A Spectator's Notebook
THE URGENT DESIRE of press, radio, and television corre- spondents, abroad in their hundreds to find out what goes on at high-level conferences, coupled with the natural desire of politicians and diplomats to parley in private, is leading to a farcical situation. It is now an accepted thing that every word spoken in formal session, even when these are held in private, must subsequently be released to the press. The inevitable consequence is that nothing of much moment is said on these occasions. Instead the negotiators are compelled to transact their business over the dinner table. Correspondents, however, now expect to receive press releases after the social functions from the various press officers of the delegation. So far transcripts of the conversations are not forthcoming, but a blow-by-blow account of what everyone ate and drank and where they sat is already considered obligatory. Discussing this in Geneva the other day with a couple of correspondents, someone predicted that negotiators would soon be forced to follow Mr. Lloyd George's habit of asking everyone to break- fast. Within an hour of making what he supposed to be a frivolous remark, it became known that Mr. Harold Macmillan and Sir Anthony Eden had indeed been asked to breakfast with President Eisenhower. Soon the breakfast table will hold no secrets from the avidity of the press, and I can see the da!, coming when public men will be forced to Meet in public lavatories or in taxicabs if they wish to exchange ideas in confidence.
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