BRITISH LEADER BEGINS PERSONAL DIPLOMACY

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29324, 1 October 1960, Page 13

BRITISH LEADER BEGINS PERSONAL DIPLOMACY

Meeting With Mr K 6 Not Disappointing’

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 pan.) - NEW YORK, September 30. The British Prime Minister, Mr Macmillan, will probably visit Washington this week-end to confer with President Eisenhower, sources said today.

Mr Macmillan scored a personal triumph in the United Nations General Assembly yesterday and later had a long talk with Mr Khrushchev. A spokesman said he was “not disappointed” with his talks.

He will tell the President about his meeting with the Russian leader, which apparently left the two sides still as far apart as ever.

The sources said the Prime Minister was expected to return to New York on Sunday evening in time to hear the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Nehru, make a key speech to the critical' session of the General Assembly on Monday. \

Mr Macmillan is expected to give President Eisenhower a full picture of the stand oh’East-West relations taken by Mr Khrushchev in last night’s two-hour private talks at the Soviet "United Nations delegation headquarters. The only positive result to come from the Khrushchev-Macmiillan talk—their first since the Paris summit failed in May—was an understanding that the Soviet Prime Minister would pay a return courtesy call on the British leader before Mr Macmillan leaves for home in the middle of next week.

Mr Macmillan and Mr Khrushchev exchanged views on disarmament, Berlin and the bid by the Soviet leader to oust Mr Dag Hammarskjold, the United Nations Secretary-General and replace his office by a triumvirate representing the East, Westland the neutrals.

“No Meeting of Minds” A British spokesman said that each side held to its own view, thus indicating that both men had stood firmly on their positions, that there had been no “meeting of minds” and no relaxation of the tension that suddenly built up with Mr Khrushchev’s speech to the General Assembly last Friday. Observers said that apparently Mr Khrushchev had failed to take advantage of the dramatic call made yesterday by Mr Macmillan to return to the friendly spirit prevailing between East and West before the collapse of the summit conference in Paris last May. Mr Khrushchev described Mr Macmillan’s speech. , praised by .virtually all ' ppn-Communist delegations as. “unconstructive.” Though the Soviet Prime Minister was said to have been unyielding, he agreed with Mr Macmillan, according to an official British statement, to “think over” the topics they discussed for further discussion at “some later date.”

It has not yet been decided when Mr Khrushchev will pay his return call on the British Prime Minister; but there was speculation that this was unlikely to be before Mr Nehru had made his Assembly speech. . No Mediation

Western diplomats emphasised that although another meeting was in the offing between the British and Soviet leaders, Mr Macmillan was in no way mediating between Mr Khrushchev and President Eisenhower. In fact, the British spokesman said that at last night’s meeting they did. not discuss the conditions which could make for a possible meeting between President

Eisenhower and Mr Khrushchev.

Was the British delegation disappointed with the results of the talks, the British spokesman was asked at a crowded press conference. “I think the answer is no.” he replied, “because we take a hell of a lot of disappointing." Why were they not disappointed? “If you read Mr Macmillan’s speech, you will see he is prepared to go on trying, no matter how many disappointments there are,” the spokesman answered. Summit Prospects

He said that the question of an immediate summit meeting had not been broached by either Mr Macmillan or Mr Khrushchev although it was “implicit as a longterm possibility.” Mr Macmillan will have a long talk with the Australian Prime Minister, Mr Menzies, who is due to arrive by air today from Can-

berra to address the General Assembly. Mr Macmillan also intends to confer with the New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr Nash Mr Macmillan has postponed his return journey to London, originally due to have taken place tomorrow, mainly to meet Mr Menzies and to hear Mr Nehru speak. Diplomats of all shades of nonCommunist opinion praised the substance, the style and delivery of his Assembly speech and said it was one of the most brilliant in United Nations history. The New York “Daily News” said in an editorial that in a voice and accents, remindful of Winston Churchill’s best war - time speeches, Mr Macmillan urged the United Nations General Assembly to make a new start toward world disarmament. “The British statesman, in our opinion deserves credit for an earnest and an honest try at getting the world started towards arms reduction.”