Even as the Carter Administration was scolding the Kremlin for its mistreatment of Andrei Sakharov, the President and Soviet Party Chief Leonid Brezhnev moved vigorously to resume the long-interrupted East-West dialogue on arms control. It was almost as if a referee had blown a whistle after a lengthy timeout; the diplomatic ball had suddenly bounced into play.
The first signal that the game was renewed came last week when, in his first interview as President, Carter expanded his Inaugural Address pledge of "perseverance and wisdom in our efforts to limit the world's armaments." In a talk with the Associated Press and United...