Seventy-Sixth Year EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Where Opinions Are Free. 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH. NEWS PHONE: 764-0552 Truth Will Prevail Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1965 NIGHT EDITOR: LEONARD PRATT Sino-Soviet Rupture Nears: Challenge to U.S. Diplomacy REPORTS OF AN IMMINENT, formal diplomatic break between the Soviet Union and Communist China are cur- rently circulating in the United Nations, at the State Department and in Eastern European capitals. At the same time, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, just returned from a whirlwind visit to South Viet Nam, has hinted that a major increase in the U.S. commitment to the war there is likely. It has been reported that the U.S. troop commitment, currently at 170,000 men, may reach 300,000 within several months. Bombings of North Viet Nam will be greatly accelerated in an apparent at- tempt to force the Hanoi regime to the conference table. Last summer, when President Johnson announced the first massive increase of U.S. forces in the war, some diplomats feared that the increasing American ef- fort would serve to unite Moscow and Peking. These predictions have not been borne out; instead, the ideological and political gulf between the two main cen- ters of Communist power has widened and has probably passed the point of no return. THE'BREAK in the once united Commu- nist monolith is probably the most im- portant international political develop- ment of the decade, and its ramifica- tions on U.S. policy should not be over- looked. Unfortunately, however, too many policy planners still seem to believe that the old-style Communist threat of the late forties and fifties still exists. In spite of the Viet Nam war, there will apparently be no reconciliation be- t ween Moscow and Peking. The day may not be far off when Soviet leaders con- sider increased Chinese prestige and in- fluence as a greater threat than U.S. actions. Perhaps, insofar as the Vie Nam war is concerned, that day has already arrived. It has already been demonstrated that Washington and Moscow can effectively work together in the interests of peace. They did so with fairly successful re- sults during the India-Pakistan war two months ago. The United Nations was the scene of a cooperative attempt to stave off a pro- tracted conflict between two of the most populous nations of the world, with pos- sible Chinese intervention always to be considered. Russia has frequently demonstrated its desire for a cessation of hostilities in Viet Nam. Soviet leaders, as well as the more astute U.S. officials, realize that Editorial Staff ROBERT JOHNSTON. Editor LAUTPr'mN 'K TPRH13AUM gPO3FRT JTPPT FR Managing Editor Editorial Director JUDITH PIET i>> . Personnel Director LAUREN BAHR Associate Managing Editor JUDITH WARREN Assistant Managing Editor c3AIL BL7MBERG . Magazine Editor PETER SARASOHN.............Contributing Editor JTI OTh IIRAF ..Acting nM fswe r SHELDON DAVIS.......................Photo Editor Business Staff CY WELLMAN, Business Manager ALAN GLUECKMAN .. . .. Advertising Manager SUSAN CRAWFORD .Associate Business Manager JOYCE FEINBERG .. Finance Manager Subscription rate: $450 smester ny carrier ($ by mail); $ yearly by carrier ($9 by mal, . Second class postage paid at Ann Arbor Mich. the war is impairing wide areas of pos- sible agreement, particularly on measures toward control of nuclear proliferation. Thus, the United States must step up its efforts to work with the Soviets in an effort to achieve preliminary nego- tiations on a Viet Nam cease-fire. The So- viets, in their role as leader of the now- fragmented Communist world, have pro- vided military aid to North Viet Nam, including surface-to-air missiles. How- ever, this does not mean that Moscow would not be willing to cooperate with the U.S. in actively seeking a truce. UNTIL NOW, the main motivation for stinging Soviet criticism of the Ameri- can role in Viet Nam has been two-fold: anger over U.S. efforts to bomb the North Vietnamese into submission, and fear of appearing to be weak in the face of Pe- king's harsh denunciations and threats (which have not been accompanied by matching action, thus far). If a final Soviet-Chinese break occurs, however, one of the main stumbling blocks to U.S.-Russian cooperation will have been eliminated. The Soviet lead- ership, in justifying a diplomatic break, would cite all the reasons for Moscow's refusal to follow the Peking line, includ- ing the danger and futility of utilizing military power to resolve political dis- putes. The U.S., it should be remembered, has been doing just that in Viet Nam. State Department officials, in ,their typically confused manner, like to assert that the increasing U.S. military commitment to Viet Nam is being undertaken in re- sponse to increased infiltration and "ag- gression" from North Viet Nam. In fact, as the record will show, Ha-