European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 28, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes thursday. November 28. 1985 columns com Ghent James Reston no news was Good news from fhe Geneva talks maybe if main no a out of the  Summit  nol  Hap Pruni d but  did t  1 Here was pm Gnu of uni or. But no cd plus Ion. No i a u asked Iii. Iii High pretended cd or Chimp  , my president Ria  i   Inch aches agreed to meet Jimim in  next Cir ind in my cow. M in x7 7 h. A not much hut it s snit i flu if. The k u ssi. Ins left the  nuclear Bartni  .1 while i in  inc l nil ii St. Lies Anil in allies insisted in putting d i ii ump in i ii niacin the  of terror the Sov Ici missiles 1.1reeled and Pri Vuc.  this was the most important aspect of the Jenelu meeting. If Diplo mat is the application of intelligence and Tad to the disputes among nations. Reagan and Gorbachev gave in a Chance for a change. There were a few Standard propaganda performances Gorbachev was much tougher before the to cameras than in private and the . Media not Only Cov ered but smothered the Summit news but on the whole it was a sensible and civil Summit and the president was obviously pleased with the results. Ii of an unexpected thing when he got Home after fixing to Brussels to re port to the lilies on his talks Riih Gorba Chev and living the same Day to address a joint session of the Congress he came into the family theater in the while mouse the not morning along with Secretary of slate Shull and chief of  Regan to talk on the record to some re porters. Arc you tired somebody asked. Not recall the president replied the Only time i think i m tired is when i go to William Safire text dime he wit president flon old heft Fimi Pittitt fave. A Bu-.ll.1, -. H sleep before the staff  the president looked surprisingly More rested and Al Case in this White House meeting with a few reporters than he usually does in general press conferences. A i by the chief of staff. Donald Regan explained Why. The thing thai struck me the most in Geneva Regan said was thai ii movie actor this president who has to have his staff prop him up inc Man who could t do anything without a script was Able to take on this dynamic personality the head of inc soviet Union and do it one on one not once but six separate times and nol come out of the thing looking As though he was  of All the while House reports on Summit meetings since the last War this one by inc president Regan and Shull. Was the most detailed and in a Way the most revealing. Bui of course we Don l now what was said in the Reagan Gor Bachch private talks which May be critically important in the future. I asked the president whether the interpreters in these private talks had kept an agreed text of the conversations Between him and Gorbachev. He said each Side had kept its own notes but so far As u know. There was no agreed . It s a Mark of How bad .-soviet relations have been in inc past four or it tank of. Five years that most folks seem relieved Hal inc Geneva Summit did t make them any worse. The problem is Hal inc big Issue of nuclear arms control remains the same which is to say rather alarming. Reagan and Gorbachev have agreed to Lalk about it again in Washington next june which is Over 200 Days from now. The soviet Union produces three new nuclear mis Siles every Day and the uni cd Stales about iwo and a half. Thai is inc continuing crisis that was nol addressed in Geneva but at least they have arranged a better Way to Lalk about in in the next few months. C new York times can soviets really believe their own propaganda my ulterior motive in going to summits is 10 meet soviet counterparts where they arc free to talk and when they have been told to be communicative. Jousting is encouraged. At such a time Summit grou pies ask Are these communists for real arc they Tell ing us what the sincerely though mistakenly believe or ire they spouting a line that they As intelligent people know to be false in the same Way. President Reagan must wonder did the views of Mikhail Gorbachev during i hair six hours talc a tic reflect the soviet Leader s grasp of reality or were they merely official positions set Forth to justify marxism if the president concludes that his soviet counterpart can be persuaded by reason and by personal Assurance to modify a cold War paranoid Mina set then Reagan would think in possible to allay soviet fears of the unil cd states thereby opening inc Way to arms reduction. Such a conclusion presupposes that mistrust of the United slates and nol desire for world domination motivates the soviet leaders. Centrallo Hal fond Hope is this notion behind the facade of truth twisting and disinformation is a Man in touch Wilh reality As we know it whose political conclusions May differ bul whose historical premises Are in inc Ballpark of our world. I explored Hal in a four hour sub Summit dinner Wilh Comrade Tough Guy and Comrade Nic Guy. Comrade Tough Guy a Moscow Media Biggie and successful playwright is opinion cd sly mentally agile humorous and cocksure in other words a Kindred spirit. Comrade Nic Guy is sensitive thought Ful lil Crary and likeable. Comrade Tough Guy and 1 a Cal at it Hammer and sickle and Longs. Not much drinking we were both eager to explore each other s Heads on current history National motives and regional issues. I can report and he would agree Hal we do not even live on the same Planck. This was no Mere clash of ideology we could find Little agreement on anything thai happened in our adult lives. Our Dala bases did nol touch. Comrade Nic Guy agreed with him albeit nicely add ing that it was important i understand that Moscow would never Start a War. He was sad thai i misunderstood about Afghanistan. Our foothill conference was civili7cd and thought provoking. Perhaps i am turning naive in inc sentiment of inc moment bul i have come to this conclusion they really believe All thai stuff just As fiercely As i believe what i know to be inc truth. On the heavy mailers on values like Freedom and Justice and ethics we do nol get enough traction on mutually accepted facts even to conflict profitably. I think icy suffer nol a i Wing of conscience about abuse of dissidents they in turn consider my notions of democracy absurd. Because i am now willing to concede. Hal icy May nol be self deceiving liars and hypocrites bul arc inc Palm ionic product of i hair upside Down world 1 conclude thai my logic and persuasiveness is not going to change their world View one Iola. Perhaps the same thought occurred to Reagan after his personal encounter Wilh Gorbachev who is com Rade Tough Guy and Comrade Nic Guy rolled into one. Dialogue can Lessen hostility and is necessary to Avert miscalculation. But at the Core of superpower conflict is something other than misguided mistrust. It is their Curli Tudic Hal i hair historical Mission is to extend their sys tem s dominance to the Corners of inc Earth countered by our responsibility to nurture Freedom everywhere Mutual understanding will Widen nol narrow that Gulf. We can Lalk to them. We can like Many of Ihm As individuals. Bul i Yanny does nol become tolerable be cause a tyrant or his a cols sincerely think it is right i just becomes More dangerous. Summit meetings should Leach us that communication is nol All especially when in reveals inc Doplh of our differences. Our goals Are the same gushed the president. Not so we can Hope Bolh sides Means arc peaceful but we Are sure that Bolh sides ends arc Anvil helical. Let us on All Levels of summits Clink our glasses to a candid new Era of Mutual mistrust because that will mean we  undo Island each of her s ultimate aim c new York Tolmei