Evening star., 1952-10-20
Vishinsky's Rehosh

Some diplomats in the United Nations have
not been totally discouraged by Soviet Foreign
Minister vishinsky's Saturday speech to the
General Assembly. On the contrary, one pas
sage in that speech has made them feel that
the Pyongyang- -Peiping- Moscow axis may be
willing-possibly, conceivably-to accept face
saving compromise capable of breaking the dead
lock at Panmunjom and bringing about ko-
rean truce in the relatively near future.
The passage in question is made up largely
of the text of a prisoner exchange proposal that
the Communists are supposed to have submitted
at Panmunjom on october 8, just prior to the
decision of the United Nations Command to
suspend the talks there until the enemy shows
evidence of a genuine desire to negotiate seri-
ously. The text does not seem to yield in any
perceptible degree to the u. MS insiStence that
repatriation must be voluntary, not forced-a
humanitarian position based on the consideration
that scores of thousands of Red war captives
are desperately afraid of being returned to their
masters On the other hand, however, the pro-
posals phrasing is in some respects very ambig-
uous, and that fact-plus the fact that Mr..
Vishinsky has placed special stress on the plan,
and plus the further fact that sources close to
him have been at pains to call it to the attention
of news correspondents-haS led certain experts
in the Assembly to suspect that the whole thing
may add up to subtle hint that compromise
is possible.
Perhaps this is so, but the vishinsky speech
taken as whole-suggests otherwise. For the
speech leaving aside conceivable between-the-
lines subtleties can hardly be described as any
thing but tired echo or a stale rehaSh OF old,
old Soviet propaganda. Americans, not the
Communists are the aggressors IN Korea. Our
"billionaires" are blocking truce over there,
and employing weapons like "death-dealing bac-
teria," because they want to keep on "raking In
tremendous profits" Above all, through such
alliances as the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza-
tion and by building bases throughout the globe,
the ruling circles of the United States are pre-
pairing to unleash another world war IN order TO
save our country from a complete economic coll
lapse These and similar monstrous lies are the
same as they were year ago, two years ago,
three years ago. And the Russian Foreign Min
lister, as if himself weary Of their repetition, has
presented them once again to the Assembly
with marked lack of vigor of voice or violence
of gesture, and without the slightest effort to
dress them up in fresh language.
In fact, apart from his comment on the
Red prisoner exchange proposal Mr.. Vishinsky
has said nothing whatever that can be considered
new or even refurbished. AS far as easing inter-
national tension is concerned, all he has had TO
offer is an Endorsement of satellite Poland's In
dorsement of the Kremlin's fraudulent and re-
peatedly rejected ''plan" for ending the Korean
war, promoting disarmament and establishing
peace with Big Five pact full OF deadly Jokers.
Certainly, given such an unchanged Soviet line,
the possibility of an early agreement at Pan
munjom seems as remote as ever. And equally
remote seems any real abatement OF the world
crisis in general.