Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-29
He's Doing All Riqht

VI pOllIlCdl
experts, especially those to whom the
mans very name is anathema, are TAX
ing a dim view of Richard NJ Nixons
Russian Polish tour. They think the
Vice President is up to no good and they
devoutly hope that he will fall fiat on
his face.
1t is interesting to note, however,
that the professionals take somewhat
different view They realize that the
trip can boost the Nixon political stock
in this country. Most of them also think,
or profess to think, however, that it may
help relations between our two countries
or that, in any event, it is not doing any
harm in this respect. Some of these
professional views appear to be colored
by the individuals own stake in the
game. Thus, Senator Kennedy, a lead
ing Democratic presidential prospect,
comments rather tartly that the trip
"haS been helpful to Nixon" Senator
Humphrey, another Democratic hopeful,
thinks the idea of the trip was very
constructive, but he doubts that the Vice
President should have gotten into a
rough-and- tumble d ebate with Mr..
KhruShchev. The Minnesota Senator
says that Mr.. Khrushchev is tough
man to handle in such a contest, and,
having spent eight hours with him, he
ought to know.
Other Democrats, who are not preSi-
Dental aSpirantS in their own right,
have been surprisingly favorable in their
comments, among them being such men
as Senators Fulbright and Proxmire. The
Republicans, of course, with the notable
exception of Governor Rockefeller, whose
opinion has not been recorded, would
have you believe that the Nixon trip is
the answer to all our troubles, and why
wasn't something of the sort done long
ago.
In our judgment, without attempt
ing to be either pro- Nixon or anti-NiXon,
it seems perfectly clear that the Vice
President up to this point at least, has
had a successful trip, and this is bound
to improve his personal political for
tunes. 1t does not mean, of course, that
he necessarily is the best man for the
presidency, or that he has either the
nomination or the White House in the
bag. Neither does Mr.. Nixon'S trip, as
Stunning that it will be bang-up success
in both Russia and Poland, bring us
to the point at which the storm clouds
hanging over our relations with the
Soviet Union are about to be blown away.
The trip was not made with any
such expectation and it would be child
iSh to expect any such result The most
that it can do, again assuming its sue
cess, is to help prepare ground for the
cultivation of a better understanding
between our two countries. This, how
ever, is something which is important,
and which should not be underestimated.
Soon or late, something is going to have
to give in the relationship between the
United States and Russia. We hope that
the break will come in the form of an
easing of mutual diStruSt and dangerous
ambitions. There is no really good rea-
son, economic or otherwise, why this is
not an attainable objective. And those
among US, in both countries, who seek
some petty advantage by tanning the
fires of suspicion and fear should not
forget that the alternative to workable
-and-let-live arrangement will al
most certainly be a mutually ruinouS
war If Mr.. NixonS trip casts a little
weight in favor of the former and against
the latter it will have been well worth
while