How the World Sees Nixon--Suspended Judgment

WORLD reaction to the U.S. presidential election ranged from the Saigon Post's jubilant banner, "HELLO, NIXON!" to an "Oh no, not Nixon!" from liberals who have mistrusted him for nearly two decades. Even so, the very closeness of the presidential vote exerted a curiously quieting effect on most nations. Americans after all, had been sober and responsible in casting the majority of their votes for two moderates and rejecting the Wallace extreme.

If many foreign statesmen greeted Nixon's election with equanimity and even pleasure, it was partly because of familiarity. In his eight years as Vice President and five years as a paripatetic counsel for Pepsi-Cola, Nixon had met with virtually every world leader and with hundreds of the most prominent politicians from Paris to Pnompenh. The Shah of Iran sent a congratulatory cable citing "our long relationship of cordial amity." Even Gamal Abdel Nasser of the U.A.R., which has broken diplomatic ties with the U.S., expressed good wishes.

Apparatchik

Inevitably, the North Koreans dismissed Nixon as a "notorious war maniac," while the Communist Chinese paired Humphrey and Nixon as "jackals of the same lair." In the Communist Eastern European countries, Nixon arouses deep antagonism, but most believe that the circumstances of his election, and the Democratic majority in Congress, will force him to exercise moderation.

The Soviets themselves have traditionally portrayed Nixon as a reactionary antiCommunist, particularly since his 1959 kitchen debate with Khrushchev. But some Soviets have begun to regard Nixon as an American version of Premier Aleksei Kosygin: an efficient apparatchik.

The world's more conservative, anti-Communist governments welcomed Nixon's election, especially such rightist strongholds as South Africa, Rhodesia and Portugal. It was only in Greece, however, that people actually celebrated the event. The cause for Greek enthusiasm, of course, was Spiro T. Agnew, whose father, Theophrastos Anagnostopoulos, was born in Gargalianoi in southern Greece. Of the town's present 7,000 inhabitants about 300 are named Anagnostopoulos.

While Nixon's comparatively hard anti-Communist line is applauded in parts of Asia, notably Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and South Viet Nam, it arouses anxiety among allies elsewhere. At the same time, some capitals fear that

Nixon might lead the nation back into isolationist foreign policies and protectionist trade policies. In Asia, Latin America and Africa, many governments are concerned that the new Administration--or Congress--might cut back even further on foreign aid, despite Nixon's growing internationalist outlook.

Two Telegrams

Some Western Europeans were also disturbed by Nixon's reputation as a truculent cold warrior. At least officially, however, and for different reasons, leaders of France and West Germany were pleased with the choice of the U.S. electorate. "We had two congratulatory telegrams ready to go," grinned an aide to Chancellor Kurt Kiesinger, "but one was a notch warmer than the other." Under Nixon, Bonn anticipates a tougher stance regarding the Soviet Union, a shift from Washington-Moscow bilateralism back to the NATO alliance and a renewed interest in Europe as the crucial area of East-West conflict.

De Gaulle was pleased with Nixon's election, believing it may ease Franco-American relations and signal a renewed U.S. interest in Europe. Besides, France's President has long been partial to Nixon over almost all U.S. leaders. In part, he has been flattered by Nixon's frequent courtesy calls in the last eight years.

No Fire

Many Europeans, of course, find Nixon somewhat un-simpatico. "You would never see a Nixon in Italy," Italian Author Luigi Barzini told a New York Times reporter: "He's a Y.M.C.A., Boy Scout, Reader's Digest American." Black Africans tend to be antagonized by what they see as Nixon's indifference to black Americans. Democratic liberals in Latin America greeted his election bleakly. Tio Landru, an Argentine satirical magazine, printed a mock Nixon platform: "I will support: Agrarian reform in the Antarctic; equality for all Negroes in Africa; export of Green Berets at moderate prices; and democratic coups d'etat."

The daily Indian Express offered a more balanced appraisal. "Nixon has been described as 'the perfect pragmatic politician.' He may not set the Potomac on fire, but neither is he likely to ignite the world." In most of the world, similarly, judgments tended to be guarded and tentative. Nixon has not exactly ignited the world with enthusiasm, but he has not frozen it with fear either.

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