Evening star., 1951-06-22
Ending the Mockery at Paris

Ine hremlln Is notnlng ii not adamanG. IN
its latest reply to the latest Anglo-French-
American notes on the Big Four deadlock in
Paris. 1t has done little more than restate, for
the umpteenth time. that 1t will agree to break
that deadlock only II the Western Powers accept
q demand which they have just as frequently
rejected So, at long last, France, Britain and
the United States have decided to end one of
the dreariest international meetings in modern
history.
This meeting-attended by the Foreign Min
isters' deputies of Russia, France, Britain and
the United States-began its bleak round of
sessions in Paris on March S. Charged with the
task of working out an agenda for full dress
conference of the Big Four-a conference first
proposed by the Kremlin last November-it
seemed at times to be close to full agreement,
but on every such occasion Andrei Gromyko, the
Soviet representative, made special point of
restoring the deadlock.
Thus, some weeks ago, when it looked as
though the Paris meeting was on the verge of
success, Mr. Gromyko came forward with the
demand that the Atlantic Pact and American
military bases be formally listed as major items
of business on any agenda drawn up for Big
Four Conference. The Kremlin has been insist
ing on this point ever since. But France, Britain
and the United States have repeatedly turned
bases are matters not germane to conference
whose projected work is supposed to deal with
causes OF international tension and with ways
and means Of eliminating those causes, strength
ening peace In Europe and bringing about real
and lasting improvement in East-West relations.
However, as emphasized in their last notes
to the Kremlin, the three Western Powers do
not argue that the Soviet Foreign Minister, If
and when Big Four Conference is held, must
remain silent on the Atlantic Pact and Ameri-
can bases. On the contrary, they are prepared
to listen to him talk as long as he wants about
those subjects, and they have urged that the
Russians agree to an early Washington meeting
on that basis The only condition they have
fixed is that the Pact and the bases must not
be listed on the agenda This represents more
than technical hair-splitting. 1t is position
based on the fact that any such listing would be
tantamount to conceding that legitimate and
sorely needed defensive measures constitute
threat to the peace and are thus causes Of
international tension.
Actually of course. the Atlantic Pact and
American bases exist only because the threat of
Soviet aggression has made them an imperative
part of the free worlds defenses. In other
words, they are effects, not causes, Of present.
day war dangers-dangers that have their source
in Moscow. But in its new reply to the West the
Kremlin, piousy declaring itself ready to discuss
its military treaties with China Poland, etc, has
branded the Pact and the bases as "the principal
cause of the tense situation In Europe" and it
has voiced phony surprise that France Britain
and the United States continue to reject It's
demand that the two items be dealt with as
such at any meeting of the Big Four Foreign
Ministers
This has all the earmarks of a brazen, monu-
mental mockery Stated in simple, non-tech-
nical language, the men of the Kremlin have
taken the position that they will agree to
Foreign Ministers Conference only If prior to
such conference the West implicitly accuses
itself, in effect of threatening the peace because
1t has undertaken defensive measures against
aggression. That is to say, the would-be
murderer would have his would-be victims con-
cede in advance that they areadangerous trouble
makers for trying to stop him from bashing in
their heads cutting their throats or otherwise
doing mortal damage to them.
It seems hardly conceivable that the Soviet
Union expects France, Britain, the United States
and the rest of the free world to give serious
thought to making any such concession. The
mere fact that that is what the Russians keep on
demanding through Mr.. Gromyko and in formal
notes-strongly suggests that they do not really
want a Big Four Conference. Their stalling at
Paris has been too obvious to be denied. In the
circumstances, the three Western Powers have
had hardly any other choice than to call off the
meeting there, leaving the next move up to the
Kremlin.
OPPOSITION for Mr.. Nehru