing the Americans and the west for all the military tension in
the world.
Ceausescu wasn't even there to hear it••••
Just why is dissent welling up so powerfully now?
One reason is
straightforward human psychology.
The subject countries just no
longer feel so cowed by the might of Moscow as they used to. "Old