Press Wire, Chronology of Soviet Bloc Reaction to Eisenhower's U. N. Speech

50-1 To: Mr N. Pleaserrition CHRONOLOGY OF SOVIET BLOC REACTION TO EISENHOWER'S U. SPEECH PRESIDENT EISENHOWER'S SPEECH ON ATMOC ENERGY TUESDAY HAS to Cof. Hersil BEEN MET BY COMMUNIST RADIOS WITH A CHANGING PATTERN OF FIRST APPLAUSE, THEN CRITICISM, AND FINALLY VIRTUAL SILENCE. OCB/SS THE FIRST COMINFORM REACTION TO THE SPEECH CAME ON WEDNESDAY TERNOON WHEN BERLIN RADIO SAID IN A BRIEF DISPATCH FROM NEW YORK THAT EISENROWER HAD FELT COMPELLEDITO ANNOUNCE IN THE THE UNITED NATIONE GENERAL ASSEMBLY LAST NIGHT WHAT AMOUNTED TO LATE THE SAME EVENING, TASS DISTRIBUTED IN RUSSIAN TO ÉÚROPE END UNITED STATES POLICY OF ATOMIC CKMAILC DETAILED AND OBJECTIVE PRESENTATION OF EISENHOWER': SPEECH REMINISCENT OF THE SYMPATHETIC TASS* SUMMARY OF CHURCHILL JULY SPEECH PROPOSING A TOP-LEVEL CONFERENCE. THE ONLY NEGATIVE INTERPOLATIONS IN THE "TASS" SUMMARY WERE BRIEF LINES SAYING THAT "THIS LANGUAGE IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE ATOM WAR, AND THAT THE PRESIDENT HAD NOT *EXPRESSED HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE BANNING OF ATOMIC WEAPONS. THIS "TASS" PRESENTATION WAS PUBLISHED "PRAVDA* THURSDAY WITHOUT SEPARATE COMMENT. AT THE SAME TIME, HOWEVER, A CONTRADICTORY NEGATIVE REACTION WAS HEARD ON RADIO MOSCOW'S FOREIGN BEAMS. ON WEDNESDAY EVENING CA 3 3 ORLOV, BROADCASTING ONLY TO NORTH AMERICA, SAID EISENHOWER WAS TRYING TO *SCARE HIS LISTENERS* RATHER THAN TO GIVE THEM HOPE AND HE ALSO AVOIDED THE "CRUCIAL QUESTION* -- THE BANNING OF THE-BOMB *URGENTLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY." IN A WIDELY BROADCAST COMMENTARY THE SAME EVENING, DEALING MAINLY WITH THE BERMUDA CONFERENCE, LEONTYEV SAID IN PASSING THAT THE EISENHOWER PLAN WAS X MERE ATTEMPT TO "PUSH THROUGH A NEW VERSION OF THE SAME OLD. BARUCH PLAN, WHICH REPUDIATES THE NECESSITY FOR THE BANNING OF ATOMIC WEAPONS. THE SAME AMBIGUITY WAS EVIDENT IN THE FOREIGN PRESS REACTIONS SELECTED BY MOSCOW FOR DISTRIBUTION ABROAD ON THURSDAY. FROM EACH COUNTRY "TASS" QUOTED FIRST FAVORABLE REACTIONS AND THEN INFAVORABLE ONES. FOR EXAMPLE A "TASS" CORRESPONDENT FROM BERNE REPORTED FIRST THAT THE SWISS BOURGEOIS PRESS HAD DESCRIBED THE SPEECH AS *SENSATIONAL," - AN EXPRESSION OF THE WILL TO COOPERATE, " AN *ATTACK ON MISTRUST," AND THEN QUOTED "DER BOUND" AS CALLING THE SPEECH A REFLECTION OF THE "SELFISH INTERESTS* OF THE AMERICANS. "TASS* QUOTATIONS FROM ENGLISH, FRENCH AND AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS FOLLOWED THIS PATTERN OF BALANCING FAVORABLE AGAINST UNFAVORABLE COMMENT. WHILE MOSGOW WAS THUS BLOWING HOT AND COLD AND BERLIN WAS CALLING THE SPEECA HOPEFULLY AN ENB TO ATOMIC BLACKMAIL* OTHER INITIAL SATELLITE COMMENT WAS COMPLETELY NEGATIVE. VIENNA BADIO'S "RUSSIAN HOUR " WARSAW AND PRAGUE ALL CLAIMED ONTWEDNESDAY AND THURSHA THAI NOTHING MORE THAN A NEW VERSTON OF THE NOTORIOUS BARUCH PLAN. THE MIXED SOVIET REACTION WAS COMPLICATER EURTHER ON THURSDAY, WHEN FOUR SOV.IET NEWSPAPERS IZVESTIA, TRUB, RED STAR, AND KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA* DID NOT APPEAR. THE PRESS REVIEW FOR EARLY THURSDAY MORNING SAID THAT THESE PAPERS HAD DAY OFF. IN ADDITION SEVERAL OF THE SOVIET REGIONAL STATIONS FAILED TO INCLUDE PRESS REVIEWS IN THEIR BROADCASTS. THE NEXT MENTION OF THE SPEECH WAS THE HOME SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON OF AMBASSADOR BOHLEN'S INTERVIEW WITH MOLOTOV FIVE DAYS EARLIER, ON DECEMBER 7. SINCE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, WHICH SAID THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT WOULD GIVE *SERIOUS CONSIDERATION* TO THE SPEECH, MOSCOW HAS REFRAINED FROM ANY FURTHER COMMENT. SINCE THE AUTHORITATIVE FOREIGN MINISTRY ANNOUNCEMENT ON SATURDAY THE SATELLITES ALSO HAVE MOSTLY WITHHELD COMMENT ON THE SPEECH. THE ONLY SUBSTANTIAL COMMENT FROM ANY COMINFORM SOURCE ON SUNDAY CAME FROM THE CZECHOSLOVAK COMMENTATOR SUBRT, WHO TOLD THE HOME AUDIENCE THAT THE SPEECH WAS A "GARRULOUS DECLARATION". VERY SIMILAR IN CONTENT TO THE "OLD; HYPOCRITICAL BARUCH-PLAN." JP 12/14--119P