U.S. PESSIMISTIC ON GENEVA

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28930, 25 June 1959, Page 13

U.S. PESSIMISTIC ON GENEVA

Macmillan Hopeful Of Summit Talks

(N.Z Press Association —Copyright)

(Rec. 10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, June 24. The United States Secretary of State, Mr Christian Herter, appeared to diplomatic sources today to be less hopeful than the B u n !\ P^ lme Mlmster ’ Mr Macmillan, about the Geneva conference. Observers were comparing Mr Herter’s televised address to the American people last night with Mr Macmillan s report to the House of Commons a few Imurs earher on the East-West Foreign Ministers’ «, m 2!. r rS C ”S.' ,a ” J Said tha ! “ w ° uW a mistake to under-rate the degree of success” made at the adjourned talks and expressed the hope that the Wes em Powers and the Soviet Union would make “still further progress.”

But Mr Herter was more pessimistic in assessing the chances for reaching agreements with the Soviet Union on Berlin and other issues when the July 1 !? Mimsters conference resumes in Geneva on

Mr Macmillan said he hoped the renewed Foreign Ministers’ conference would lead to a summit meeting.

But Mr Herter said that no significant progress had been made towards settling the Berlin and German problems. The Soviet Foreign Minister, Mr Andrei Gromyko, had given no indication that his Government was interested in genuine negotiation, he said After noting that President Eisenhower had expressed willingness to attend a summit meeting if it held out some prospect

of success the Secretary of State said: “We believe that some degree of progress in the Geneva negotiations is necessary if there is to exist such a prospect of success Regretfully, no such Progress has as yet been registered at Geneva.’’

Mr Herter pledged that the West would continue its efforts 1? an area of agreement with the Soviet Union.

But diplomatic observers described his summing-up of the Soviet position as very pessimistic They did not rule out the possibility' of a dramatic Soviet concession, designed to entice the United States to go to the summit. when the Geneva negotiations resumed

Mr Herter seemea to be thinking of such a possibility when he declared that the Geneva talks so far had revealed “possible areas of agreement concerning specific arrangements for Berlin.” Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress expressed support for the position taken by Mr Herter. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator J. W Fulbright, said: “It’s a very dark picture. It cannot be considered a hopeless one without reconciling yourself to an all-out war. . As futile as the conference has been, it still has been worthwhile. It is always better to keep talking than not to talk at all.”