Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-19
Better Than NOTHING

The Big Four Berlin Conference. after
almost month of fruitleSs talk on Germany
and Austria, has come to an end with at least
little measure of agreement-an agreement
to stage yet another conference, this time on
Korea and Indo-China.
AS set forth in the foreign ministers
communique, this new conference which is
scheduled to begin in Geneva on April 26, will
seek first of all to reach peaceful settlement
of the Korean question. To that end, it's par
Elephants will include the United States, France,
Britain, the Soviet Union, Communist China,
North Korea, South Korea and other countries
Gf they so desire) whose armed forces took
part in the hoStilties.
At the same time, but apparently on a
second-priority basis, the Geneva meeting will
also discuss "the problem of restoring peace in
1ndo-China." And the participants in this
phase of the talks will be the Big Four, Com
munist China and "other interested states" to
be invited. These "other interested states
have not been specified, but they presumably
will include the Wet Mini Red regime of Ho
Chi Mimi and the three members of the French
Union-Laos, Cambodia and Wet Nam.
AS far as Korea is concerned, the agreement
to hold the conference involves an exchange
of some concessions. Thus, by way of example,
QedQ.
lock at Panmunjom and they have gone along
with Secretary Dulles insistence on placing in
the Berlin communique paragraph making
clear that Red China's presence in Geneva will
in no way imply American diplomatic recogni-
ton Of that country. On the other hand, for
our own part, we have accepted the idea of
having Russia participate as -bellgerent
member OF the Big Four-a retreat from our
past contention that it should participate as
belligerent on the side of Pyongyang and
Peiping.
What remains to be seen now is whether
the Communists will come to Geneva with any
serious intention of engaging in good-faith
negotiation To put it mildly, there is more
than little reason for doubt on that score
more than a little reason to suspect that the
Chinese Reds, with the help of their Soviet
mentors, will use the conference as a European
sounding board for propaganda designed not
to make peace but to demand diplomatic recog-
milton and United Nations membership, and
also to befuddle French public opinion with
false promises of an Indo- China settlement.
In any event. the results of the Berlin con-
ference as regards Germany and Austria-the
chief items on the agenda-obviously do not
augur we'll for what is likely to happen in
Geneva. For the now-ended Big Four get
together has clearly demonstrated that the men
OF the Kremlin are as determined as ever not
to yield an inch of what they now hold, and
it seems hardly conceivable that their Asatic
allies will switch to different or more reason
able policy on Korea and Indo-China
STILL with all that said, the agreement to
hold the Geneva conference is better than
nothing whatever. At least it raises the small
hope, as Secretary Dulles has declared that
some progress toward peace promoting settle
ments may be possible Certainly, If the West
ern Big Three remain as firm and as united as
they have been in Berlin, the projected talks
can do no harm. They may even result in
little good.