Evening star., 1953-07-11
Big Three
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slams to ship SIS million worth of
! American food into the Eastern
zone of Germany to relieve short
ages there. The offer, according
to the White House, resulted
from an appeal made July 4 by
West German Chancellor DR..
Konrad Adenauer.
Hard to Reject.
The move seems like a solid, If
not a particularly subtle, blow.
With the food already on the
way, twill be very hard for the
Russians to turn down the offer.
1t will be humiliating for them
to accept it and further admis-
sion Of the failure of their Ger
man economic policies.
AS a piece of psychological
warfare, the acceptance" of DR..
Adenauer's appeal might have
been more convincing If the
idea had not been so thoroughly
talked up in this country be-
forehand. But at least it is an
action from which the West may
reap some genuine advantage.
Apart from this one, tangible
evidence of Western action, how
ever, the Big Three conference
has had more the air of a guess
ing game than a council of de-
termined leaders. Much of the
session yesterday was devoted to
the question of what significance
could be attached to the purge
of Beria from the ruling Russian
triumvirate.
The conclusion, If it can be
called such, was that it is still
too soon to tell. But Mr.. Dulles,
apparently in a tentative way,
leaned toward the view that it
might herald an end to the Rus
sian peace offensive and a re-
turn to old-style Soviet repres-
sion.
Similarity Noted.
The theory is based on a SIM
ilarity between the editorial In
Pravda denouncing Beria and a
speech delivered by Stain in
1899 which ushered in the purge
of Trotskyites. Both, according
to Mr.. Dulles. struck the same
anti-foreign and anti-bourgeois
note. The theory is that, quite
apart from the role Beria may
have played in the present peace
offensive, the remaining Rus
sian leaders feel that the soft
line, policy has been RESPONSE
BILE for the unrest in the satel-
lite states.
The rest of the discussion con-
sisted largely of unanswered
questions.
Did the downfall of Beria mean
that Premier Georgi Malenkov
had undisputed support from
the Red Army?
If, indeed, the Reds mean to
call off the peace offensive, will
the satalite states, already on
the verge of rebellion, knuckle
under to the return of a repres-
sive policy?
Did the peace offensive, in the
first place, result from Soviet
weakness in Eastern Europe, or
to some other condition in the
internal Russian setup?
Talk Turns to Germany.
"Following this exchange of
views" talk turned to Germany
and the line the allies should
take there. All of the ministers
had complimentary things to say
about Chancellor Adenauer and
the cooperation Of the West
German government in being the
first European government to
ratlfy the European Defense
Treaty.
AS was expected, Lord Sails
bury brought up the question of
a Big Four meeting, involving
Soviet Russia, at which the ques-
ton of German unification would
surely be the central issue. No
one took a firm position. The
ministers shifted at the question
and laid it aside until later. It
is expected that nothing final
will be forthcoming on that issue
until the final communique of
the conference on Tuesday.
There was, however, one clear
conclusion arrived at in yeSter-
days discussion.
Prodded somewhat by Mr..
Dulles, who reminded his col
leagues Of congressional senti-
ment on the subject. all agreed
that the present course of allied
policy in Europe should be vigor-
ously pursued, regardless of what
has happened in Russia and
Eastern Europe. There would be
no letup in the drive for strength
in the NATO countries; no aban-
doning of the EDO. no turning
away from the ideal of Western
European unification.
See Hope In Policy.
Far from being rendered obso-
lete by the turn of events. the
ministers thought that allied pol
icy might have been consider
ably responsible for bringing
them about. The growing
strength and unity of the West,
they felt. is a powerful factor
in keeping alive the spirit Of
freedom and hope in the captive
people behind the Iron Curtain.
Outside the conference room,
meanwhile. the State Depart