Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-29

Britain's Sir Anthony Eden and
President Eisenhower.
The Middle East no doubt will
consume much of the conference
time. But the whole spectrum Of
world problems was expected to
come up for review. Here Is a
partial list:
. Nuclear strategy. Great Britain.
an island power more vulnerable to
nuclear war than the United States.
apparently feels q need to press
more urgently for q precise under
standing with the Soviet Union on
how limited nuclear wars can be
fought. The danger from Britain's
point Of view Is that either the
Soviet Union or the United States
might rush quickly into q big war
when limited response would be
wiser. In London there was pres
sure on Sir Anthony to obtain some
public declaration spelling out how
policy Of graduated difference"
or limited atomic war. would work.
o H-bomb tests. Sir Anthony is
under pressure at home to make
q serious attempt to halt H-bomb
tests. He is resisting the pressure.
says Britain must go on with its
own plans to develop and test its
H-bomb. But he adds that after
Britain achieves and initially tests
its H-bomb. he might be open to
suggestions on test limitation. The
United States. however. has taken
q decision on the highest level that
no limitation Of tests can be &C
cepted so long as the grim arms
race with the Soviet Union con-
tinues. Washington officials who
are supposedly in the know claim
that dangers of genetic effects
from H-bomb radiation are greatly
exaggerated. Scientists on the out
side, however, aren't SO sure.
. Arab-Israel. Both Britain and
the United States feel the need
for exerting q new initiative to
persuade both Arabs and Israel
to accept a clearly defined terri
torial settlement approximating the
status quo. Achievement of this goal
may not be hopeless. but 1t is
hardly promising.
One possible approach. reported
from London last week. was to in
dictate publicly that air arms OF
Britain and the United States. on
Cyprus and in the 9Th Fleet, would
be used to prevent any major at
tempt by either the Arabs. or
the Israelis to change the present
boundaries. This would merely be
a spelling-out of how the two
countries intend to honor a 1850
tripartite pact which gives Britain,
France and the United States the
responsibility for guaranteeing the
1940 armistice line.
Some small success in reducing
Arab-ISrael tension was achieved
last week by United Nations Secre-
tary General Dag Hammarskjold.
who is on a tour of the Middle East.
He succeeded in getting Egypt to
accept a boundary settlement in
Ell Auja that Israel also had APP
proved. Ell Auja is a "demilitarized"
border area where 200 Israelis' and
SO Egyptians were killed last
, November in a battle over precise
boundaries.
. Soviet threat. To counter the
new Soviet military-economic pene-
tration of the Middle East, the
British are said to favor some new
economic aid initiative, perhaps
operated through the Baghdad pact.
to which 1t is a party. While the
Foreign Office is known to be dis
appointed that the United States
will not come into formal member
ship in the Baghdad alliance. Sir
Anthony is not expected to spend
much time trying to persuade
President Eisenhower to reconsider.
. Saudi Arabian spending. Britain
has long been disturbed by the way
King Saud throws around the dol
lars his country's oil riches bring
him. Saudi money helped finance
the riots against Jordans joining
the Baghdad pact Britain also
charges that the Saudis used bribery
OF tribal chieftains in an attempt
to extend their territories In the
southeast Arabian peninsula, in the
vicinity Of Buraimi oasiss. Sir An