Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-03-25

Judging from MS latest remarks on CQe
subject, Chairman Walter George of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee is in
substantial agreement with President Eli
senhowerS sensible and statesmanlike ap-
proach to the question of seeking Big Four
heads of-government conference as soon as
possible after full ratification of the Paris
accordS on arming West Germany.
Earlier this week, when he first proposed
such Decentralization meeting, Senator
George was interpreted in many quarters as
meaning that he wanted it to be held at
the highest level without much advance
preparation, minus a clear agenda and re-
CARELESS of whether or not there was any
evidence of the Kremlin's willingness to
participate constructively. But now, by
calling for preliminary Anglo-French-
American talks and other preparatory steps,
and by suggesting that a get-together of
the Big Four chiefs of state can be staged
only eff there is a reasonable hope of getting
something DONE" he has plainly indicated
that his basic views are essentially the same
as the Presidents.
In effect in thus clarifying his position,
the Senator has confirmed Mr.. Eisenhower's
own belief-aS expressed at his Wednesday
news conference-that he and the Demo-
cratic chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee are in fundamental accord. At
any rate, speaking for himself, the President
has made clear that he favors Mr.. Georges
proposal on the basis of two broad and
realistic qualifications The first of these
is that before anything else is done after
ratification of the Paris agreements, there
should be lower echelon exploratory talks"
Gf there is some assurance of constructive
Soviet participation) to determine the feas-
Utility of holding a top-level Big Four get
together. And the second is that if these
preliminary talks should prove to be suffi-
GENTLY fruitful, then he would be willing
to "go anywhere"-if that would offer "pos-
sibly a promise of success not otherwise
obtainable"-to join the other heads of
government in full dress, peace promoting
meeting at the summit"
The "ifs" involved in these qualifications
are large ones, of course, but they must be
reckoned with in any effort to bring about
Big Four conference capable of producing
something better than mere sterile pickering
or poisonous propaganda. In citing them,
the President simply has called attention
ceSsful international negotiation. And at
the same time, to emphasize his own ardent
desire to achieve such negotiation, he has
summed up what is in his heart and mind
with the eloquent statement that there is
no place on this earth to which I would not
travel there is no chore would not under
take, if I had the faintest hope that, by so
doing, would promote the general cause of
world peace"
No man anywhere has reason to doubt
the sincerity of those words. If the Soviet
regime really wants decent peace-and
here again the eff" is very large-it needs
only to respond in a spirit similar to the
Presidents. Given that, then the outlook
would be bright for truly fruitful meeting
at the summit"-a meeting that could be
productive of great good throughout our
fear-laden world Unhappily, however, that
is something that cannot be realized until
the Kremlin wills otherwise.