U.S. AIDDS HELPING HAND FOR THE SOVIET REPUBLICS

In 1983, the Soviet Union came to be regarded in the freedom-loving world by two words, spoken most forcefully by President Ronald Reagan: "evil empire." Thanks in part to those words and who said them, the Soviet Union is no longer an empire and no longer evil ... just a country struggling against its own failed past. American planes today will fly within what once was the empire's airspace, only now the payload is food and medicine that is part of a massive relief effort. We welcome this development.

It's staggering to think what U.S. military planes flying toward Moscow would have meant five years ago. The words "thermonuclear conflict" are drawn from the memory. Now, the United States and other nations are contributing to a humanitarian effort that, hopefully, will result in an easing of suffering in troubled republics and better global relations.

There is nothing callous about regarding this mission of mercy as something beyond casting bread upon the communists. What was the Soviet Union has a population of 288 million. Obviously, where there is a population of that proportion, in republics where the economy is faltering and a transition is in motion toward free-market principles, opportunity exists for expanding U.S. exports. Even during the most frigid days of the Cold War, a sane philosophy was to feed the Soviets until their stomachs hurt. To do otherwise was self-destructive; Moscow could always find suppliers for its massive needs and disastrous U.S. grain embargoes served only to damage American farm interests. Being a reliable source of food, America not only helped its own trade circumstance, it kept the lines of communication open with the Kremlin.

You feed an injured bear and ultimately you win its friendship. Reaching out to the Soviet people, while costing in the short run ($5 billion, at least, in farm credits), might serve the greater purpose of goodwill not to mention commerce down the road.

The American military transports involved in Operation Provide Hope will make only a dent in the huge needs of the people of the troubled republics. The magnitude of the job ahead is mind-boggling. But the people of those newly free republics will remember that the United States reached out a helping hand to those who were once enemies.

The times have changed. To be sure, they are nicer times now.