Ministers Begin Berlin Talks

Press, Volume C, Issue 29620, 16 September 1961, Page 11

Ministers Begin Berlin Talks

(N .Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, September 15. The United States Secretary of State (Mr Dean Rusk) and the Foreign Ministers of Britain (Lord Home), France (Mr Maurice Couve de Murville) and West Germany (Dr. Heinrich von Brentano) yesterday opened three days of talks in Washington on the Berlin crisis, as well as on other problems, including developments in Laos and the Congo.

Today, President Kennedy will join the four Ministers in their search for a basis for “meaningful” negotiations with the Soviet Union over Berlin when he entertains them at a White House luncheon.

The feeling in diplomatic quarters as the Ministers resumed their talks today was that an agreement announced by Moscow yesterday for meetings in New York next week between Mr Rusk and the Soviet Foreign Minister (Mr Andrei Gromyko) had brightened the prospects for East-West' negotiations. Mr Rusk, Lord Home and Mr Couve de Murville opened their exchanges yesterday with a two and threequarter hour conference at the State Department. Mr von Brentano arranged to join them at their session later. The talks were marked by a tight official news “blackout” by the Western Ministers, and a surprise ap-

pearance at the State Department by the Soviet Ambassador (Mr Mikhail Menshikov), who requested a meeting with the Secretary of State. Mr Menshikov returned to Washington earlier this week after a holiday in the Soviet Union.*

He refused to say what had brought him to the State Department while the Western Foreign Ministers were meeting. He limited his remarks to an expression of hope that the current Washington heat wave would end and the comment that “Fascists” had broken into his embassy bedroom, which Soviet officials claimed had been set afire during his absence.

The news “blackout” was complete, with spokesmen for the Ministers saying that they were not empowered to say anything about the talks. They declined to answer any questions and repeated a 20word announcement issued last night, which merely said that “there was a general review of outstanding problems including developments in Laos, the Congo and the current situation in Berlin.” ' Diplomatic observers explained the drying up of the usual flow of background news and guidance was the result of the Ministers’ intention to keep decisions and positions reached as secret as possible so as to preserve the West’s negotiating position.

They said the Ministers were obeying their own pub-licly-stated injunction that talks with the Soviet Union were like a poker game, in which it would be costly and dangerous for the West to display its hand. Talks on Berlin The State Department earlier in the day, noted “general agreement that there should be negotiation” on the Berlin and German issues.

Its comment was issued in response to a statement from Moscow that the Soviet Government accepted President Kennedy’s call for discussions between Mr Rusk and Mr Gromyko when the United Nations General Assembly met in New York next week. The Soviet announcement was welcomed with cautious optimism that serious EastWest negotiations would take place later in the year.