The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-11
DECISIONS FIRST ON
MAIN PEACE HEADS
Great Mass Of Secondary Mat
ters May Wait Until After
Treaty Is Signed.
LITTLE OPEN DIPLOMACY
French Believe They Are Not
Getting What They Should
on Russian End.
BY G., q. ADAM,
BY q, y. ADAM,
Special caorc Despdtch to TIE SON from the
London Tipses Service.

Special Caoio Dsspdtch TO TIE SON from the
London Times Service
Copyright, 1919; all rights reserved.
PARIS, April lot cannot be said the
Americans increased their official popu-
larity by the hint conveyed to the world
by the recall of the George Washington to
Brest. but IL by giving It they have been
responsible for squirting tho Council Of
-Four into activity. they have certainly
merited the peoples thanks.
Whether II be due to this hint or to
more natural cnuses there is n fresh
stream Of assuredness that peace really
will be ready soon. It is certain there
already exists material In the shape Of
committee reports and draft clauses of
the treaty sufficient for half dozen
peace treaties. Fortunately 1t is APP
parently not the intention Of the council
to make even an attempt TO deal with all
this mass Of work.
The council will probably adopt the
course OF dealing first only with the
main heads of peace and will leave sec
ondary matters for ultimate considera-
ton. BY adopting such a method work
may be considerably speeded up.
The terms preliminary to peace can we'll
be completed In all essentials within a
fortnight, and there are good grounds
for belief that the German delegates
will be summoned to Paris within three
weeks. The George Washington would
patiently await the Presidents con-
venience.
Open Diplomacy in background.
1t was. however, to those who real
lied the delicacy of the situation abso-
lutely impossible to believe President
Wilson has for a moment seriously con-
templated leaving Europe to stew in its
own juice. as the French put the matter,
by withdrawing from the conference
Demonstrations OF that sort are perhaps
to be looked upon more as evidence OF
open diplomacy than as anything else. II
may be remarked that they are appar-
entity the only signs OF open diplomacy
yet at the Paris conference, which is
going to hold its third plenary public
sitting on Friday
Much more disquieting than such
manifestations OF irritation is the series
of setbacks allied diplomacy Is expert
encing in all its dealings with the enemy
To the list of failures. which starts with
Prinkipo and includes Danzig. has now
been added the evacuation OF Odessa and
the discontinue of Gen. SHUTS at Buda-
pest.
II is too much to hope the Council of
Four may now realize that all those
setabcks are not entirely due to acct
dent. but are perhaps the result Of
wrong conceptions and wrong methods
of working. One thing seems quite GER
tain--enough has been sacrificed to the
imagined requirements OF internal cleo
tioneering politics. The evacuation OF
Odessa had become clearly necessary
the middle OF last month. It is con-
siderabl blow to France. which is
mostly concerned. It deprlves her Of
her starting point in the great work
which sooner or later will have to be
In the restoration of Russia.
No Russian Lever for France.
AS NJ. Herbette points out in the
Temps tonight. Great Britain has her
foot in the door at Archangel MUIR
mansk and Baruk, and the Americans
always had at any rate financial access
from Siberia. and France alone, which
financially and politically Ia. to say the
least, as interested In Russian prosperity