OPEN HOUSE ON THE RHINE

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So far, the response has been remarkably positive. In an unusually long and cordial congratulatory telegram to Brandt, Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin expressed hope for "an improvement in the relations between the Federal Republic and the Soviet Union." The East German press has also struck a more conciliatory tone. As Brandt himself is fully aware, there is always the danger that the Communists might be playing on Western hopes for peace, and will later pull back from negotiations for better relations with West Germany. For his part, Brandt must move cautiously in order to avoid charges in West Germany that he is too eager to make concessions to the Communists.

Whatever the upshot of Brandt's initiative to the East, it does signify a willingness to experiment that has been lacking in recent Bonn Governments. In a sense, his open house for the people of Bonn symbolizes the same mood. Unburdened by a questionable past and refreshingly free of stuffiness. West Germany's new government is likely to be very much open to change.