Evening star., 1951-11-10
Vishinsky's Peace Plan

Although not unexpected, Foreign Minister
Vishinskys derision OF the Western disarmament
proposal constitutes yet another disheartenng
measure of how difficult it is to persuade the
Kremlin to respond affirmatively to any effort to
ease international tensions and lessen the danger
of third word war.
AS submitted to the United Nations General
Assembly by France, Britain and the United
States the proposal-contingent on a prior end
to the war in Korea and on concurrent negotia-
tions aimed at settling dangerous East-West
political disputes elsewhere-does not ask for
great deal at this time. All it asks for is that
the members of the U. N. agree to start discussing
1t now in an attempt to promote gradual, STEP
by-Step progress toward establishing system
of strict global policing to regulate and reduce
armed forces and armaments of every kind
including atomic.
Yet, even though it calls for nothing more
at this stage than mere willingness to study
and talk about /. with care, Mr.. Vishinsky-ap-
parently without giving it second thought
has greeted the proposal with ridicule The only
thing he has been able to say about it is that
it has made him laugh and laugh to such side
splitting extent that he has lost sleep trying to
stop laughing In other words, without specif-
icay declaring that it is rejected in TOTO he has
made clear that the men of the Kremlin look
such endeavor In the foreseeable future.
But no one should deduce from this that
they are not eager to ease International ten
sions Oh, no According to MIR. vishinsky. the
men Of the Krcmiin have wonderful plan that
will insure peace If only the rest of the world
will have sense enough to agree with them. And
what Is the plan? Well, under it, the General
Assembly would do the following: ID Outlaw
the Atlantic Pact, thus making it impossible for
the free Western nations to build up strength
against the threat of Red aggression; (2) order
a Korean armlstice on terms that would be most
favorable to the Communists; 90 call upon all
members of the U. NJ, and on non-members as
WELL to convene no later than June, 1852, to
work out program of global disarmament. in
cluding the prohibition of atomic weapons-a
prohibition that would not include strict sys-
tenn of continuous policing to guard against
clandestine violations; and az request the United
States, Britain, France, China and the U S. S r.
to conclude flve-power treaty that would divvy
up the earth IN way that would promote the
further advance of Marxist totalitaransm.
Mr.. Vishnsky, of course, has not presented
the Soviet plan In just those words, but that is
what the thing amounts to nonetheless-a pro-
gram under which the Russians, still intent on
world domination, would receive much more than
they would give Certainly, whatever its propa-
ganda value may be, 1t does not represent
serious or earnest formula for the easing Of
tensions. As Secretary Acheson has said, if the
men of the Kremlin were really interested in
such an easement, they could bring it about
readily enough.-for example, by calling of the
Korean war, or BY cooperating in U. N inquiry
on the possibility of German elections, or by
agreeing to an Austrian peace treaty, or by
decision to stop threatening Yugoslavia, or by
numerous other moves of peacemaking nature.
Unfortunately, however, as Mr.. Vishinsky has
indicated the Soviet Union is in no mood to
do any of these things. Instead, it seems as
determined as ever to adhere to its policy of
direct and indirect subversion and aggression.
In the circumstances, even as they strive for
good agreements the free nations must spare no
effort to become united and strong enough to
force the Kremlin to shift eventually to a new
and better course. Given that then disarma-
ment and decent peace will be within reach
of the world.