Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-24
GENEVA
Western Allies Are Showing
Greater Trustot Conference

the ministerial circle. Inc at
tacks In the British press
against the French have been
answered with interest By the
headlines in France and West
Germany. A leading Paris daily
banners the story Of British
Foreign Secretary SelWyn
Lloyd's weekend return to
London with the question:
what game are the British
playing now?@
But there Is good evidence
that the campaign. for . variety
Of good reasons. Is IN It's last
stages.
One Of these reasons. no
doubt, has been the perform
ance Of Mr. Lloyd here in the
last week. In the public ses-
sions the tone Of his speeches
has made it increasingly difi-
cult for the Russians TO pay him
embarrassing compliments In
private sessions he has appare
entity managed to convince his
French and German listeners
that the abandonment Of Bsr-
lin. either openly or subtlely, Is
not the policy Of Her Majesty's
Government.
Heat on Britain
There were other reasons,
too. Undoubtedly the American
delegation unwittingly took
some Of the heat OF the British
delegation by admitting that
the problem Of Berlin might, in
the final stages Of the confer
ence, be discussed as q separate
issue. Undoubtedly, also. the
setback Of the talks on fuclear
test suspension--from which
the French are excluded
Gained French fears that q new
basis for o summit conference
might be found about which
they had nothing to say and to
which they might even not be
invited.
The main reason for the Inn
provement in allied relations
however was the growing feel
ing that all the bristling and
snifhng was to say the least
bad for business. The Russians
were so obviously eager to
profit from the situation that
some Of the cooler heads in the
Western delegations apparently
decided the time had come to
call a halt. Today the MAIN
spring Of inter-Allied tension
has been deliberately slackened
to the relief of everyone con-
cerned.
Spirit Of Reconciliation
The decision to hold re-
stricted talks is the first result
of this new spirit Of reconcilia-
ton and mutual trust. Earlier
in the week the French had
held out against this SUCCESS
ton, arguing that if the Rus
slams wanted to make secret
concessions it was they who
should propose the restricted
talks. Their real reasons for
resisting, however. was the fear.
that the British were prepared
to make far more generous con-
cessionS than they Tor the West
Germans who are largely reps
resented by the French here)
Would be inclined to approve.
With this fear not substan-
italy allayed, the holding Of
restricted talks is now ofiicial
allied policy. Although the pre-
else means of achieving the
goal has not been decided. II
is likely that the first direct
proposal for a recess will be
made by Secretary Of State
Herter at Mondays session, at
which he will preside.
Mr.. Gromyko's reaction to
the proposal is a question of
intense interest and not a little
concern to the experts here.
Russians Sounded Out
When it comes to- the matter
of secret sessions as such. the
Russians have been carefully
sounded out over a series of
private encounters. On the basis
OF what he has said at these
m e e tings Mr.. Gromkyo is
expected to agree to the sug-
gestion.
Even in their public brief
ings the Russians, while pro-
nouncing themselves perfectly
satisfied with the course Of the
formal talks and protesting
that they have nothing to hide,
have limited that more re-
stricted sessions might not be
unwelcome.
On the level. of broader
strategy, however, the Western
experts are considerably less
sure of Russian motives than
they were when the conference
began.
At that point it was the uni
versal assumption that the
Russians, above all else. want
ed the Geneva conference to
end ins an agreement to meet
at the summit. Russisn Prem
Ter Khrushchev himself had
said so. after all, on a number
of occasions.
Assumptions Shaken
For reasons of prestige and
propaganda If for nothing else
it was believed that the Rus
slams wanted the top level
talks and therefore would not
let the Geneva meeting end in
total failure.
Since the opening of the con-
ference. however. this universal
assumption has been somewhat
shaken. What. has developed
here so far is that the Allies
themselves have been so COM
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