International: Reason

Rumors of war flew about Germany and Italy last week. Russian tanks, they said, were massed on the Oder; 2,000,000 U.S. and British troops were in Italy (actual total: 55,000). U.S., British and Russian authorities did their best to squelch this nonsense. In Berlin, a Russian officer, a certain Major Savaliev, went on the air with the most interesting reason that there would be no war. Said he:

“Progressive forces in all countries enjoy the support of a power without which no international decision can be taken, namely the Soviet Union.”