Weekly Summary

Approved for Release: 2023/03/28 C03154550
EU ROPE
Soviet propaganda shifted into high gear this week following President
Nixon’s announcement that US troops had moved into Cambodia. A series
of strident press and radio commentaries directed at the President personally
and at Washington in general was capped on 4 May with nationwide mass
meetings and an unusual press conference by Premier Kosygin. Moscow’s
concern about the situation in Indochina prompted Kosygin’s appearance.
IIe bitterly asserted that US activity there has contributed to a worsening of
Soviet-US relations.
In answer to a direct question on the future of SALT, Kosygin charged
that the recent US actions “do not strengthen mutual trust, without which it
is very difficult to hold the talks.” (In Vienna, Deputy Foreign Minister
Semenov echoed Kosygin’s remark, but did not let the issue interfere with
the conduct of the talks themselves.) Another sensitive area in US-Soviet
relations, the Middle East, was mentioned. Kosygin virtually admitted that
Soviet pilots were in Egypt, but did not specify their role. Judging by
Kosygin’s remarks on China, Moscow believes the occasion called for down-
playing its problems with Peking. Kosygin said nothing critical and signaled a
Soviet desire to continue the Peking talks.
Kosygin’s criticism of the President by name was something of a
turning point in itself and suggested that Moscow’s opposition to the policies
of the Nixon administration will now be voiced more stridently. That this
new hostility coincided with the signs of Brezhnev’s strengthened position in
the leadership suggests that the forces at play in Moscow might now favor
some hardening of their line in dealing with Washington. It is unlikely,
however, that such an approach will lead soon to any drastic changes in
Soviet policy toward SALT, the Middle East, or China. In each of these
areas, Moscow’s policy has all along been based on fundamental calculations
of risk and opportunity.
East and West German officials met in Bonn this week to prepare for
the summit meeting in Kassel. One day prior to the meeting, East German
Premier Stoph wrote to Chancellor Brandt criticizing Bonn for claiming that
East German citizens are subject to West German law and for opposing East
German attempts to join international organizations. Stoph’s language and
that used in describing the letter in the press, however, implies that Stoph
still intends to meet Brandt on 21 May.
Ircland’s Prime Minister Lynch unexpectedly cracked down this week
on hard liners in the cabinet who have opposed Dublin’s dovish policy on
Ulster. He expelled the agriculture and finance ministers and willingly
accepted the resignation of a third. Lynch obviously had advance support of
most members of his party in parliament and they gave full backing to his
actions.l
FEGREI
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