Bulganin’s Newest Note To Britain

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28541, 21 March 1958, Page 11

Bulganin’s Newest Note To Britain

(Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, March 20

Marshal Bulganin’s latest letter to Mr Macmillan said that no great progress had yet been made toward a summit conference. The Soviet Prime Minister charged the West with attempting to hinder its convening by arranging a meeting of N.A.T.O. Defence Ministers in Paris next month. s The 3000-word letter, issued by the British and Soviet authorities today, restated Moscow’s standpoint on terms for summit talks conveyed by Marshal Bulganin to President Eisenhower on March 6.

The letter charged there was “complete contradiction and inconsistency” in convening the Atlantic Pact Defence Ministers' conference and in preparing the summit talks. The Soviet Prime Minister said that he had no fight to keep silent about the fact that the recent British and American agreement to establish rocket basest in Britain had introduced a considerable element of tension into the international situation and into the relations between the' state of East and West. After summarising the known. Soviet standpoint on preparation! for and the agenda of an EastWest summit conference. Marshal Bulganin told the British Prime Minister: “But unfortunately no great progress has yet been made because the representatives of some Western countries still insist that the agenda should include issues which are known to be unacceptable and postpone it for an indefinite period. “Even more alarming is the fact that while delaying a solution of the question of convening the conference, the Governments of Great Britain, the United States of America and some other member, states of the North Atlantic Alliance are hastening the implementation of practical steps in the sphere of war preparations, which can not but worsen the international situation.’

“This is indeed testified by the reports on the preparations being made for holding a N.A.T.O. Ministers’ meeting in Paris this April which is to discuss and take decisions on the siting in N.A.T.O. countries of bases for launching medium-range rockets, on the supply of atomic weapons to members of N.A.T.O. and on the location in these countries of stocks of atomic weapons. “It is sufficicent to compare the scope of the questions which we proposed for discussion at a conference of leading statesmen of East and West with the questions which are to be discussed in Paris to realise that there is a complete contradiction and inconsistency between the tasks and aims which are being pursued, on the one hand, by the N.A.T.O. States in convening a meeting of their war ministers now and on the other hand, by the States proposing to hold talks at the summit level in the interests of (reducing international tension.” I Commenting on the British and American rocket base agreement. Marshal Bulganin said it was no . secret that the rocket targets ’ would be “places in the Soviet i Union.”

Government Popularity “It is no less clear that this step taken by the British Government, the unpopularity of which in Britain is general knowledge, cannot contribute either to an improvement in the relations between our States or to a relaxation of international tension. “Every Government is responsible for the security of its own people. But I have no right to keep silence about the fact that the consent given by the British Government to the construction of American rocket bases on the territory of their country introduces a considerable element of tension into the international situation and into the relations between the states of East and West. “We cannot ignore the recently

published White Paper which la essence declares that Great Britain is ready to use atomic and hydrogen weapons against the Soviet Union first "How can one reconcile such steps taken by the British Government with its assurance of its desire to contribute to the reduction of international tension and to improve. the relations between our countries?” the Soviet leader asked.

Marshal Bulganin said that there was at present a certain relaxation of international tension and new seeds of trust in the relations between states, and a summit meeting was not only desirable but quite attainable.

Consequently, actions contrary to the desire of the peoples and the governments of many countries of the world to put an end to the cold war and to reduce the danger of a military explosion do especially great harm to the cause of establishing mutual understanding. Marshal Bulganin said that the current rocket strategy of N.A.T.O. was not being pursued "in order to agree tomorrow to cancel all these measures."

"In view of this the meeting of the War Ministers of the N.A.T.O. countries as well as the agreement between the United States and Britain on rocket bases cannot be considered as

anything but an attempt to hinder the convening and the success of the summit conference and an attempt to present the conference with certain accomplished facts which would in advance remove the basis for an agreement on a number of the most important issues from the point of view of strengthening peace." N.Z. WEATHER Changeable weather can bring a crop of colds Don’t neglect even a summer cold. Start straight away with Baxters Lung Preserver, and feel the relief from the very first dose "Baxters" is the proved remedy for sll ages. Baxters. Ltd.. Christchurch. —Advt.