THE WEEK

It all began in the Summit Conference at Geneva, in the sunny days of 1955, at which it was resolved, one by one, to settle outstanding problems between East and West. Ambassador U. Alexis Johnson was detailed the minor chore of negotiating with Wang Ping-nan of Peiping the release of ten American civilians being illegally held in Red Chinese jails. Ambassador Johnson went to work immediately. Last week he announced that he has scheduled another conference for February 14—his 65th—and that reminded us that the time has come to urge our readers to send him a Second Annual Postcard (care of U.S. Embassy, Geneva) —we urged our readers to send the first a year ago—telling him never say die, Alexis! You’ve got to give the spirit of Geneva a chance!

Senators Lehman and Douglas appear to be keenly aware of the same thing national review has been maintaining for several months—that in the next four years the serious political battles will not be between Republicans and Democrats, but between Republicans and Republicans, and Democrats and Democrats. Senator Lehman, retired and clearly not very happy about it, accuses the Democratic Party of following a politically suicidal course when, reaching for party unity, it failed to press for substantive civil rights legislation. He recommended that the new, self-constituted National Advisory Committee bypass congressional Democratic leaders by calling an annual convention, open to all Liberals, at which the paths of righteousness would be publicly illumined. Senator Douglas was less oblique: instead of suggesting means of circumnavigating Democratic conservatives, he simply proposed that they be asked to leave the Democratic Party. Question: where would they go?

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It all began in the Summit Conference at Geneva, in the sunny days of 1955, at which it was resolved, one by one, to settle outstanding problems between East and West. Ambassador U. Alexis Johnson was detailed the minor chore of negotiating with Wang Ping-nan of Peiping the release of ten American civilians being illegally held in Red Chinese jails. Ambassador Johnson went to work immediately. Last week he announced that he has scheduled another conference for February 14—his 65th—and that reminded us that the time has come to urge our readers to send him a Second Annual Postcard (care of U.S. Embassy, Geneva) —we urged our readers to send the first a year ago—telling him never say die, Alexis! You’ve got to give the spirit of Geneva a chance!

Senators Lehman and Douglas appear to be keenly aware of the same thing national review has been maintaining for several months—that in the next four years the serious political battles will not be between Republicans and Democrats, but between Republicans and Republicans, and Democrats and Democrats. Senator Lehman, retired and clearly not very happy about it, accuses the Democratic Party of following a politically suicidal course when, reaching for party unity, it failed to press for substantive civil rights legislation. He recommended that the new, self-constituted National Advisory Committee bypass congressional Democratic leaders by calling an annual convention, open to all Liberals, at which the paths of righteousness would be publicly illumined. Senator Douglas was less oblique: instead of suggesting means of circumnavigating Democratic conservatives, he simply proposed that they be asked to leave the Democratic Party. Question: where would they go?