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THE TABLET January 25th, 1958. VOL. 211. No. 6140

■published as a Newspaper

1H E TA i ' i ! A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER & REVIEW

Pro Ecclesia Dei, Pro Regina et Patria

FOUNDED IN 18 4 Ó JANUARY 25th, 1958

NINEPENCE

Invitation to Think : Lord Hailsham ’s Questions for Conservatives

Reforming a Constitution : Quid Leges sine Moribus? By Charles d ’Aragon

The Perils of A.I.D. : Implications Seldom Considered. By Lctitia Fairfield

Greek Enigmas : Corinthian Days. By Joseph Minihan

Plans lor Pensions; III. Transition to a Graded Scheme. By John F. L. Bray

Remembering the Martyrs : A t the London Charterhouse. By B. C. L. Keelan

“Civitas Dei î The Vatican Pavilion a t the Brussels Exhibition

Critics’ Columns : Notebook : Book Reviews : Letters ; Chess

A GAME FOR BOTH SIDES

irp HERE is a sound basis for Dr. Adenauer’s objection to the Russian technique of apparently trying to prepare for summit talks by public exchanges between the Heads of States. If the Russians are serious, and not only thinking of rallying the uncommitted nations on the Soviet side by seeming better peace lovers, the normal diplomatic channels of intercourse are available to seek out points of agreement, and to see whether enough of them can be found to make sure that a summit meeting could have something to show. But the Western Powers only help the Russian propaganda if they let the Russians make the large gestures, while the Western statesmen are left to draw attention to the practical difficulties. There is no reason why the position should not be reversed.

Such an idea as that there should be a whole neutral belt, from the North Sea to Pakistan, kept clear of nuclear weapons, suits the Russians, for it increases the protection of their southern flank. By contrast, it may seem to diminish the security pf the Baghdad Pact countries, for they could be attacked from just outside their own frontiers, while the retaliation on their behalf would have to be staged from far away-. Logically the Russians ought to agree that the nuclear-weapon-free zone, if it is to include these countries, should extend deeply into the Soviet Union as well. But these geographical considerations, though they are deeply embedded in traditional military thinking, are losing their relevance in the age of rocket missiles, and these questions should therefore be approached as least as much as political as military questions. There is no superior realism in basing the answers on military contingencies which it is to everyone’s interest to prevent arising, when the actual and much more urgent issue is to keep Asia and Africa more friendly towards the West than towards the Soviet Union. Smoke Without Fire

The general relief at the clean bill which the Bank Tribunal has given the City,- reserving its only criticism, and that a moderate one, for a lady who they consider romanced on this topic at a cocktail party, should not obscure the really injurious happening, which was the raising of the bank rate to such a height, at a time when the bank rate in Germany and the United States was being reduced to 2 \ per cent.

This was in a year in which the British balance of trade was being greatly helped for the time being by a drop in the prices of raw materials of some 10 per cent. Probably this will have to be paid for when the raw-materialproducing countries find they have to buy less because they are less well off. But for the time being our imports are costing less.

The tribunal avoided discussing the larger question whether the directors of private businesses deeply interested and affected by bank rate should also be directors of the Bank : the public heard all the information the Tribunal heard, and it was not enough to provide the data for settling the wider question.

The other hurt was the revelation of the lack of confidence that those best placed to know were feeling, last August. What has also emerged is that while these independent directors of the Bank are held to be valuable to the Bank for the advice they can give, they were not in fact consulted, but only informed, about the bank rate decision. Meanwhile, it is a good thing that the Attorney-General should have pressed the witnesses hard, to bring out everything.