Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-07
Reds First Scorn,
Then Reconsider
Air Photo Plan

Before this summer Is over, there
may develop between the major
world powers the greatest effort to
kill each other with kindness since
the Hellenes delivered a wooden
horse at the gates Of Troy.
The Big -Four chiefs contest Of
smiles at Geneva last month was
the high point. Of course. Soviet
and Western politicians tried to
soften each other up without giving
an inch on principle. Both still
continue to dwell passionately on
the bright side of relatively minor
world developments while trying, it
seems, to make the other fellow
forget how many OF the old cold
war problems remain.
The Bright Side
Last Monday Red China caught
the fever. She made great propa-
ganda production by releasing IL
American airmen who should have
been sent back in August. 1858.
On Tuesday at Geneva, where
Ullited States and Red Chinese
ambassadors were meeting to nego-
tiate the return of civilians said to
be detained by both sides, there
were rumors that Peiping would up
the ante by allowing some 40 United
States civilians to come out Of Red
China after even longer captivity.
Meanwhile, Moscow and Wash
lngton representatives talked hope
fully of peaceful benefits to all
mankind that could come from the
United States project to launch
small earth satellites sometime
after July, 1857. They carefully
avoided any implication that the
moonlets would be forerunners
OF a new military weapon whose
destructive potential might some
day rival A-bombs and H-bombs,
and whose aerial inspection capa-
bility might some day have an
Important bearing on disarmament.
Concurrently the cold war rivalry
for supremacy in the peaceful
atomic fields of power, medicine
and biology proceeded at quick
ened pace. Tomorrow a Donation
conference of atomic scientists
convenes in Geneva to watch the
curious spectacle of United States
and Soviet teams trying to Guido
each other In giveaways for under
developed countries.
The Unbrieht Side
Last Thursday, however, the
hard-core disagreementS reap
peared. Reporting to special
session Of the Supreme Soviet on
the results of the Geneva summit
conference last Thursday. Soviet
Premier Nikolai Bulganin held up
to ridicule the aerial inspection
plan for disarmament advanced 50
earnestly by President Eisenhower
two weeks before. When Bulganin
told how easy he thought 1t would
be to hide ornaments from Mr..
Eisenhower's reconnaissance planes,
the Supreme Soviet laughed de-
risively-apparently on cue.
Nevertheless, a few hours later.
the President insisted that Bull
ganin's apparent rejection notice
was not final. He indicated the
United States hopes to arrange q
swap, accepting the Soviet plan
for mutual battle-ground inSpec-
ton at airbases, ports and cross
roads in exchange for Kremlin ap-
proval of reciprocal aerial recon-
naissance, which could cover whole
countries.
Perhaps this was the response
the Kremlin had been waiting for.
At any rate, on Friday Marshal
Bulganin made a surprise re-
appearance before the Supreme
Soviet to tell the world he would
study the Eisenhower plan further.
Other factors, however. weighed
more heavily on the gloomy side:
. The Soviet Union renewed its