Replies to the Questions of the Diplomatic Correspondent of the New York Times, James Reston

21 December 1952

Question: At the start of the New Year and the coming of a new administration in the United States, do you still hold to your conviction that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States can live in peace in the years ahead?

Answer: I continue to believe that war between the United States of America and the Soviet Union cannot be considered inevitable, and that our countries can continue to live in peace.

Question: Where, in your opinion, are the sources of the present international tension?

Answer: Everywhere and in everything where the aggressive actions of the "Cold War" policy directed against the Soviet Union manifest themselves.

Question: Would you welcome diplomatic negotiations with representatives of the new Eisenhower administration to explore the possibility of a meeting between yourself and General Eisenhower on the question of easing international tension?

Answer: I regard such a proposal favorably.

Question: Would you cooperate in any new diplomatic initiative aimed at ending the war in Korea?

Answer: I am prepared to cooperate, since the USSR is interested in the termination of the war in Korea.

Pravda, 26 December 1952.