On the Nature of the Thaw

The Thaw, friends, is no longer prospective. It is here! The relaxation has begun. The leaders of the two hostile camps have met in a friendly visit, leaving a trail of conciliatory remarks stretching from Camp David to Peiping. Khrushchev has given visible indications of being seriously annoyed with his hot-blooded Chinese partners. At the forthcoming Summit meeting concrete problems may be solved. There is a marked modulation of gestures on both sides. Soviet jamming of our Voice is intermittently curtailed. Robert Murphy is out, Chip Bohlen in. Chiang Kai-shek and Syngman Rhee are old and leashed, and Adenauer softens. Atoms go unsplit. We are embarked on a long series of earnest meetings that aim at “settlements.” We shall negotiate on Berlin, atomic tests, disarmament, Germany, the location of troops and bases, and—who knows?—possibly even Formosa, Korea, Vietnam. The ice has begun to break. Spring is in the air.

Just how did the ice get broken? A long story. Back in 1955, there was another meeting at the Summit in Geneva. It too was pronounced a success. Amiability, smiles, sincerity, a hunger for peace distilled into the “spirit of Geneva.” Hopes ran high—but they were dashed by subsequent events. The Soviet Union stirred up the Middle East, suppressed the free government of Hungary, encouraged its Far Eastern ancillary in an attack on Quemoy and Matsu, and the invasion and conquest of Tibet; there came finally an ultimatum on Berlin. All the while diplomatic pressure mounted on Scandinavia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Africa.

GN

About the Author

Gerhart Niemeyer

Featured Tags

The Thaw, friends, is no longer prospective. It is here! The relaxation has begun. The leaders of the two hostile camps have met in a friendly visit, leaving a trail of conciliatory remarks stretching from Camp David to Peiping. Khrushchev has given visible indications of being seriously annoyed with his hot-blooded Chinese partners. At the forthcoming Summit meeting concrete problems may be solved. There is a marked modulation of gestures on both sides. Soviet jamming of our Voice is intermittently curtailed. Robert Murphy is out, Chip Bohlen in. Chiang Kai-shek and Syngman Rhee are old and leashed, and Adenauer softens. Atoms go unsplit. We are embarked on a long series of earnest meetings that aim at “settlements.” We shall negotiate on Berlin, atomic tests, disarmament, Germany, the location of troops and bases, and—who knows?—possibly even Formosa, Korea, Vietnam. The ice has begun to break. Spring is in the air.

Just how did the ice get broken? A long story. Back in 1955, there was another meeting at the Summit in Geneva. It too was pronounced a success. Amiability, smiles, sincerity, a hunger for peace distilled into the “spirit of Geneva.” Hopes ran high—but they were dashed by subsequent events. The Soviet Union stirred up the Middle East, suppressed the free government of Hungary, encouraged its Far Eastern ancillary in an attack on Quemoy and Matsu, and the invasion and conquest of Tibet; there came finally an ultimatum on Berlin. All the while diplomatic pressure mounted on Scandinavia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Africa.