OCR Text |
Show to convince the Kremlin that the United States is willing to risk war. There are proposals to keep every avenue of peaceful negotiation open, but these are differences in emphasis, not in objective. In the country as a whole there seems no substantial party willing to avoid the risk at the price of capitulation. What seems to bother the administration is whether the public fully understands the gravity of the situation. There is a much grimmer under-current in Washington than appears yet in the country as a whole. Gravity of Berlin Situation Now a test of nerves with the Soviet Union over Berlin has begun in which President Kennedy's hand will be as strong as his support from the public. Few people like to face or write about the ultimate stake in this test, nuclear war, but it is toward that brink that events could move. In the next five months history may depend on the mood of the American people. Will Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev quail? Will our President, Mr. Kennedy, quail? There is little said by leaders in Washington which indicates any sign of retreat. On the contrary, the administration seeks |