On the Right

New York, Feb. 7—Senator Jackson is in disrepute because of the refusal of the Soviet Union to accept American economic credits. indeed, Senator Jackson and his colleagues were publicly scolded by President Ford when he delivered the State of the Union address a few days after the Kremlin huffily announced that it could not be expected to be forced into the indignity of observing human rights for mere money. No, it would take a great deal more than that to force a proud leadership to renounce its principled opposition to human freedom.

Mr. Kissinger of course joined President Ford in lamenting the turn of events, and one can, in a purely technical sense, understand, and even sympathize with, a Secretary of State who is trying to negotiate with a foreign power and finds himself saddled with extrinsic considerations by Congress. Because they are, of course, extrinsic: that is to say, a Soviet respect for human rights is not an aspect of detente in any formal philosophical sense. Winston Churchill said he would make a pact with the devil to accomplish his objective (the defeat of Hitler) and proceeded to do so. Willy Brandt said that human rights in the Soviet Union had nothing whatever to do with his policy of Ostpolitik.

About the Author

William F. Buckley Jr.

William F. Buckley Jr. founded National Review magazine in 1955.

New York, Feb. 7—Senator Jackson is in disrepute because of the refusal of the Soviet Union to accept American economic credits. indeed, Senator Jackson and his colleagues were publicly scolded by President Ford when he delivered the State of the Union address a few days after the Kremlin huffily announced that it could not be expected to be forced into the indignity of observing human rights for mere money. No, it would take a great deal more than that to force a proud leadership to renounce its principled opposition to human freedom.

Mr. Kissinger of course joined President Ford in lamenting the turn of events, and one can, in a purely technical sense, understand, and even sympathize with, a Secretary of State who is trying to negotiate with a foreign power and finds himself saddled with extrinsic considerations by Congress. Because they are, of course, extrinsic: that is to say, a Soviet respect for human rights is not an aspect of detente in any formal philosophical sense. Winston Churchill said he would make a pact with the devil to accomplish his objective (the defeat of Hitler) and proceeded to do so. Willy Brandt said that human rights in the Soviet Union had nothing whatever to do with his policy of Ostpolitik.