The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

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New York—It was interesting to read that it was French delegate Jules Moch who was asked to be the speaker in the rejection by the Western powers of the latest Soviet proposal for total disarmament at the 10-nation talks in Geneva. The Russians had proposed total disarmament in four years.

Jules Moch probably has had the longest experience of anyone on the delegation and should have the confidence of the Soviet delegates, for he has been from the very beginning a sympathetic though hard-headed representative of France and is known to want disarmament personally as well as politically.

It seems to me impossible for the Soviets to expect that there would be a disbanding of all forces before the creation of an international policing arm. They certainly could not expect a complete commitment to the program of overall disarmament before there was an agreement on inspection. If they mean to live up to their promises, they themselves would not agree to this.

Of course, it may well be that the Soviets have decided to put off doing anything until the summit meeting. This will mean nothing more than that a better climate—in which negotiations can take a place—will be created in the time allotted for that first meeting. But when it is over it may mean that there can be some serious discussion on the point-by-point concessions, and that is about all I can see coming out of the present situation.

My son Franklin Jr., his wife Sue and I listened Tuesday night to the final analysis of the run-off in the Wisconsin primary. Though the returns were not completely in, it was quite evident that Senator John F. Kennedy was well ahead. However, it did not seem to me that his lead was so heavy that he could feel that it was in any way a decisive victory any more than Senator Hubert Humphrey should feel it was a decisive defeat for him.

According to the analyses, the country districts had voted for Senator Humphrey and the city vote had been the reason for Senator Kennedy's high total. Whether this will be repeated in other areas of the country is hard to tell. But, on the whole, I would say that this could not be considered decisive by any of the candidates.

It looks to me that unless some way is found whereby fair and equal conditions for colored and white people can be created in the Union of South Africa, that country is running the serious risk of eventually having the other African countries, as they emerge into freedom, side with the colored people. And if that day comes, it will be really serious for the white people who now hold the upper hand but who are so much in the minority numerically.

E.R.

(Copyright, 1960, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, April 8, 1960

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
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Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

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MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

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Transcription created from a photocopy of a UFS wire copy of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.
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