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Are U.S. officials being played like the proverbial violin by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un? We hope not, but we also must not assume a sincere, humane bone exists in Kim's body.
Mike Pompeo, the CIA chief soon to become secretary of state, met secretly with Kim a few days ago, the White House confirmed. That explained President Donald Trump's previous comment that the two governments were holding talks at "extremely high levels."
Pompeo's chat with Kim was intended to lay groundwork for a highly anticipated meeting between Trump and North Korea's leader. Trump tweeted Wednesday that the talk "went smoothly" and "a good relationship was formed."
Perhaps, but the key to a relationship is trust. Kim may have said everything Pompeo and Trump wanted to hear, but how much was sincere?
Americans and hundreds of millions of South Koreans and others in Asia worry about Kim's military buildup. It includes long-range missiles and nuclear weapons. North Korean technicians are working on miniaturizing atomic warheads so they can be delivered by the rockets.
Reversing that program is Trump's goal.
But Kim, his father and his grandfather have a tradition of promising to stop rattling their sabers -- even as they continue to sharpen them. Why would this situation be different?
Thus far, Trump has not insisted on any show of good faith, such as suspending weapons development -- by North Korea. Perhaps he should demand one as a precondition to any meeting with Kim.