Prime Minister Harold Wilson dreamed up the idea of a Commonwealth peacemaking mission while playing croquet at Chequersand that, it seemed last week, was about as far as the scheme would go. When Communist China heard of the Briton's plan to mediate the war in Viet Nam, Peking declared Wilson was a "nitwit." Then North Viet Nam dismissed the notion as a U.S.-inspired "swindle." Finally, Russian Premier Aleksei Kosygin slammed the door on the Commonwealth mission. "The Soviet government," said he, "has not been authorized by anyone to conduct talks on a settlement in Viet Nam."
Some Commonwealth leaders insisted bravely...
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