The New York Times 
Friday, July 12, 1968 

Bri ges to uct are ··­
President Johnson's program for building bridges to Eastern Europe, which had recently appeared mori­bund, showed signs of new life with announcement of the United States-Rumanian agreement for expanded cooperation in science, technology, industry and com­merce. This new agreement may yet be a spur to Rumania's neighbors to follow Bucharest's example. 
A successful breakthrough with Rumania will go far toward unlocking many doors now closed in E-• 'rn Europe. It would be a major coup for both sides ·Z, for example, the Rumanian a -nic power industry were to ;;et its start with American reactors and other needed equipment. 
Politically, the new ag ·eement is a new demonstra­tion of Rumanian independence. Moscow has beer procla:ming that improvement of its bilateral relations with this country depends to an important d.;gree on settlen.ent of the Vietnam \var. The Ruman:~ ns have sensibly :esisted from any such needless linkage of their own affairs with Vietnam. I:1stead, they have moved ahead with the task of t:ying concretely to serve their own national in erests "..)y bettering rela­tions with Washingto 1. t is a use 'ul ex· mple for the other Communist sta es.