The New York herald., 1921-07-17
FRANCE MAY GIVE Up
RHINELAND BARRIER
Viewpoint to Change ifsGer
many Abandons Her Upper
Silesian Policies.
NO PAY IF SHE PERSIST
Better Show in Doing JUS
tice to War Criminals
Important Factor.
CLOSER ACCORD FAVORED
FrahcO-TeutOn Entente Sug-
gested to Offset Anglo-Saxon
Campaign for Trade.
NO PAY IF SHE PERSIST
CLOSER ACCORD FAVORED
Special Gable to THE NEW York HERALD.
Copyright, 1891, by THE New YORK HERALD

Copyright, 1891, by THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
Paris, July 10.
Although insisting that France cam
not agree to relinquish the present
sanctions embodied in the Rhineland
customs barrier even>df Germany pays
off the first billion gold marks in repa-
rations by the end of August, Foreign
Office officials admitted to THE NEW
YORK HERALD correspondent to-day
that Frances attitude on this point
might be radically changed should
Germany abandon her stiff necked
policy in Upper Silesia and show a
better effort to exert justice in the
trials of war criminals.
1t is evident as possibilities of a
Supreme Council meeting either in
Ostend, Paris or Boulogne before the
end of this month increase, that the
question of Upper Silesia is proving
more and more thorny. France does
not want to give the impression that
she is holding out against Great
Britain, Belgium and Italy, should the
matter be settled by a Supreme Coun-
ell vote, and has hailed joyfully the
note from London that the French
suggestion that a commission be sent
to Silesia to study the complications
on the ground had been accepted.
The French members of the Upper
Silesian Commission will be expected
to stress the necessity of limiting Ger
many's power of recovery by giving
more substantial share of the indus
trial and mining communes to the
Poles than the English Commissioner
Percival recommended, or even the
Italian mediation line provided.
But France is carefully not connecting
Upper Silesia with the economic situa-
ton of either Germany or Poland, some
Foreign Office experts now taking the
line that If President Harding's disarm-
ament programme is TO be effective it
will have to take into consideration
Upper Silesia, which the French contend
is a potential arsenal for reJuvenated
Germany.
Would Embargo Munitions.
1t is even hoped that Washington will
send Instructions to Ambassador Harvey
before the Supreme Council meets which
will upset Gernany's calculations by re-
stricting German control over any in
duStIlCS diitt " Iiullilipl iltihiHS even
if Polands territorial aspirations arc
not met
1t is understood that the conversations
between Louis Loucheur, French Min
lister of Reconstruction, and DIR. Walter
Rathenau, German Minister of Recon-
struction and Carl Bergman, which are
now being drafted into a general report,
envisage the possibility of an evetual
solution along this line, DR. Rathenau
not agreeing with Chancellor Wirth that
the delivery to Germany of entire Upper
Silesia is a vital premise for any repara-
tions settlements
If the German Government can be
made to realize this. it Is considered
fairly certain that France will agree to
remove the economic sanctions in the
Ruhr Valley, at least temporarily. though
always reserving the right to re-impose
them should Berlin's reparations pledges
lack of fulfllment Philip Millet's
editorial in the Paris Midi is considered
highly significant that the French Gov
ernment or at least that part controlled
by NJ Loucheur. who is reputed to be in
control Of the Midi, is envisaging impor-
tant concessions in the Rhineland eco
nomic situation.
NJ Millet frankly points out that eli
the German Government definitely ac-
oepts Frances demands for reparations
the suppression of these economic sane
tions becomes imperative from the view
point of the Franeh interest.
"While this is regrettable, IL is a fact
and we can do nothing If we want
Germany to pay we must renounce the
Rhineand barrier which separates the
Rhineland from the rest OF Germany.
but II we prefer TO maintain the GUS
toms barrier and customs collectors we
Will have to give UP hopes of being paid.
The truth is that we are rapidly ap-
preaching the turning point where we
will have 10 choose between a definite
reparations policy and the maintenance
Of the Rhine sanctions"
Cannot Perish and Also Pay.
=, z,u,.. aa. ~. 80 -. -.