European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 30, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 Colum its the stars and stripes thursday october 30,1986 James Reston record of sorts exists of Reykjavik Summit president Reagan and general secretory Gorbachev Are still differing about what they said to one another a Reykjavik which is Odd because a record of sorts was kept there of their conversations. The president had three official interpreters and one of them was in the room at All limes. They were Dimitr Zarechnak Peter Van Afanasenko and William Hopkins. Gorbachev also had his own interpreters at the table. No recording or verbatim text was kept bul the interpreters took amounted to about 10 double spaced pages per hour. Secretary of state Georae Nuttz and the White House chief of Stalf Donald Regan also wrote Down their impressions when they were present. Occasionally the american interpreter would Check with the soviet inter Preter if in. Doubt about the Correct English translation of a russian word or phrase but they did not coordinate their notes or try to produce an agreed account of the proceedings for later reference. As a result Washington and Moscow have both been giving different ver Sions of what was said in private an accusing one another of inaccuracy or bad Faith. Reykjavik however was no the end but merely the beginning of the most promising phase in the Long and discouraging history of nuclear diplomacy and at least it offered some lessons forthe future. Ironically these were de fined Many Long years ago. If truthful Ness be the first essential for the Ideal Diplomatist Harold Nicolson wrote in his classic study diplomacy the second essential is diplomacy As its name implies is a written rather than a verbal Art and the great High roads of history Are strewn with Little shrines of peace which have either been left unfinished or have cot lapsed when completed for the sole Rea son that their foundations were built on he Sands of some verbal mis Concep this failure to commit and rely upon an agreed record of the Reagan Gorbachev talks was perhaps the least of the mistakes at the Iceland Summit meet ing since some misinterpretations of the Jim Fain interpreters notes May have been will Ful. There were other mistakes a failure to define and stick to an Agenda a Lack of preparation and Ade quate consultation with allies whose Security was involved in the talks the decision by Moscow to Surprise the president with sweeping proposals the at tempt on both sides to try to do too much in too Short a Lime and finally the mistake of making propaganda and blaming the other Side for the Dis agreements. In fact most of the diplomatic Max ims of the past accepted after Many generations of trial and suffering were not much in evidence at Reykjavik that is to say the importance of patience of suspended judgment of sep tical tolerance and passionless detachment. Nobody was surprised to see Donald diplomatic exchanges. Regan lose his temper Al the end of the conference but even the amiable presi Dent Anri the new Man from Moscow parted More in anger than in the main lesson of Reykjavik is that the concessions there were Mure substantial than those in any other East West arms conference since world War ii and that they still hold the Promise not of a world without nuclear weapons or a shield for the human race but of a less dangerous no first strike Compromise. There is obviously a vast and dangerous area to be covered. There has to be a balance of conventional weapons As Well As nuclear weapons a linkage Between military rights and human rights and a reduction of East West political tension which is the cause and not the result of the arms race. Unfortunately most of the popular comment since the Summit meeting has had to do with Side issues with soviet spies at the United Naticks and who will Cook the meals and Wash the dishes in the american embassy in Moscow and Why George Shutlz looked so disappointed in Reykjavik and so hopeful about it later and what is going on in Nicaragua not to mention what at this will do to next week s congressional elections. Now that the baseball season is Over and control of the Senate will soon resettled maybe Reagan and Gorbachev can get Back to the serious unfinished business of Iceland. Troubled limes often encourage medi tation and it May be that Washington and Moscow will even take a new look at their Public diplomacy which Seldom looks beyond tomorrow s headlines and the nightly television news. Enaw Volt Tim Florida has state of the mud pile Campaign Joan of Abc battled Graham Cracker in a to debate in Disney world fla., the other night an exer Cise that said much about this year s Macy Parade to the . Senate. Sen. Paula Hawkins a Fla canonized Hen Elf As Joan to remind voters thai she was running against drugs Back when Nancy Reagan was Locking the White House with Gold plate. Graham Cracker is How democratic gov. Bob Gra Ham portrays himself to ease the political pain of being in fact a millionaire Miami graduate of the venerable Harvard school of Law. The two Are running a state of the mud pile Campaign in which High tech consultants use polling to determine what symbols will sell and then fashion to to create the winning images. A. Diverse stale thickly populated with newcomers Florida is an Ideal test Market Tor such Huc stering. For Hawkins this May be a bleating. She is a Loose Cannon on the Campaign Trail. Her mind a jammed like Laguardia Airport with surging exotica that she Blurb with free floating certitude. She has entrusted her Fate to Charlie Black of Black Man fort Stone and Atwater High priest in the new theology of negative campaigning. Black wisely keeps her in the closet while depicting her in 30-second spots As unique and irreplaceable adjectives that Are Apt but not necessarily complimentary. Graham has been a Good governor but is Loo canny to waste Campaign time on realities. He mines votes with photo opportunities in which he spends a Day a month working As a Stevedore or fast food waiter. He leads audiences in a song imploring everyone to be a Graham Cracker Backer. The debate celebrated Absurdity with a reverence Mickey mouse surely envied. With president Reagan soaring in the Pells Graham wrapped himself in Aid tothe nicaraguan contras a balanced budget Amend ment and undying Devotion to Star that left the rivals where they started vying for the title of chief drug Basher. Hawkins pulled not just seniority but Geo Graphy. She claims to have pen faded China s Deng Xiaoping to Stop massive exports of qua hides a boast almost As improbable As irrelevant Graham limited himself to this hemisphere but pledged to Send in the marines to Battle the pushers. Even More than most the Florida contest like its twin in California is being waged exclusively with to commercials and contrived photo opportunities. To of course did not invent demagoguery. The massive irrelevancy a vote for gut wrench is a vote for warm milk Wai a favored toed in the Days of torchlight parades. But to has. Given such nonsense enormous reach and immediacy destroying memory and permit tune each new lie or distortion its instant of Impact until the. Next one shimmers Forth. Because the manufacture of such imagery is costly it renders campaigning open Only to expert fund raisers. If this surreal political theater were building interest and broadening the electorate it would be bearable. In the far from Golden Olden Days democracy was never As Pristine As civics texts portray in. But the to circus is turning voter off and Pollog places will be Bare on nov. 4. Citizens vie politic increasingly As not just irrelevant to their own live and interests but Al fantasy of no pertinence to any thing. There s no Point in Teeth gnashing though. Poli a tics is the Domain if not the it of the possible. Nav Ever work therefore win be used. The simple Way to Stop what s happening is to Vole against whoever pushes it
