Evening star., 1953-04-27
Peace and the KremIin


The White House has responded with proper
reserve to the first off1cial Soviet comment on
President Eisenhower's eloquent April 18th adj
dress calling upon all nations-Russia in parti-
cular-to join in a great new effort to end
international tensions and set the whole OF
mankind marching along the highway to good
and enduring peace.
Speaking through an editorial statement
filling the front pages Of Pravda and IzveStia,
the poSt-Stalin Malenkov- Beria- -Molotov regime
has answered this appeal with relatively tenn
perate and welcoming words What the words
affirm is that the Kremlin Is prepared to work
out a friendly settlement of every explosive
international issue by means of both direct
talks with the great powers and negotiations
within the framework of the United Nations.
This declaration, coupled with the fact that
Pravda and Izvestia have published the full text
OF the Presidents address, has led the White
House to voice the qualified hope that maybe"
the Kremlin has taken "a first step toward
something concrete"-toward the sort of specific
actions that the free world is waiting for and
that must be forthcoming from the Soviet
Union before any real groundwork can be laid
for negotiating settlements capable of estab-
fishing genuine peace throughout the globe.
There is more than little reason, of course,
reaction. For the Pravda-Izvestia statement,
though couched in refreshingy moderate Ian
guage and keyed to note of seemingly mild
tempered argument, appears to concede nothing.
On the contrary, despite it's closing hint that the
men Of the Kremlin may be willing to negotiate
compromise agreements, it tends to eulogize
past Soviet policies regarding practically every
area of tension and danger from Korea to Ger
many. It holds out little or no promise of an
early Austrian settlement; it politely SCOTS at
suggestions that the peoples behind the Iron
Curtain have had satellite tyrannies imposed
on them; 1t warns against the "fatal' idea
of West German participation in the Atlantic
alliance; it brushes aside the thought that
Russia should intervene to stop the Communist
threat to Indo-China and Southeast Asia; it
deplores Secretary Dulles martial" attitude as
something that casts doubt on the good faith
of President Eisenhower's proposals; and finally,
besides implying that certain of those proposals
smack of American imperialism" it blames the
ornaments race on the United States and the
West as a whole-as if there were no such
threatening reality as the vast and numerically
superior Red army and Red air force.
All this is but sketchy outline of the
Pravda- -Izvestia statement but it is enough to
show why the White House has done we'll to
respond reservedly. 1t is enough, too, to show
why the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, in concluding its Paris meeting,
has issued the following warning: Despite the
welcome nature of recent Soviet conciliatory
moves, there has mot yet in fact been any
change in the fundamental threat to the Secur-
ity of free peoples. The most striking evidence
of this continuing threat is the huge and con-
stantly strengthened military force maintained
by those nations . who are still promoting
aggressive war in several parts of the world
The most recent example is the extension OF
hostilities in Laos"
In the teeth of its own warnings, the NATO
Council, primarily to avoid excessive economic
strains in member countries, has decided to
stretch OUT the Western defensive build-up
However, although the decision involves gam
BILE, the Atlantic alliance already has power
enough to make any initial attack on 1t very
costly And that fact, together with American
atomic superiority, may be SUFFICIENT deterrent
in the years Immediately ahead.
If this is not too optimistic view, and If
the slower-paced NATO build-up moves forward
without further setbacks, then the Kremlin may
in due course back up its peaceful words with
the peaceful deeds asked for by President Eisen-
hover At the moment, though, there are only
the words. The free world will be flirting with
disaster If it is beguiled by them into letting
down its guard.