Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
Should We Seek Settlement With Russia?
Now Is the Time to TRY 1t

would say mon possumus"-that
is. I'VE cannot. 60 beyond this
point"
Before entering into negotiations,
must we wait for the Russians to
give proofs Of their good faith?
Must we wait until they have
shown themselves ready to keep
their promises and disposed to seek.
with no after thought, a stable
and honest solution?
To set up such condition as a
starting point would in reality be
to assume that the problem was
solved before it was preached.
If throughout history people had
only dealt with those in whom
they had complete confidence be-
fore-hand how would stalemates
have been resolved?
Following all great political and
military upheavals a time comes
when, no matter what has gone
before. no matter what reasons for
fear may exist, no matter what the
background Of receptions may be.
negotiations must be undertaken
to try to re-establish order and
peace.
Is this to say that we can begin
negotiations. and eventually sign
documents. without reasonable
guarantees Of not becoming the VIC
Tins of our own good faith? Not at
oil Thara ie NJ r.,,aekiova ~ drn xn,iVaU
up or Of agreeing to FOOLS para
disc.
On the other hand, to bury ones
head in the sand is not the best
self-protection. 1t lies rather in ade-
quate. sound, co-ordinated bases
for negotiation. This is why the free
peoples must come to firm agree
mentS among themselves and open
real negotiations only when they
shall have arrived at a complete
unity of minds on the bases Of
future discussion.
Are the Russions Willing?
Can we expect or assume that
the Russians will be more or less
willing to cooperate with the West
in trying to find equitable bases for
peaceful co-existence?
No one will deny that, for some
time, Russia has been at grips with
real difficulties in the political,
economic and social spheres.
In the political sphere. the death
Of Stain certainly weakened the
regime. The Russian system is. in
actual fact. based on dictatorship.
But a dictatorship that operates
without q dictator is deprived Of
one Of its main pillars Of support.
In the economic sphere, the din.
culties encountered by Russian agri-
culture are not mystery to anyone.
The average Russian probably lives
less well at present than in the time
Of the Cars.
In the industrial field. the i've
year plans have been successful. but
these were concerned primarily with
heavy industry. Now that the popu-
lation is beginning to demand
betterment Of its standard Of living,
that is. an increase Of consumer
goods, new problems are arising.
Lastly. the events in Hungary
have dealt very severe blow to the
theories and propaganda slogans
that the Communist leaders use as
a front for their actions.
Relations between Russia and her
satellites. which for some time have
been marred by difficulties. are now
in the process Of full transforna-
ton.
Even in Russia itself. where there
is no trace of an organized oppose
ton. certain very deep currents are
beginning to make themselves felt.
In the universities. the students
have been raising anxious questions
as q result Of what happened in
Hungary. Among the masses, the
drive that characterized the early
years Of the new regime has COM
pletely petered out and has been
replaced by a kind Of apathy.
In short. provided we do not take
our wishes for realities. we can. !
think, conclude from the foregoing
that Russia is passing through, a
period bristling with real difiiculties.
Is this situation favorable TO
negotiations or not?
One thing seems clear: Under no
circumstances are we sure of get