South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-02-03
TELLS
PROGRESS Of
PEACE MEETING
Second Interview With Corre-
SpOndentS Takes Place SUM-
day - Polish Question
Not Settled.

PARIS, Feb. 2.-FolloWlnS up the /
promise he made last sunday Of
meeting personally the foreign news
paper correspondents, NJ. Pichon,
the French foreign minister, sunday
frankly discussed some subjects
which are absorbing the attention
Of the conference itself and the pub
lie. He was obliged to state with
regard TO several of these matters
that he was unable to give the de
sired information because the su-
preme council had not yet been able
to function upon them, or was with
out data.
With reference to the suspended
effort to bring together the repre-
sentatives of the various Russian
political sections and the peace COM
misSioners at a meeting at Princess
islands, he said that so far there has
been only one official reply to the
invitation which the council had sent
out by wireless. and that had come
in the form of a document sent by
Russian gentleman, who had been
head of the government of Crimea.
Touching the situation in eastern
Siberia, NJ. PichOn in answer TO an
inquiry said that undoubtedly the
entente military forces were subject
a member of the duma and is now
TO the control of the supreme war
council in Paris. Gen. Janin, of the
Czecho- Slovak forces was command
der-in-chief, so far as the actual
disposition and movement of the
troops were concerned, but Gen
Knox of the British army. was
charged with the control and trans
portation of al supplies.
In explanation of Frances atti-
tude toward Finland, NJ PichOn
said that while the government
there had been recognized at first
by France. such action had ben re-
considered because of the develop
ments in the movement in Finland
to install a monarchical form of gov
ment However, that movement
had been stopped and France in
tended TO resume relations with
! Finland.
Turning to Poland, he pointed out
| that the frontiers of that country
had not yet been fixed
May Withdraw Troops.
In reply to the suggestion that the
American troops might be with
drawn from northern Russia, in the
Archangel sector. if the Princess
! island conference was not held, NJ.
| Pichon said that the conference had
not yet considered what steps would
/ be taken in event of failure and that
there had been no consultations on
! the subject since the invitations had
| been dispatched.
! AS for French activities in south
/ ern Russia. he declared that those
troops were simply protecting the
| ports. The news from the Arch
angel section was not sufficiently
| definite as yet 10 justify any conclu-
J sion. Undoubtedly, he added, the
! bolshevik forces there were stronger
! than they had before: so it had
! been considered safer to bring
! the allied troops closer together.
! That was all that could be said now.
! except that he did not regard the
! situation as dangerous and it might
/ be said that if the bolsheviki were
stronger in the north. they had be
! come weaker elsewhere
In Ukraine the people also lacked
arms. munitions and other supplies;
! they were just able to repel invasion
/ at the present time. If the Ukrainian
peasants were once persuaded that
their lands could not be taken from
them again, they would be strongly
! anti bolshevik.
Can Stop HOstiliticS.
/ NJ Pichon was decidedly of the
opinion that the armistice author
lied the entente governments to
stop the hostilities between Poland
and ermany. The fact that the
Lithuanians had set up a claim at
the same time as the Poles for pos
session of East Prussia. simply IL
| Illustrated the completely of the prob
lem with which the council had to
/ deal
Referring TO the declarations Of
| the official communiques of last
week on the subject of international
control of the colonies, NJ. PichOn
/ said that action in that matter did
not in any way touch the Italian
! = - a. oors~of . n,f,,o4;o