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decisive lead by it's last series
of tests but believes it could do
so in the future unless coun-
termeasures are taken.
The American delegation here
will also suggest certain
changes in the earlier draft
treaty. Mr.. Kennedy is re-
ported to be concerned about
the need for inSuring against
secret preparations for tests and
will press for new safeguards
along this line.
At the same time British
Prime Minister Macmillan has
spoken of new detection de-
vices which might eliminate
some of the need for on-the-
spot inspection to which the
Russians have objected strenu-
ously in the past.
Whether the new leverage
of the impending American
tests or any notifications" in
the treaty itself will be enough
to bulge the Russians from
their adamant stand is highly
dubious. The American offer
already has been denounced by
Mr.. KhruShchev as "atomic
blackmail" and the most that
most observers here expect is
a counter offer aimed at delay
ing the American decision to
resume testing for an indefinite
period.
Any such effort. it is pre-
dicted, will fail. According to
top officials here the United
States will neither accept post
ponement of it's timetable nor
permit the whole question to
be referred to a later summit
meeting. On the other hand, it
is pointed out that there is
nothing to prevent the United
States from testing and nego-
tiating at the same time
which is, in fact, what the
Russians did throughout the
fall and winter.
The second and biggest ring
of the Geneva circus is the IT.
nation meeting on general dis
armament which gets under
way Wednesday. This meeting
is, in fact, the main purpose OF
the conference ordered by a
resolution of the U. N. General
Assembly last December. In adj
dition to five Communist and
four Western states, neutral
delegates at the conference Ia
BILE are Brazil, Burma, Ethiopia,
India, Mexico, Nigeria, Sweden
and the United Arab Republic.
The conference is likely, as
many have suggested, to turn
into more of a seminar on dis
armament than a serious ne
gotiation. At the start there
certainly will be lengthy open
ing statements from all of the
participants. After this, de-
tailed discussion can begin on
two major disarmament plans:
a three-phase program for total
disarmament outlined by Mr..
Kennedy to the U. N. last fall
and the somewhat more sketchy
proposals revived from time to
time by Mr.. Khrushchev.
Here again, there is one not
too-hopeful new element to
start off the talks. This is the
joint United States Russian
Statement on agreed princi-
pals for disarmament negotia-
lions" worked out over four
months Of talks between Soviet
U. N. Ambassador Valerian
zorin and United States dis
armament expert John McCloy
last summer. Though extremely
general on all major points of
agreement, the eight point |
statement does set out broad
lines of the phases of a dis
armament program which
should be supplemented from
beginning to end under such
strict and effective interna-
tional control as would provide
firm assurance that all parties
are honoring their obligation"
How this agreement" may be
interpreted by both sides in
the course of the coming talks
will determine the progress, if
any, of the conference. The