Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-16
Disarmament and Hope

Hope may we'll spring eternal in the
human breast, but there certainly is little
to nourish it in the field of international
disarmament. And the primary reason
for this is that the Kremlin, for more
than a decade past, has persistently
talked around the subject and otherwise
obStructed any and all proposals calcu-
lated to promote real progress toward a
genuinely effective system of regulation
and control.
What we seem to have here is one
Of the fixed and dreary realities of our
time. Year after year, whenever the
issue comes up before the United Nations,
MoscowS representatives lose no time in
throwing cold water on efforts to arrive
at some acceptable and safe agreement.
The latest example of this has been sup
piled by Soviet Delegate Vastly KuznetSov.
In response to our latest American dis
armament plan, and despite repeated in
StructionS from the chairman of the U. N.
Political Committee that he stick to the
subject, he has offered not much more
than totally mendacious and non
germane harangue accusing our country
Of an aggressive" and "imperialist" plot
against the Middle East.
Regardless of Mr.. Kuznetsov, how
ever, the American plan cannot be
brushed aside or ignored; nor will it be
by the overwhelming majority of the
U. N. For it presents formidable chal-
lenge to the Kremlin to promote world
peace by cooperating in an effort to
achieve the following: ~ An agreement
under which the future production of all
fashionable materials would be stockpiled
and uSed-under effective international
upervision-exclusively for nonmilitary
purposes; ~ arrangements, pending
such an agreement, to limit, control and
ultimately eliminate nuclear tests; (3)
specific and early moves to reduce and
regulate conventional arms and armed
forces of every kind; az special measures
designed to insure that the development
of earth satellites, intercontinental mis-
siles and other "outer space" instruments
will be undertaken solely for peaceful and
scientific purposes, and (5) reliable in
Spection" system, including reciprocal
aerial surveillance, to protect all nations
against the great danger of surprise
attack with either old or new weapons.
lishment of an inspection system, and is
a modification of our former position.
In presenting these proposals, AM
bassador Lodge, our chief delegate to the
U. NJ, has convincingly argued that their
adoption would render vital service to
the collective security and the economic
well-being Of all mankind. First, they
would reverse the present deadly trend
toward ever-growing stockpileS of nuclear
weapons. Next, they would tighten the
costly burden of ornaments and make
possible improved standards of living
everywhere. And finally. by safeguarding
against surprise assaults, they would re-
duce the danger of war, ease tensions,
promote mutual trust among nations, and
thus facilitate settlement of the great
political disputes that now divide the
world and menace its very survival.
Up to now, however, the men of the
Kremlin have rejected the indispensable
condition that there must be an ironclad
agreement on an adequate international
policing system. All they have assented
to is inspection Of sort that would be
much too limited to be effective. Yet,
we and like-minded nations must keep
on striving to persuade them to join in a
real disarmament program. Otherwise,
the weapons race will continue to gather
momentum toward an explosion that
could literally obliterate the entire
civilized world