Enter M. Gromyko
When Russia rearranged its diplomatic pack and played an ace towards London in the person of Andrei Gromyko, it was inevitable that speculation should soar to the 'zenith of ing6nuity. The Daily Worker's cartoonist on Wednesday condensed the reaction pretty neatly from his point of view. Mr. Eden, in plate armour, waits apprehensively, extending a glove-tipped lance towards the door; and behind him, from a mei& of alarmed officials, rise such observations as: " He'll try to neutralise us "; '1 He'll attempt to split us "; " He'll be seeking talks "; and " We've been elevated in the Cold War." The truth is that the Daily Worker knows no more than the rest of us (it must be galling) about the reasons for M. Gromyko's appointment to London. That it should, cause such frantic reasoning (someone suggested' that he is being sent because of his charm) is a tribute to M. Gromyko's personal success as a diplomatist and a token of the breath- less apprehension with which the liberal world watches the monolith that he represents. One thing is certain: that M. Andrei Gromyko is a man of acute intelligence, proved effi- ciency, and exemplary discipline in the service of his formidable country. His famous " charm " is a matter of opinion. It will be a startling change if he is arriving here to be free with the affirmative. In London, as elsewhere, he will do what ho is told with admirable exactitude. If Russian policy is to become genuinely friendly and conciliatory M. Gromyko will carry it out. If it is to remain unfriendly, unco-operative or even frankly hostile, M. Gromyko will still carry it out. Just like the Daily Worker,'we shall have to wait and see. It will be even odd if such a man is to be wasted on the humdrum duties performed by his predecessor, M. Zarubin.
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