Russian Call To End Nuclear Tests

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30575, 19 October 1964, Page 13

Russian Call To End Nuclear Tests

(N.Z. Press Association-Copyright) MOSCOW, October 18. Against the background of the Chinese A-blast, the top Soviet leaders today called on all the people of the world to “struggle for the complete ending of nuclear weapons tests. This was reported in “Pravda” today.

The central committee of the Communist Party, which just dismissed Nikita S. Khrushchev as its chief, set this as the theme for its November 7 celebrations of the Bolshevik revolution. Another main subject, printed in “Pravda” today was a renewal of the demand that the Western Powers get out of Berlin and permit the old German capital to be turned into a “free, demilitarised city.” However, the committee seemed more anxious to obtain the good will of the present three other nuclear powers .besides the Soviet Union—the United States, Britain and France—than to berate them. One of the calls, after the appeal to end all nuclear

tests, said: “May friendship and co-operation of the peoples of Britain, the United States of America, France and the Soviet Union develop and gain in strength in the name

of durable world peace." This was the most public and direct appeal of the new Soviet leadership for the friendship of the West since Khrushchev’s removal. Observers here believe it would doubtless be answered by President Johnson in his scheduled address to the American people. Kremlin leaders already had let the word spread that they would not depart radically from Khrushchev’s policies.