January 31, 1980

World War III Close?

Is World War III close?

The question trembles this week on the lips of mothers and statesmen.

The answer is hidden in the dark cranial recesses of Soviet Union leaders. But we can be confident it won’t be a nuclear Armageddon.

The balance of terror is complete. Russians are as afraid to push the big button as we are.

Communists want cheap victories. Their technique is to bore from within, to win with stooges. Even Afghanistan was a pushover made possible by local traitors.

The fact is that Russians are more fearful of war than we are. For every soldier the allies lost in World War II, the Soviet Union lost seventy.

The memory of that devastation dominates the psychology of Russians. They will die for the motherland. Their willingness to die for communism abroad has never been tested.

The Soviet Union has never committed troops to an equally armed opponent. In Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia it faced hand-thrown rocks. In Angola, Zaire and Ethiopia the indebted mercenaries of Cuba did the shooting. In a score of other countries, nothing-to-lose Marxists do the dirty work.

Russia moved against Afghanistan nationalists, armed with antique rifles, only after installing a puppet government and testing weak American will in Cuba.

So far, the Soviet Union has bullied defenseless and disorganized nations. It may well be that communist aggression is the biggest bluff since Adolph Hitler.

* * *

Power is the perception of power.

The Soviets learned this long ago. President Carter apparently now has seen the light also.

In his state of the union message last week, Carter made a valiant attempt to project an image of power.

“An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interest of the U.S.,” he said.

“Such an assault will be repelled by use of any means necessary, including military force.”

Backing up this bold statement are some specific actions:

• Registration of military-age Americans.
• Increased U.S. defense spending.
• Most-favored-nation trading status for the Peoples Republic of China - something we have steadfastly denied the Soviets.
• A permanent naval base to serve 20 or more warships in Oman, Somalia or Kenya - or all three.
• Organization of a Rapid Deployment Force.
• Sale , gift or loan of massive arms to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Jordan.

All this is in addition to the earlier decisions to embargo grain to Russia and to boycott the Olympic games in Moscow.

* * *

The difficulty with Carter’s turn-about program of toughness is the necessity of proving it.

It is not likely that the communists will believe Carter until he trains a tank cannon on a Russian counterpart--eyeball to eyeball - as President Kennedy did in Berlin.

It is not enough to circle aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean or shadow Russian ships with B-52 bombers from far-away Guam.

As I pointed out in this column last March, when Carter sent arms to South Yemen,

“After a decade of retreat from world outposts, the United States has reached its area of self-interest - the oil-rich Middle East.

“Interestingly, the President has taken a foreign policy stand that ranks with Monroe’s ‘hands off the western hemisphere’ and Teddy Roosevelt’s ‘speak softly but carry a big stick.’ Yet few Americans are aware of the significant and historic implications of Mr. Carter’s initiatives.

“With the risks of declared lines and contained wars bitter history, we can assume President Carter is prepared to take decisive action if his ‘Middle East’ Doctrine’ is challenged.”

Unfortunately, after that brave beginning, Carter waffled. He reneged on South Yemen arms shipments after the first batch, and that country turned to Russia for guns.

Also, Carter backed down on his ultimatum to the Soviets to remove their combat troops from Cuba - in a vain hope he could save SALT II.

* * *

It is reasonable to assume that the President finally has learned what knowledgeable observers have known for many years - the Soviets cannot be trusted, and they have the principal aim of taking over the whole world.

Thus, we will be forced inevitably to take a stand against Russia - to put military forces in place somewhere and cock the trigger.

Some Nervous Nellie on one side or the other might fire a broadside and we would be deep in a “limited, conventional war” whatever that is.

But, World War III?

White House press secretary, Jody Powell, stresses that Carter doesn’t believe the nation is on the verge of war. “This isn’t a bugle call in the context of an immediate, deep crisis. We aren’t headed for an immediate confrontation.”

It is true that the Soviet Union has no allies to help it fight for God and glory - only sullen puppets.

The Russians can take from us only what we give up.

Ironically we avoid wars by being always ready and willing to fight them.

By Lindsey Wilger Williams, retired newspaper publisher and syndicated columnist