Sir Alec had been Britain's--the West's, really--point man at the Helsinki

Conference (formally, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe), and he had spoken strongly on the need for the Soviet Union to offer more than "pious declarations" on behalf of freedom and to take positive steps towards "freedom of movement of people and ideas." However, many observers felt that he had not demanded enough in the way of concrete actions. Was Sir Alec being overly cautious, or was he being realistic? "You've got to be practical here. The Russians just won't take it [the Iron Curtain] down, and, therefore, you have got to find ways and means of contact with Russia which are modest,... but nevertheless are a plus in terms of international relations and detente." WFB: "Got to vault the wall." ADH: "Well, walls have ends which you can go around."