[We share with our readers this paragraph from a private letter just received from a valued contributor, writing from Europe in explanation of why he was unable at this juncture to write a political article that we had requested.—Ed.]
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. . . I will confess something more to you: Since I have to keep silent in any case for some time [because of another literary commitment], this is as good a time as any for silence. There is no controversy being aired here about which I feel strongly, no serious menace and no promising perspective, neither Europe nor the cold war; Mendès-France is not even disquieting any more (after all, what was all the fuss about him? And why distrust him any more? Now that everybody distrusts him, he has become as reliable as a French politician can be). This is an era of co-existence, we can’t do anything about it. I have just read the recent essay by George Kennan on “The North Wind and the Sun” (I am not sure if I retranslate the words exactly, but you know what I am speaking about: since the north wind has failed to make the Russians take their coat off, let’s try warm sunshine). As the Russians came to exactly the same conclusion two years ago, and have been acting on it very successfully since, there is now sunshine everywhere—a sunshine competition between Mr. Eisenhower and Malenkov. I am sure that as long as they do not start the north wind to blowing again, nobody will. And I am afraid that if and when they do, the next blow will find us not only without our coat, but down to our underpants. But it is useless to tell people that there are still dangers and pitfalls ahead; everybody knows it, but (except for some professionals) nobody wants to hear about it any more, everybody is fed up and utterly bored. If you want to be sure that an article or a publication will not be read, put “Cold War” or “Russian Danger” or “Communist Conspiracy” in the title. Maybe this is not yet the mood in New York, but certainly it is here. There is still some wild talk about European Union, or rearmament pools, or disarmament, or German reunification, but it is talk for talk’s sake, because political writers and speakers have to talk about something, even if their only thought is “no change” so long as the Russians do not stop the sunshine competition—and why should they? It is a big success—it will go on, and for the time being everybody is happy about it. This is no time of decision, at least not in these quarters—maybe, to find a place where big things are happening one would have to go to Bandung, next April. In Europe there is stalemate, sunshine, and prosperity. For the time being I am not greatly interested in politics. . . .
[Name Withheld]
Somewhere in Europe
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