Premier Nikita Khrushchev launched a new year peace offensive with a note published today calling for a global treaty renouncing the use of force in settling territorial disputes. The note, covering 21 pages, led to speculation among diplomats as to just what the premier sought to accomplish. International agreements already exist in the United Nations charter against use of force to settle disputes.
Khrushchev took the opportunity to review one by one all cases where disputed territory is held by countries other than members of the Soviet Bloc. He omitted mentioning territories held by communist nations, including the Soviet Union, which belonged to others before World War II. Just to make certain he didn’t intend to have the latter cases reviewed, he said countries seeking changes were walking into war. Khrushchev’s message, addressed to President Johnson and other world leaders, said the international agreement should contain four main provisions:
- A solemn undertaking by all parties not to resort to force to alter existing state frontiers.
- Acknowledgment that the territories of states should not, even temporarily, be the object of any invasion, attack, military occupation, or any other forcible measure, for whatever political, economic, strategic, frontier or other considerations.
- A firm statement that neither differences in social and state systems nor refusal to grant recognition, absence of diplomatic relations or any other pretext may serve as the basis for violation by one state of another’s territorial integrity.
- A commitment to solve all territorial disputes solely by peaceful means such as negotiations, mediation, conciliatory procedures, and also other peaceful means chosen by the parties concerned, in conformity with the U. N. charter.
After discussing such cases as Formosa, South Vietnam and South Korea, Khrushchev turned to Europe. Without mentioning the unsettled situation on the Oder-Niesse line between Poland and communist East Germany, for instance, he said efforts to change disputed European frontiers would not end peaceably. “A special class among such claims,” he said, “are the demands of the revenge-seeking circles of certain states which were the aggressors in the Second World War. “Such territorial claims must be resolutely rejected as incompatible with the interests of peace, because nothing but a new world war may grow out of these claims.” He said the Germans want to be reunited and the South Koreans and the South Vietnamese want reunification with North Koreans and North Vietnamese.
With the reservation that nothing must be done to compromise the legal status of West Berlin or imply recognition of the communist East German regime, the allied city commandants today gave West Berlin’s Mayor Willy Brandt authority to continue talks with East German officials to renew and broaden, if possible, the present holiday visiting agreement for West Berliners, which expires Sunday. East Germany’s Walter Ulbricht said in a speech marking the 45th anniversary of the founding of the German Communist Party that the regime is prepared to continue negotiations for an extension of the terms of the visits. He suggested that the West Berlin government ignore the western allies and communicate directly with the East German authorities.
In his speech, Ulbricht also demanded that East Germany be allowed to send observers to the United Nations, as does West Germany. He said the United States’ refusal to issue entry permits for such a purpose is a violation of United Nations principles. Until tonight, permits for 1,282,000 visits by West Berliners behind the wall had been approved by East German authorities. When the agreement was signed on December 17, East German officials estimated that no more than 50,000 West Berliners would take advantage of the arrangement, which allowed them to see close relatives in the eastern sector from whom they had been separated since the communist border was closed 28 months ago. However, up to tonight 716,000 West Berliners had crossed — many of them several times — through the five temporary holes in the wall. A record flow of a quarter million on each of the two remaining days is expected.
Today the last applications were accepted by East Berlin mailmen in the 12 West Berlin schoolhouses that serve as temporary permit offices. The allied consent to talks aimed at similar arrangements in the future was given only after solemn assurance by the 50-year-old mayor that the talks will not undermine this city’s legal status. The Communists have claimed the current permit agreement is a step toward making West Berlin a “third German state.”
Cyprus has demanded sweeping changes in the treaties that granted it independence. Archbishop Makarios will seek the revisions at a coming peace conference. He also said he would try to use all the peaceful means at his disposal to avoid the partitioning of the troubled island between the Greek and Turkish Cypriotes. Vice President Fazil Kutchuk, leader or the Turkish Cypriotes, repeated his contention that partition was the shortest way to solve the crisis, Reuters reported. The Turkish faction, outnumbered 4 to 1 by the Greek Cypriotes, fears that its rights will be usurped if Archbishop Makarios wins constitutional amendments he has been seeking.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said today that the London conference on Cyprus could be helpful in solving the crisis but expressed doubt about its timing. The spokesman said two conditions should be met before the conference. First, peace and order should be restored in island. Second, Britain, Greece and Turkey should confer before a five‐party conference, including the Greek and Turkish Cypriotes, can be effective.
Prince Souphanouvong, leader of the pro‐Communist Pathet Lao forces, has called for the neutralization of Vientiane and Luang Prabang as a condition for peace talks with the neutralist Premier, Prince Souvanna Phouma, the Peking radio said today. Vientiane is the administrative capital of Laos and Luang Prabang, north of Vientiane, is the royal capital. Both are policed by the rightist faction in the three‐party coalition regime in Laos.
Holden Roberto, leader of National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) that was fighting for the liberation of the Portuguese colony of Angola, announced that he would accept an offer of military aid from Communist China and declared, “Only the Communists can give us what we need.”
Havana radio, monitored in the United States, reported President Charles de Gaulle of France has expressed a desire to extend the ties of friendship between France and communist Cuba through the year 1964. As quoted by the Havana radio, de Gaulle’s words are contrary to the policy of the United States which seeks to bring more pressure against the Fidel Castro regime.
Brazil was expected at any moment to devaluate its currency, changing the value of the cruzeiro from its present 600 to the dollar to 900.
U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona announced that he would seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Goldwater said in a statement that “I have not heard from any announced Republican candidate a declaration of conscience or of political position that could possibly offer to the American people a clear choice in the next presidential election,” and added that “I will not change my beliefs to win votes. I will offer a choice, not an echo.”
