THE NATIONS: Mission to Moscow

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The U.S., Britain & Russia would try again to stem the drift toward disunity. All were aware that the stakes were high; all carefully refrained from the optimism that had deepened the disappointment when the London Council of Foreign Ministers failed.

Washington, though it initiated next week's meeting of Big Three Foreign Ministers in Moscow, was especially solemn about the consequences of failure, especially chary of predicting success.

In hurried consultations to prepare for the Moscow talks, Washington officials stressed these points:

¶ International suspicion would not abate until the Russians were convinced that the U.S. did not intend to use the atomic bomb as a diplomatic threat. "We want to keep our skirts clean on the bomb," said one U.S. diplomat.

¶ UNO was at a critical point. "If the Russians are not brought into the atomic commission, we might as well kiss UNO goodbye," was another Washington view.

¶ Although the U.S. had the bomb, it was the U.S.S.R. which was consolidating its diplomatic gains in many countries. Washington has not released Mark Ethridge's report on the Balkans because the U.S. delegation wants to show it to Molotov, ask again when Russia's domination of Eastern European countries will be relaxed.

All this emphasis on the bomb was natural for the bomb-conscious U.S.; but it was by no means certain that Moscow was intensely interested in discussions of atomic agreements. Russia considered the atom a long-range item and would not worry much if terms for its control were not reached. Moscow knew that the U.S. would not use the bomb in current disputes ; meanwhile, Russian scientists would work to catch up. Five or ten years hence, the Russians' atomic bargaining position might be improved.

London thought that Moscow would drive hard for a Japan Control Council on the German one-power veto model. When Ambassador Harriman saw Stalin at his Sochi resort, the Generalissimo brushed off the Balkans and the bomb to concentrate on the Far East. The U.S. would scarcely give in to the Russian proposals on Japan, but the delegation that left this week was determined to try all paths to agreement.