Exit at Geneva

With many a sanctimonious reference to the U2, the Russians at Geneva have been pushing what they called a radically "new" disarmament plan. It was, in fact, simply another reshuffle of Nikita Khrushchev's proposal for a general and complete disarmament, which he delivered to a skeptical United Nations during his U.S. visit last year. But by incorporating an earlier suggestion of France's Jules Moch, which called for the elimination of all space, air and ground vehicles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, the Russians were able to create an air of sweet reason ableness and cast the West in the role of a hesitant and fearful opposition.

Four Stooges. Before last week's meeting opened in Geneva, U.S. Delegate Frederick Eaton stopped at the chair of the Soviet representative. Valerian Zorin. Eaton, who had just returned from Washington armed with a new plan, told Zorin he had with him a "positive" approach that would "advance our discussions." Instead of showing interest, Zorin replied gloomily that the discussions were going "badly."

Then the day's chairman, Poland's Marian Naszkowski, brought the meeting to order. Zorin got to his feet and. with a flashing of gold-crowned teeth, read off a six-page speech. Its import: Russia and her four stooges (Poland. Rumania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia) were walking out on the conference because, said Zorin, the Western powers refused to consider "all practical disarmament steps." Abandoning Geneva, the Communists would now place the question of disarmament before the September meeting of the General Assembly of the U.N.

Western delegates clamored to get the floor. But Chairman Naszkowski ignored them and declared the meeting adjourned. As the Communists beat a hasty retreat, France's Jules Moch leaped up and shouted after them: "Hooliganism! Pure hooliganism! What a shameful performance!"

Orbiting Warheads. Britain's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs David Orms-by-Gore promptly reopened the meeting and allowed Delegate Eaton to read the new Western plan into the record. The U.S. proposals included 1) eventual control of the means of delivering nuclear weapons, 2) progressive reduction of armed forces, 3) advance notice of missile launchings, 4) a ban on space vehicles with nuclear warheads orbiting the earth. "It is not a glittering, Utopian approach to the problem of disarmament," said Eaton, "but intended as a sound basis for serious negotiations."

Britain's Ormsby-Gore went to Zorin's Geneva villa, tried for 45 minutes to persuade him to resume the talks. At times, both men were shaking with anger. Later, a newsman asked Zorin if he did not feel that the Russian behavior was stupid from the point of view of public relations. In reply, Delegate Zorin snapped: "I didn't have anything to do with planning it. I just did what I was told."

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