That Dove Again
Mr. Stalin's answers to questions submitted to him by Mr. James Reston of the New York Times differed from his pre- vious pronouncements in the same form only in the particular that they were delivered on Christmas Day, when the Christian world makes a special effort to think of peace. But, what- ever the motive behind the choice of date may have been, the message has had a very sour reception in the United States, the main reactions being those of scepticism, hostility and cold formality. That was hardly becoming in men of goodwill. Scepticism can be silent, hostility helps nobody, and the formality of Mr. Dulles's statement—that if Mr. Stalin has concrete proposals to make they will be welcomed by the new Administration—was beside the point, since the Russians do not normally deal in concrete proposals but proceed indirectly with the aid of a series of exploratory hints. It was a hint— also in a series of replies to questions by a newspaper corres- pondent—that led to the end of the Berlin blockade. There are plenty of hints contained in the latest replies—of the possibility of relieving international tension by agreement, of a meeting between Mr. Stalin and General Eisenhower, and of possible Russian co-operation in another attempt to end the Korean war. None of them may come to anything. There is certainly not enough material in these answers to justify jubilation, or even condonation of the blatant obstruction by the Russians of the recent Indian attempt at the United Nations General Assembly to settle the question of the Korean prisoners. But common sense, to say nothing of common courtesy, requires that each point made by Mr. Stalin should be further investi- gated as a matter of course.
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