Evening star., 1961-01-01

well the verdict on the year Just
passed. Although she touched on
islands Of hope and optimism.
such as the example TO the world
set by the cooperation and uniS
existing among the Common
wealth nations, the tone Of her
serious, matter.of-fact message
was anything but cheerful.
Arguments and strained rela-
tons, as well as natural disasters.
have all helped to produce an
atmosphere Of tension and yincer-
tainty all over the world" Her
Majesty observed. individuals, she
said, were helpless in the situation.
But something must be done, she
emphasized, to halt and reverse
the growing tendency toward dis
integration" In the world.
II anything. Britain's Queen was
entirely compatible with the Eng
hsh genius for understatement.
For 1860, almost entirely. has been
o notable year for. disappoint-
ments. for establishments, for
disintegration on q. massive scale.
Hopeful Start
The year began on a note Of
optimism so high as TO worry the
skeptics and the watchmen. Pes
ident Eisenhower, In his last year
in the White House.. was obviously
confident that he woud turn over
his stewardship to q successor with
the satisfaction that he had
achieved major strides toward q
peaceful world.
. In Moscow Premier Nikita
Khrushchev was talking, and act
ing. at least publicly, like the
very Apostle Of peaceful coexist-
ence:
. In Geneva statesmen Of the
United States, Britain and the
Soviet Union were inching SLOW
ly toward an international agree
ment to ban further testing Of
nuclear weapons;
. In Africa, last outpost Of the
White Mans Burden. colonialism,
10 colonial dependencies Of Eu-
ropean powers looked forward
with JOY and confidence toward
Independence and free associa-
ton with the world community
Of nations -
., In the foreign ,ofIices Of. the,
worlds major powers, and as well
in those Of the nervous neutral
lists long fearful Of q nuclear holo-
caust between the two giant
power blocs Of East and West,
there were hopeful preparations
for q summit conference, sched-
uled for May. at which 1t was
believed Q solid beginning might
be made on resolving the peril
Gus problems that split the world
into two armed camps;
. At the United Nations there
was q growing, although cautious,
optimism that q. N. successes in
keeping the peace over the past
few years heralded, at last, the
dawn Of truly effective interna-
tional responsibility and cooper
alton;
. Disarmament. or at least q
reliable system Of arms control,
appeared to be more likely Of at
tainment than at any time in
the history Of the modern world,
since the arms race and the "bal-
aT1ce Of terror" implicit in its
continuing deadly. tempo we're
plainly rejected by the principals
as well as the peacemakers among
the nations Of the world;
. People to = people" contacts,
especially between the West and
the Communist world, were ex-'
panding both in number and in
cordiality. Not only formal cul-
tural exchanges. scientific pro-
grams. philosophical explorations
were blossoming: individual con-
facts. tourism. q much-relaxed
atmosphere after years of suspi-
cion and distrust appeared to be
thawing some Of the worst ice
jams Of the weary cold war.
There were fewer occasions for
the studied insult. the cold-war
cliche.
First Of o New Era
Thus the year 1860 began
auspiciously; the first year Of a
new decade, the world seemed to
think, might also become the first
year Of new era. It might have,
indeed. But it didn't. Here is
what happened to the roseate
hopeS of New Year. 1860: