The Neutralist's Equilibrium

For two years, the traditionally friendly relations between the U.S. and Sweden have been deteriorating into irritation and sporadic anger, mainly because of the Swedish government's demonstrative opposition to America's involvement in Indochina. Sweden has welcomed more than 400 U.S. military deserters, was the first Western nation to give the Hanoi government full diplomatic recognition and is planning to offer North Viet Nam $30 million in postwar aid. In recent weeks, Swedish demonstrators have hurled eggs and epithets at the new U.S. Ambassador, Jerome Holland, a black educator who heard himself jeered as a "nigger" when he stepped off the plane in Stockholm.

Such episodes hardly smoothed the way for Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme's unofficial visit to the U.S. last week. Palme, 43, an abrasively expressive Social Democrat, has been one of his nation's strongest critics of U.S. war policies. Advance word that Palme would be as outspoken in the U.S. as he is at home only increased the Administration's annoyance. Both sides tacitly agreed to forgo the customary White House courtesy call.

Yet after a 3 1/2-hour luncheon with Secretary of State William Rogers, Palme seemed inclined to be conciliatory. In a National Press Club speech, the Swede temperately defended his policy of "active neutrality." Asked Palme: "Don't we want people to stand up for their honest opinions when they do not coincide with ours?"

Lunatic Fringe. Without withdrawing any of his opposition to the war, Palme emphasized Sweden's humanitarian motives in offering aid to North Viet Nam--and offered similar help to rebuild South Viet Nam after the war. He expressed his "tremendous sympathy" for the American prisoners in the North and promised to "pay special attention to the fate of the prisoners." As for the attacks on Ambassador Holland, Palme called them the work of "a lunatic fringe--scoundrels who damage the reputation of Sweden."

Next day at Ohio's Kenyon College, where he was graduated in 1948, Palme pleaded for a politics of moderation. "Political action," he said, "must start in the daily lives of the people." As Palme spoke at an alumni reunion, about 80 longshoremen from Cleveland and Toledo chorused, "Go home, go home!"

At least the first part of Palme's eight-day visit has begun to take the chill off U.S.-Swedish relations. This week, as if to maintain the equilibrium of his nation's neutrality, Palme will be off again, for an unofficial sojourn in Moscow.

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