Communists: Busses & Bruises

One of the more peculiar facets of Communist protocol is the hearty hugging and kissing that accompanies every meeting. As they gathered last week in Sofia to review the seven-nation War saw military pact, the Soviet bloc's top bosses traded hugs and kisses aplenty. Bulgaria's Premier and Party Boss Todor Zhivkov, the host, Russia's Leonid Brezhnev and Aleksei Kosygin, Czechoslovakia's Alexander Dubček and Rumania's Nicolae Ceausescu—all greeted each other effusively. As the second high-level Communist meeting in as many weeks wore on, however, the bruises soon outnumbered the busses.

Once again the troublemaker was Rumania's Ceausescu, the rising independent who had cried foul at Russia's takeover of the Budapest conference two weeks ago and ordered his delegation home. In Sofia, he had further grievances to air, starting with the nu clear nonproliferation treaty now being negotiated in Geneva; the Rumanians think that any treaty should curb stockpiling among nuclear haves and provide tight protection for have-nots like themselves. Also, as the. only Communist there on friendly terms with West Germany and Israel, Ceausescu gave notice that he would not join in the usual attacks on them. As for the Warsaw Treaty itself, Rumania would like to see its overall command rotated among all its members instead of being monopolized by Russian marshals.

The result of this impasse was a postconference communique that was considerably blander than Russia would have liked. The only strong point was an expectable attack on U.S. policy in Viet Nam; West Germany and Israel were not even mentioned. Most significantly, Rumania withheld its signature from an endorsement of the nonproliferation treaty, while everyone else signed it. That was an open admission that, for the time being at least, Russia and Rumania have agreed to disagree, rather than to disengage, on some important issues.