Diplomats at Work

In other moves on the world's multidimensional diplomatic chessboard, U.S. diplomacy last week:

P: Joined Britain at the United Nations in backing France's claim that France should be allowed to settle her problems in rebellious Algeria in her own way (see FOREIGN NEWS). Thus standing off the Afro-Asian bloc's demands for an immediate Algerian cease-fire and elections, the U.S. served notice that it does not intend to carry its enthusiasm for burgeoning independence movements to the extreme of upsetting well-established friendly governments.

P: Agreed on a meeting between President Eisenhower and France's Premier Guy Mollet, in Washington, Feb. 26 and 27, and a meeting between Ike and Britain's Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, in Bermuda (at Ike's suggestion), March 21 through 24. One point up for discussion in Bermuda: a proposal by the financially pressed Macmillan government that 1) the British cut the strength of their four NATO divisions by up to 30,000 men, and 2) the U.S. make up the difference in firepower by supplying guided missiles to the remaining British forces.

P: Announced, in line with President Eisenhower's determination to help Poland's new government maintain its independence from Russian domination, that at U.S. invitation Warsaw has agreed to send a Polish mission to economic talks in Washington in the near future. Chief item likely to be negotiated: a request by the hard-pressed Gomulka government for a big (at least $100 million) loan to finance the purchase of U.S. surplus agricultural products, farm and mining machinery, fertilizers.

P: Scrutinized, as it prepared to take part in still another round of U.N. disarmament talks, a new version of the Soviet proposal --turned down by President Eisenhower last month--for a summit meeting to discuss arms reduction. Gist of the new proposal: foreign ministers and top-ranking military chiefs should attend the U.N. Disarmament Subcommittee when it reconvenes in London next month. Initial Washington reaction was cool. Reasons: the Russian proposal, coming two days after Moscow announced a cut in defense spending, seemed designed to 1) dramatize recent Soviet calls for uninspected arms reductions and 2) act as an entering wedge for what looms as Moscow's larger propaganda objective, a new meeting of heads of state.

P: Agreed, after consultation with West European representatives, to supply the proposed six-nation European atomic pool with whatever U.S. technical aid and nuclear fuel is necessary to help build a massive (15 million-kw.) atomic-power industry in Western Europe by 1967. Among the U.S.'s objectives in pledging such fabulous support: an increase in Western Europe's "solidarity," a decrease in its dependence on foreign fuel, particularly from the Middle East.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.