Evening star., 1951-09-06
West Tries 10 Foresee
Gromyko 5 Next Move
After Initial Defeat
By John N. Hightower
Assoeiaisd Press sfofF Writer


Did the inscrutable Andrei Grom-
yko tumble the ball yesterday?
Or does he have some secret plays
to be sprung on the Japanese
peace conference?
These questions swept the con-
ference lobbies. as delegates left
the opening business session still
bubbling with surprise that the
long-awaited fight over control of
the conference had ended so
quickly.
Even though Russia never had
the votes to disrupt the confer
ence, many Western diplomats
believed that Mr.. Gromyko blum
dered.
They have great respect for his
abilities in debate and in parlia-
mentary maneuver. But they
speculated that he had become so
entangled in rules amendments
put forward by the Communist
bloc and in objections to anything
Secretary of State Acheson said
that he did not realize what was
happening to his position.
Misses FiIibuster Chance.
Suddenly he found that the de-
bate was closed by conference
vote. A set of rules sharply cur
failing his right to make speeches
had been adopted. If he had in
tended, as American delegates
feared. TO start filibuSter his op-
portunity was gone.
Even more important from his
point of view he did not appear
to have shaken the conference
with his charges of American
"dictation." And his chance was
gone to make a major speech on
admission of Red China to the
meetings here. He raised the issue
but never talked about it more
than a few minutes.
Technically, Mr.. Gromyko lost
out on the China issue when Mr..
Acheson, who banged the gavel
of presiding officer with tough
finality on several occasions, ruled
Mr.. Gromyko's proposal to invite
the Communist Chinese was out
Of order.
His ruling was sustained by the
conference in the first of a series
of sharp defeats for the Russians
and their Polish and Czechoslovak
allies.
Loses on China Issue.
Western diplomats said after
the meeting that Mr.. Gromyko
missed a bet on the Chinese ques-
ton. One section Of the rules put
forth by Britain and the United
States provided for admission to
the conference of nations invited
by the United States.
Mr.. Gromyko could have sub
mitteH an amendment to this,
opening the way tosa an invitation
to Red China. The amendment
would have been defeated but it
would have provided him with a
solid. basis for making a speech
about Red China.
The biggestE surprise was the
total amount of time consumed in
debate on the rules-about two
hours. The meeting opened at
10 am. (PDT), pm. (EDT) and
the rules, limiting debate and
blocking changes in the proposed
'Anglo-American treaty, were
adopted shortly after noon.
The United States delegation
had figured just before the meet
ing opened that the debate would
go on all day and this evening,
and probably spill over into to-
morrow. The quick victory would
appear to be cause for jubilation
for Mr.. AcheSon and his advisers,
but they found a new cause for
worry in the absence of the
threatened f1lihuster.
Next Move Is Puzzle.
They began to wonder, as did
also the British. what Mr..
Gromyko would do next. Would
he walk out? Or threaten World
War III if the treaty was signed
by most nations here? Or come
up with some new idea to spring
on the conference, perhaps at the
last minute?
There was considerable specu-
lation that he would make some
new thrust just before the con-
ference closes. After all the dele
gates have spoken-for a maxi
mum of one hour each-the rules
provide the conference shall de-
eide what, if any, further state-
ments may be made and UNDER
what conditions.
That provision will open the
way for further proposals for dis
cussion and Mr.. Gromyko may
spring something new then. That
he is not satisfied with the way
things went today and possibly
was surprised by their speed was
Indicated when. after the tough
American British rules were voted
the Russian delegate jumped to|
his feet in protest and cried out
in a voice tense with strain:
"I have been deprived of my
rights to say what ! came here
to say"