Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-10-09
A Kind of BIcckmoiI

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NikitA S. Khrushchev has returned
from his Black Sea vacation looking At,
feeling self-con1ident and talking tough.
Indeed, judging from what Communist
correspondents have had to say about
his remarks the other night at an East
German reception in Moscow, he seems
primed now for big round Of psyche
logical warfare with the free world And
his weapons. Of course, are such things
as the Kremlin's earth-circling artificial
moon and impressive evidence that the
Soviet Union now holds the lead, even
II only a temporary one, in developing
the intercontinental ballistic missile.
These are developments of a pretty
spectacular nature, and they constitute
heady stun for a man like Mr.. Khru-
shchev. So nobody should be surprised
by indications that he intends to make
the most Of them in order to point up
his pious calls for peaceful coexistence"
on Soviet terms, and also to throw his
weight around-the Kremlin's weight
in the form of yelled threats and a kind
Of diplomatic blackmail His objective,
obviously. is not merely to impress
"neutraliSt" nations, but to intimidate
wavererS, make propagandiStic hay in
areas like the Middle East, and drive
wedges between the United States and
certain allied countries that may be
open to the suggestion that they are
betting on the wrong horse when they
bet on American power, actual or
potential
A case In point. as reported by the
Communist newSmen who attended the
Moscow East German reception, is what
Mr.. Khrushchev has had to say about
Turkey. He has accused that nation,
despite its emphatic denials, Of massing
its troops against Syria as part Of an
American-instigated plot of aggression
against the Middle East At the same
time, referring to things like missiles
and the Kremlin's earth satellite, he has
boaSted that the Soviet Union has
achieved superiority over "the richest
and most advanced country in the cap
italist world-the United States" And
he has gone on to warn, at least by i'm
plication, that both we and the Turks
had better not move against the SyrianS
Ia move which we definitely do not
have in mind-before thinking twice
about the power Of the Russians and
their feats in the art of rocketry.
This sort Of thing can hardly fail
to impress lot of impressionable people
around the world, especially in Asia and
the Middle East. And the same holds
true for some similar but more mod
erately worded statements made by Mr..
Khrushchev in his interview with James
Reston Of the New York Times. In one
OF these statements. incidentally, the
Soviet Communist chieftain has sug-
gested that the USSR is now exceedingly
powerful, but that it is willing to subject
Its missiles to international control as
part OF sweeping agreement, a kind
OF two-way deal. between itself and the
United States Although this may seem
to be reasonable at first glance, it ignores
the interests Of other nations and APP
parently SHES away from the idea OF a
genuinely effective general disarmament
system Of the type long advocated by the
West. Secretary Dulles has indicated,
however, that the United States is will
Ing to consider the proposal
Needless to say. the debate on this
point, and on numerous other aspects Of
the East-West conflict, probably will
continue for long time to come Mean
while. since they appear to feel that they
are getting stronger than ever in rela-
ton to the free world, Mr. Khrushchev
and his colleagues are likely to exploit
the propaganda Of power for all that
It is worth, in a t-too-subtle effort
to weaken everybodys will to resist.
Accordingly, our policy must remain
firm and resolute. In concert with our
friends and allies abroad, we must hold
fast to what is right. Nor ought we ever
to forget that our own strength is very
great and that we can make 1t greater
still II the Kremlin persists in playing
a bully's game.