In answering these questions, we need to ask not merely whether Communist troops have crossed over into territories they did not occupy before, and not merely whether disciplined agents of the Cominform are in control of governments from which they were formerly excluded: the success of Communism's war against the West does not depend on such spectacular and definitive conquests. Success may mean merely the displacement of Western influence.

Communist political warfare, we must remember, is waged insidiously and in deliberate stages. Fearful of inviting a military showdown with the West which they could not win, the Communists seek to undermine Western power where the nuclear might of the West is irrelevant -- in backwoods guerrilla skirmishes, in mob uprisings in the streets, in parliaments, in clandestine meetings of undercover conspirators, at the United Nations, on the propaganda front, at diplomatic conferences -- preferably at the highest level.

The Soviets understand, moreover, that the first step in turning a country toward Communism is to turn it against the West. Thus, typically, the first stage of a Communist takeover is to ``neutralize'' a country. The second stage is to retain the nominal classification of ``neutralist,'' while in fact turning the country into an active advocate and adherent of Soviet policy. And this may be as far as the process will go. The Kremlin's goal is the isolation and capture, not of Ghana, but of the United States -- and this purpose may be served very well by countries that masquerade under a ``neutralist'' mask, yet in fact are dependable auxiliaries of the Soviet Foreign Office.