Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-09-20
If Man Is to Be Safe

In resurrecting the Soviet proposal
Tor total universal disarmament-an
ideal which may be unattainable In the
kind OF world we have today-Premier
Khrushchev could have been interested
primarily in making propaganda. But
he also told the United Nations that he
and his government are realistic enough
to recognize that the West might not
be willing at present to consider total
disarmament plan. And so--in a man
ner which we think ought not to be dis
missed as mere propagandizing-he has
expressed readiness to negotiate on
limited program.
This program (the Kremlin first
presented 1t to the u. N. four years ago)
calls, among other things, for the estab-
liShment OF an atom-free zone in Central
Europe, for the withdrawal of all foreign
troops from European territory, for the
liquidation Of foreign military bases
overseas, for a nonaggression pact be-
tween NATO and the Soviet Warsaw
bloc, and for an agreement on the pre-
vention Of surprise attack by one coun-
try against another. Some Of these pro-
posals have long since been rejected by
the West, but all Of them still contain
elements that are negotiable in terms
OF efforts to reconcile them with our
American and allied counterproposals
A particularly important case in
point is the issue Of safeguarding against
the danger Of surprise attack-one Of
the deadhest menaces confronting man
kind In this age of nuclear weapons,
supersonic planes and intercontinental
missiles AS long ago as the Geneva
summit conference Of 1855, President
Eisenhower proposed that the problem
be dealt with through an "open skies"
plan under which the following unprec-
edented things would be done: ~ The
United States and the USSR would
exchange complete military blueprints
showing deployment of their armed
forces and the location of their chief
airf1elds and submarine bases; (2) the
two countries would carry out continue
GUS reciprocal aerial inspection of each
others territories, and (3) they would
establish mobile ground observation
teamS-AmericanS In Russia and Rus
slams in America-to keep a watch on
key railroad centers, seaports and SIM
liar strategic points.
There can be no doubt that the
adoption Of such plan, with the other
major powers participating, would con-
stitute most important peace-promot-
ing breakthrough. Thus, as the late
Secretary Dulles once said Of 1t, IF we
could really get some satisfactory areas
in which we could at least reduce materi-
ally the risk Of massive surprise attack,
that in my opinion would contribute
more to peace, and more to disarma-
ment, than any other measures. think
then, as fear began to die away, people
would feel they could dispense with
some Of the arms which they now feel
they have to have when the danger is
so omnipresent and so sudden" Ger
tainly the fact that the Russians still
appear to be interested in the idea, even
though they have baked at many of its
features in the past, holds out at least
a measure Of hope for some ultimate
agreement on it.
Actually. in way, 1t is imperative
for every nation in the world to remain
stubbornly hopeful on all matters Of
this sort, and to keep on striving
despite repeated diSappointments and
fruStrations-for mutually acceptable
solutions. For the only alternative is
continuation Of an arms race so fam
tastic, so terrible, so CHASTITY in its de-
structive potential that 1t could explode
into war capable of destroying most
of humanity. Much as he may be dis
trusted, Mr.. Khrushchev seems to be
as genuinely fearful of this possibility
as the rest of us, and he seems, too,
to be sincere in saying that he wants
peace, even If he continues to insist on
his own terms.
The Soviet leader, Of course, cannot
have it on his own terms. But If he
will negotiate honestly, II he will join
in truly earnest effort to work out
what President Eisenhower has described
as adequately policed and self-enforcing
agreements that are fair to both sides,
then our country and the free world as
a whole must be ready to meet him half
way in adopting practical measures Of
disarmament and in establishing collec-
tive security of a kind in which all
nations could repose their trust. Given
that, mankind will be able to breathe
easy once again and feel safe in bright
new epoch Of peace and progress.
Jews in the USSR
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