Evening star., 1960-09-23
Invitation to Peace

address to the United Nations General
Assembly makes clear two basic points
of immense Importance to the entire
world The first of these is that Ameri-
can policy favors an early resumption
of genuine negotiations with the Rus
sianS And the second is that our
country is ready to join with other lands,
within the framework of the U. N, in
undertaking history making new inter-
national commitments in "a mounting
effort to build the structure of a true
peace-a peace in which all peoples may
progress constantly to higher levels of
human achievement"
True, the President has in the same
address sharply attacked the crisis
breeding nature of Soviet policy in re-
lation to the U. MS work in the Congo
and as regards such other grave issues
as the threat to free Berlin and the
Shooting down, last July, of one of
our aircraft over international waters.
Nevertheless, despite the somber tough
ness of his criticism of the Kremlin, the
main burden of Mr.. Eisenhower's mess
age to the Assembly may rightly be
interpreted as an appeal to reason
made in an earnest attempt to ease the
worlds sometimes excruciating tensions
and bring about at least the beginning
Of real thaw in the cold war.
Z This war has gone from bad to worse
ever since Nikita Khrushchev'S torpedo
ing of the May summit conference in
Paris. Accordingly, to abate it, to keep
1t from becoming still more dangerous,
to diminish and eventually end it alto
gether, the President has submitted to
the U. N. series of proposals that range
all the way from the Congo to the moon
and beyond. Although there is nothing
SenSationally new in them (he has sub
mitted their substance before in piece
meal faShion), they certainly merit
something better than another nyet
from the Soviet Premier For they add
up to an affirmative challenge that in
vites the Communist world to cooperate
with the rest of mankind, fully and in
good faith, in an unprecedented inter-
national program whose effectuation
could result only in a decent and endur-
ing peace.
AS outlined by Mr.. Eisenhower, the
major elements of this program include
the following: (1) A solemn pledge by
all nations not to interfere in or make
pawnS of the emerging African states,
but to offer those states generous
progress-promoting aid. (2) A universal
agreement under which the powers will
not claim territory on the moon or other
celestial bodies, but will instead CO.
operate in exploiting outer space solely
for peaceful purposes. And (3) resumed
negotiations on disarmament, with par
ticular reference at first to 1.-TWO pressing
dangers-that of war by miscalculation
and that of mounting nuclear stock
piles"
This No. proposition is by far the
most important at this time, and the
President has left no room for doubt
that the United States is eager to work
out mutually acceptable agreement on
it-an agreement under which the sig
natorieS would consent, among other
things, to effective and truly reciprocal
inspection by ian appropriate United
Nations surveillance body" adequately
equipped to guard against the menace
Of surprise attack.
If the Soviet Union eventually re-
acts aff1rmatively to the principle of this
and the other proposals made by the
President then the world will have good
reason to be hopeful. Otherwise, mans
future will be an uncertain thing indeed