Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-05
In What Other Woy2

Radio Moscow, In its first menda-
clouS comment on Secretary Dulles pro-
poSaS Tor a far-fiung system of re-
clprocal alr-and-ground inspection, has
strongly suggested that the men of the
kreml1n are in no mood to co-operate
seriously with the West In promoting
progress toward disarmament. All they
want to do, apparently, is to stall and
make propaganda.
AS Mr.. Dulles has presented II In
London to the f1ve-power United Nations
Disarmament Subcommittee France
Britain, Canada, the United States and
the Soviet Union), the Western plan for
inspection offers a choice of alterna-
ives. The most sweeping of these would
open up vast areas of the world-in-
cluolng all OF Russia and all of our own
country-to mutual surveillance from
the SKY and to mutual policing by ground
observers at principal ports. railway
functions, main highways and important
alrf1elds." Or the Kremlin, il It wishes
10 make more modest beginning. can
count on our sides readiness to ioin II
IN starting such system as an expert
ment limited to the Arctic region-a rel
atively small area, but one of immense
strategic significance in the age Of SUI
personic intercontinental bombers and
balliStic missiles.
IL is because of the terrible poten-
tialities Of this age, an age in which
acknowledgement weapons are literally
capable OF celebrating mankind. that
the united States-Speaking through Mr..
Dulles. with the full support Of its West
ern allleS-haS called upon the Krem-
lin to respond affirmatively to what
ne mas proposed. In many respects,
the propoSals-which are an elaboration
OF President EisenhowerS open skies"
ldea-are revolutionary, and numerous
americans, like RuSSia'S approximations
leaders, undoubtedly take an exceedingly
am view OF them. But they must be eval-
uated IN terms of the times in which we
i've. After all, in what other way can the
nations OF the world hope to establish
reasonably effective safeguards against
the danger Of surprise attack?
The Western inspection plan. OF
course, Is not the be-all or end-all OF
the enormously complex disarmament
problem But 1t blueprintS a promising
beginning on the solution of that prob
lem. More important still, 1t makes pos
Siole mutual protection of sort that
cannot be had otherwise. That is why
Mr.. Dulles has voiced the fervent hone
that Russia'S leaders will realize that
such policing system, since It would
Increase the safety of every nation bv
greatly lessening the menace of surprise
attack and general war, is as much TO
their interests as 1t is to ours" And that
is why he has also declared that the task
OF reaching an agreement is 80 vital
that 1t must be pursued with unwaverinq
resolution" despite great and persistent
din1culties and disappointments.
Judging from Radio Moscow. how
ever, Nikita Khrushchev and Company
still seem intent upon committing them
selves to nothing but paper agreements.
or mere declarations OF principle" in
which nobody can repose the slightest
degree OF confidence or trust. In the
circumstances, the world can only hone
that somebody In the Kremlin will vet
wake up to reality. For the reality in
this instance will become grimmer and
grimmer as long as Soviet policy persists
In saying "nyet" to every good thing
that the West proposes.