Governor Nelson Rockefeller, shouldering the political handicaps of a divorce and remarriage, vows to fight to the finish for the Republican Presidential nomination because he considers himself more than a “sunshine patriot.” Speaking in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the New Yorker says he is “not the foe of any other Republican” but challenges Senator Barry Goldwater to debate the issues.
President Johnson, nearing the end of his long holiday vacation on his Texas ranch, today took these actions:
- Announced cuts of several hundred million dollars in agricultural, atomic energy, and space programs and said the fiscal 1965 budget was “hovering” right around 100 billion dollars.
- Set up a special committee on consumer interests and named Esther Peterson, assistant secretary of labor, as special Presidential assistant for consumer affairs.
- Created a three-member emergency board to investigate a dispute between 120 railroads and the railroad signalmen’s union.
- Reaffirmed President Kennedy’s goal to land American astronauts on the moon by 1970.
In an impromptu news conference, Johnson reiterated that he is trying “to meet the unfilled needs of this country.”
The Johnson administration today gave 25 million dollars in subsidies on a $78,500,000 cash sale of wheat to Russia. Included was a dividend of $1,350,000 in extraordinary subsidies on durum type wheat, above the standards which have been applied up to last month to export sales to friendly countries. The agriculture department, which announced that sales totaling 1 million metric tons of various types of wheat had been made by Continental Grain company of New York, said the handouts “are in the interest of our program.”
A spokesman, who refused to be identified by name, said the saving to the taxpayer in storage costs for the surplus grain would amount to about one-fifth of the subsidies granted, or 5 million dollars, on an annual basis. He said the sale, totaling about 37,000,000 bushels and priced at $78,500,000 by the president of Continental, was the largest such transaction by a single firm in history.
The State Department is advocating drastic changes in United States foreign aid, both in organization and basic philosophy. But the department’s plan has run into strong opposition within the administration and it remains open to question whether President Johnson or Congress would accept it in its present form. Alternate plans for reorganizing the aid program have come from other official quarters. The changes in organization call for the abolition of the Agency for International Development and the management of a severely trimmed foreign aid package by the State Department through a new undersecretary for economic development.
Politically, the department favors a departure from Kennedy administration concepts which visualized foreign aid as a long-range undertaking to help economic growth of underdeveloped countries as an end in itself. Instead, the department now believes that aid should be used practically and tactically as an instrument of American foreign policy in short-term and long-term situations. Opponents of this plan assert that the State Department is suggesting, in effect, that aid now be given with “political strings attached.”
A U.S. Air Force B-57 jet bomber narrowly missed crashing into Beavercreek High School in Beavercreek, Ohio while school was in session with 1,000 students, and the wreckage came down a few feet away from the building. The pilot had safely ejected after the bomber exploded in mid-air while en route to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.
A three-judge panel today granted an injunction against the use of blackface make-up in tomorrow’s Philadelphia Mummers parade because of the possibility of racial violence. The court had listened to testimony that “active recruiting” was underway in the Harlem section of New York City to break up the annual parade. The injunction was issued by Judge Eugene V. Alessandroni, head of the panel, who said there was “a clear and present danger of violence and possible bloodshed to onlookers and bystanders because of increasing racial threats.” Judges Leo Weinrott and Theodore Reimel also reviewed the facts in the case.
Prospects of a food air lift buoy the hopes of 640 icebound residents of Mackinac Island, facing a winter fare of hardtack and beans. Attorney General Frank J. Kelley says there is no reason why emergency rations should not be flown to the islanders, cut off by ice in Lake Huron and the closing of their only air service. The island’s lone grocery has only a limited supply of bread, milk, and fresh fruit.
Alabama troopers take up positions on the Auburn University campus and announce they will prohibit federal observers from entering tomorrow when the school’s first Black is enrolled. Colonel Al Lingo, head of the police, says his force of 100 is sufficient to preserve order when Harold Franklin, 31, enters the school.
Police in St. Petersburg, Florida, arrested a 15-year-old married youth who confessed attacks on five elderly white women in recent months. He admitted raping four of his victims, and causing the deaths of three by choking.
The Irish soap opera “Tolka Row” was broadcast for the first time, by Telefís Éireann.
Millions of Americans got their first view of The Beatles and heard their new song, “She Loves You”, as they watched film footage on The Jack Paar Program. Paar shows a clip of the Beatles singing “She Loves You”, and says he understands that science was working on a cure for the phenomenon
The Cincinnati Reds announce that manager Fred Hutchinson has chest cancer. He will begin two months of radiology treatment in Seattle and will make spring training with the team.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 767.68 (+1.60).
Born:
Cheryl Miller, American women’s basketball forward, coach and broadcaster (Basketball Hall of Fame; Olympic gold medal, 1984; USC; Phoenix Mercury; TNT), in Riverside, California.
Luis Rivera, Puerto Rican MLB shortstop and second baseman (Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals), in Cidra, Puerto Rico.
Russ Swan, MLB pitcher (San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians), in Fremont, California.
Howard Hilton, MLB pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals), in Oxnard, California.
Buck Johnson, NBA small forward (Houston Rockets, Washington Bullets), in Birmingham, Alabama.
Mike Posavad, Canadian NHL defenseman (St. Louis Blues), in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
Dan Sileo, NFL defensive tackle (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), in Stamford, Connecticut.
Mike Crawford, NFL running back (Cleveland Browns), in San Fernando, California.
Jon Gibson, American contemporary Christian singer; in San Francisco, California.
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