Evening star., 1953-12-24
We Are WILLING

AS Secretary Of State Dulles has made clear,
the United States Is ready and willing to engage
in confidential talks with the Soviet Union, and
with other powers principally concerned, on all
aspects of the fearsome atomic problem. That
is to say it is ready and willing to take part in
such talks on the basis Of an agenda broad
enough to include the issue Of weapons con-
troll as well as President Eisenhower's historic
proposal for an international pool of fashionable
material to be used for beneficent, non-military
purposes throughout the world.
That proposal as set forth in the Presidents
now-famous address to the United Nations
General Assembly, calls for kind of atomic
Marshall Plan that would be carried out under
the aegis of the u. n In an effort to promote
the economic betterment Of mankind, diminish
international distrust, generate good viii, en-
courage a new spirit Of world cooperation and
thus lay the groundwork for eventual control
and prohibition OF A-weapons, the hydrogen
bomb and kindred instruments of mass destruc-
ton. After an initial negative reaction, the
men Of the Kremlin have issued formal state
ment responding afflrmatively to the idea, but
they have done so with numerous qualifications
placing special emphasis on q desire to have
the projected discussions deal not only with
the question of pooling fashionable material for
peaceful purposes but also with their old
armamentS.
In effect through his recent speech at the
National Press Club, Mr.. Dulles has replied to
this statement with assurances that the non
public talks advocated by the President would
provide ample opportunity for thorough con.
sideration of what the Russians have in mind
In other words, the confidential discussions
though their primary purpose would be to deal
with the pool proposal-could be made suf1-
GENTLY extensive to cover the problem of
controlling and prohibiting nuclear and thermo-
nuclear weapons The precise arrangements
for broad agenda of this kind can be worked
out readily enough either in an exchange of
formal notes or through normal diplomatic
channels, and If the Kremlin is prepared to
show good faith at the proposed meetings, If it
has genuine and serious interest in them,
real and encouraging progress toward agree
ment-in both the military and non-military
flelds-should be possible
Presumably, when and If such meetings are
held, our American representatives will enter
upon them with blueprints showing exactly
how the Presidents plan could be organized
and operated for the good of the world. Pre-
Sumably, too, they will be ready to welcome
truly constructive Russian suggestions for action
to break the long and dangerous deadlock over
the atomic armamentS race OF course, con-
sidering the Soviet record to date, there is
precious little reason to be optimistic, but it is
as least conceivable that the men of the
Kremlin may have something worth while to
offer. In any event, as Mr. Dulles has suggested,
the United States should do everything possible
to make the projected talks productive, for the
potential consequences of continuing disagree
ment and indefinite stalemate are almost too
terrible to contemplate.