Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-04-22
SAC in the Clear


Strategic Air Command has collapsed
In the United Nations Security Council.
Although Foreign Minister Gromyko
won big headlines with II over the week
end, 1t fell apart yesterday under the
Councils inspection. and so Soviet Dele
gate Arkady Sobolev, acting on instruc-
lions from his home office In Moscow,
withdrew II altogether rather than have
II overwhelmingly rejected in formal
vote that would have amounted to a
sort OF cenSure OF the USSR for having
raised the issue primarily to spread
fear-breeding propaganda.
Mr.. Sobolev, OF course, has sought
to explain his withdrawal move as
something forced upon him by AM
bassador Lodges pressure for an imme-
date vote on the issue. Mr.. Lodge, our
chief delegate to the U.N. and currently
president OF the Security Council, ruled
against the Soviet maneuver for a post
ponement on the ground that the Krem-
lin itself had presented its complaint as
an urgent" one demanding urgent"
action. Accordingly, Mr. Sobolev's eff
forts to delay matters failed, and he
thereupon dropped the whole business
to avoid the embarrassment Of a vote
In which he alone-and nobody else
would have supported the Kremlin's
charges against SAC.
AS first presented by Mr.. Gromyko,
and as echoed yesterday by Mr.. Sobolev,
these charges would have had the world
censure the United States for sending
undetermined planes on provocative"
flights over the North Pole ain the direc-
ton" OF the Soviet Union. Neither Mr..
Gromyko, however. nor Mr.. Sobolev Of
fered a single bit of acceptable evidence
to back up their warning that SAC's
operations gravely endangered the peace
by raising the possibility that some
small human error-Such as the wrong
reading Of radar "blip"-might lead
to action setting of an about atomic
hydrogen war.
The Security Council. in other
words, was vastly more impressed by our
own Governments assurance that SAC's
flights are carefully controlled, are lin
tied to regions far" from the borders
OF Russia and its satellites, are in no
sense provocative" and cannot possibly
cause an accidental war. In effect,
moreover, by declining to support the
Soviet charges. the Councils members
Endorsed the American thesis that these
flying operations constitute a legitimate
and essential defense measure and that
they must be continued to maintain
Difference against aggression and to
insure that SAC cannot be surprised
and destroyed on the ground by an
enemy"
Like the Russians themselves, our
American representatives have not cited
any figures as to how close our planes
ny "in the direction of" the USSR. But
1t seems safe to assume on the basis OF
our official statements, and in the alb
sence of any Soviet evidence to the con-
trary, that the flights have limits that
Keep them at reasonable distance from
Russian and satellite territory. It is
possible, OF course, to conjure up con-
ceivable circumstances In which such
operations could be dangerous, but until
the Kremlin agrees to some sound re-
ciprocal security arrangements (includ-
Ing form Of "open skies" surveillance
the safety Of our own country and the
free world at large demands that SAC
be alert and on-the-ready at all times.