Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-20
The Big Three Together

Despite the brevity of their London meet
ing, the foreign ministers of the. Western Big
Three have succeeded in strengthening their
Joint approach to several of the most difficult
problems now confronting the free world. Sec
rotary of State Dulles has returned from the
talks in a fairly happy mood. AS he has put
it, he and Mr.. Eden and Mr.. Bidault, together
with Prime Minister Churchill, have had "a very
satisfactory exchange of views which I think
will produce some results of interest toward
peace and security in the future"
Mr.. Dulles may be a bit too optimistic, but
the tone of the communique on the London
meeting leaves little room for doubt that the
Big Three-in spite of their occasional differ
ences as to means and methods-Still see eye
to eye on all the international essentials. Thus,
by way of example, they have taken concerted
action for a conference with YugoSlavia and
Italy on Trieste and for special steps-within
and outside the United Nations Security Coun-
cil-to deal with the dangerous Arab-ISraen
situation. Further than that, they have reaf-
firmed their determination to follow a common
course as regards the Korean political confer
ence and related subjects like the war in Indo-
China, and they have agreed on a new note
once again inviting the Kremlin to take part in
negotiations aimed at abating the cold war.
This note, as Mr.. Dulles has intimated,
probably constitutes the most important single
result of the London talks. To begin with, it
clears the air of interaIlied confusion over how
best to seek a meeting with the Kremlin. 1t
shows that France, Britain and the United
~States-despite Prime Minister Churchills pro-
posal for a headS-of-government conference
with Soviet Premier Malenkov-are firmly
united at this time behind President Essen
hower'S view that it would be fruitlesS to get
together Eat the highest level" without prior
evidence of Russian good faith in a foreign
ministers parley on Germany and Austria. The
Western Big Three have been proposing such
a parley ever since July Is, but Moscow's re-
plies-the last one on September 28-have been
full of nothing but propaganda and evasion.
The evasion has taken the form of an i'm
possible Soviet counterproposal calling for % a
Big Five conference that would include Red
China and (2) a Big Four conference that
would deal with Germany, but not Austria, and
with numerous extraneous issues like the At
lantic alliance and American bases overseas.
In answer to this, the new Western note urges
the Kremlin to join France, Britain and the
United States in a foreign ministers meeting
beginning November 9 in Lugano on the basis
of an agenda broad enough to cover ANY as
pect" of the German and Austrian questions,
but not broad enough to cover non-germane
matters like bases. AS for a Big Five get
together, the note reminds the russians That
they and the Chinese Communists will be par
Elephants in the Korean talks if they ever per-
NIT those talks to take place.
This is a good note couched in language
designed to prevent further Soviet evasion.
Even so, because of indications that the Krem-
lin is reluctant to negotiate on any level right
now, no one should be surprised if it continues
to reject a foreign ministers meeting while at
the same time Stepuing up diviSive propaganda
about how American "imperialiSts" and war
mongers' are blocking all peace-promoting ne
gotiations. In the circumstances, it is reassuring
to know that France, Britain and the United
States-as they have Just demonstrated in Lon
don-are still holding fast together on vital
policy essentials. n