Portrait of the Week
TiiE announcement of a new Russian inter- continental missile quite took the wind out of the last of the summer holiday's sails; although doubt remained of the extent to which the claims Were exaggerated for propaganda ptirposes, it was fairly generally accepted that the news marked the end of a strategic era. It coincided with a marked stiffening in the attitude of Mr. Zorin, the Soviet delegate to the UN disarmament sub- committee, who told his fellow-delegates that, in the Russian .view, the Western Powers did not really want agreement to disarm, and that they Were using the talks merely as a screen behind which they could conduct preparations for a new War.
The Soviet campaign in another direction, however, momentarily died down; President Kuwatly returned to Syria bringing with him re- assurances from the Egyptians, and some easing of Western fears that he was going to resign, leaving his country to slither into satellitehood.
Malay prepared for her Independence Day on Saturday, greeted by the formal announcement from Downing Street that the Commonwealth countries had agreed to welcome her into the club as soon as .the necessary formalities were completed. Her neighbours were less happy; in Singapore arrests of Communists and Left- wingers for subversion continued, and the Chief Minister threatened to pass a new law for the regulation of the trade unions. In Ghana, too, the Government continued to demand powers to expel its political opponents.
France's troubles continued; her Finance Minister, MI Gaillard, announced a price freeze at the August 15 level, the freeze to embrace Many consumer goods—but not industry, where the Minister is hoping to persuade rather than compel owners to hold their prices down. In Washington the Senate has voted to restore some of the cuts in President Eisenhower's Foreign Aid budget.
The National Production Advisory Council for Industry, a body which includes representatives of the nationalised industries, private enterprise and the trade unions, as well as senior members of the Cabinet, met at the Treasury to discuss inflation; their words were considered weighty enough to be kept secret. A summer gale swept the country, blowing down the illuminations at Blackpool and a cottage near Sunderland, and disrupting communications in many districts. England beat the West Indies by an innings in the final Test Match, making the score 3-0 in the rubber, with two matches drawn. The BBC an- nounced its new plans for the Third Programme, revealing that broadcasting time is to be reduced by approximately 40 per cent.—from an average of thirty-nine hours a week to twenty-four.
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