Evening star., 1959-12-06
By EARL n. voSs
* Star staa Writer

6faf 1tad Writer
) The Soviet Union has passed
the word Informally that late
April would be agreeable to
Premier Khrushchev as the
time for an East-West summit
meeting
President De Gaulle reported
" told West German Chan
eellor Adenauer last week that
late April would also suit
France. But the French leader
Is making no commitment on
timing until he is assured that
the Western powers viii go to
the summit as a unit.
THAT is another way Of say
ing that President de Gaulle
win insist on reaching a COM
pletely unified position in the
Western pre-sunmit meeting
in Paris December 1921 before
he agrees on formally spropos-
ing any summit date to the
Soviet Union.
French Foreign Minister
Couve de Murville has also told
British Foreign Minister Sell
vyn Lloyd that late April viii
be acceptable as an EaSt-West
summit date--if France is con- |
vinced the West can attend as
. unit. 4
Unity Is Assumed
Britain, the United States
and West Germany are ready |
to assume that a unified posi-
tion viii be reached, and they
have tentatively agreed with
French working -leyel diplomats
that April IS should be pro.
posed. |
Western positions are still
not reconciled on what is to
be discussed at the East-West
summit, however.
Britain Is willing to accept
an extremely narrow agenda
because she favors the idea of
a series of summit conferences.
This concept would relieve pres
sure for spectacular results at
the first top-level meeting.
The United States now leans
to the British position although |
1t cannot say so because PreSi-
dent Eisenhower cannot him
self commit this country to a
second summit conference.
A six-month interval between |
submits would be the shortest
considered reasonable. But six
months beyond late April would
be late October. at the height
of the presidential election
campaign here, when Mr.. Ell
senhower will be almost lame
duck"
France Wants Broad Agenda
France, in contrast to Brit
ain, is holding out for a broad
summit agenda, carefully pre-
pared so as to present a rigid
front to the Soviet Union.
American officials believe 1t
would be impossible for the
heads of government to go into
all the complicated details on
Germany and disarmament.
They expect the Paris pre-
summit conference to agree
only on a set of principles to
be embodied in their proposals
to the Soviet Union.
Then there will be some four
months in which to fill in de-
tails. Whether a new working
group will be set up to meet
in the four Western capitals
or whether there will simply /
be intensive diplomatic-level
exchanges has not been de-
cided.
Third Topic Discussed
1t now looks to American
officials as if the Berlin-Ger-
many question disarmament
are the most likely topics to
be proposed for the summit.
There has been some talk of
a third item-East-West rela-
tions-but it is not clear
whether this has been ade-
quately handled by recent BIZ
lateral agreements, whether it
will be proposed as an agenda
item by the West, or whether
it will be left for the Soviet
Union to suggest.
Premier Khrushchev is ex-
pected to insist on talking about
Berlin, as the Camp David
communique following his talks
with President Eisenhower
envisioned.
But the United States is op-
posed to making any new pro-
posals on Berlin. Washington
wants to go to the summit with
the Western position as it was