Nyet

After, an impassioned hour and 40 minutes in defense of India's seizure of disputed Kashmir, India's waspish V. K. Krishna Menon, the United Nations' champion long-distance speaker, collapsed in a heap one day last week and had to be rushed off to the medical clinic.

Not Menon's flow of words but a single nyet uttered by Russia's taciturn Arkady Sobolev called a halt to the U.N.'s efforts to mediate in Kashmir. By casting the Soviet Union's 79th *veto in the Security Council, Sobolev effectively killed a resolution, jointly sponsored by the U.S., Cuba. Britain and Australia, to send Council President Gunnar Jarring of Sweden to Kashmir as a step "toward the settlement of the dispute." The resolution did not mention plebiscite, but noted in passing that former U.N. resolutions calling for demilitarization and a plebiscite in Kashmir had so far been ignored.

That afternoon, after resting in the infirmary for three hours under sedation, the Indian delegate was back again, helped to his seat in the Council room on the strong arms of two associates. His doctor said he was "a very sick man" who. had been working too hard while sustaining himself on "about 30 cups of tea a day, absorbing all of the salt in his body." Once back in his seat, Menon expressed a desire to speak for ten minutes and promptly launched into a speech that lasted just short of an hour.

Next day, with Russia abstaining, the Security Council adopted by a vote of 10 to 0 a flaccid resolution to send President Jarring to Kashmir simply to look things over and make a report. "Mr. Jarring," said Mr. Menon, "would always be welcome in India as would everyone else," but there could be no talk of "high policy matters" at least until after the Indian elections.

*Of a total of 87 vetoes in U.X. history. The others: France four, United Kingdom two, China two.

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