Evening star., 1939-04-26
DaIadier ConsuIts
Aides on Near East
Phase ofCrisis
Means Of Giving Turks
A|exondretto Opposed
BY Syria Problem
BY the Associated Press.

) PARIS, April 26-Premier Della
dier held an unexpected conference
today with ranking military and
diplomatic chiefs on Frances posi-
ton in the Near East in connection
with the international crisis.
Lengthy talks at the war minis
try were understood to be concerned
particularly with Frances strained
relations with her mandate of Syria
and the means of handing over the
republic of Hetay 'Alexandretta,
to Turkey without making those
relations worse.
Foreign Minister Georges Bonnet
was TO confer with Gabriel Puaux,
French high commissioner in Syria,
but NJ Daladier himself decided to
preside at the conference, and. be-
cause of the military implications
OF any move in the Near East at
present, called in as well Gen,
Maurice Gustave Gamelin. chief
Of the general staff of the national
defense.
Syrian Compensation Problem.
Sources close to the foreign office
Indicated that the only difficulty in
the way Of letting Turkey 90 ahead
and annex Hatay was the problem
OF compensating Syria for loss Of the
little republic, which only a year
ago as the Sanjak of Alexandretta
was just another Syrian province.
Annexation of Hatay was UNDER
stood already to be agreed upon be-
tween France and Turkey and is
considered by diplomatic circles to
be part of Turkeys price for joining
the French British collective security
bloc.
Hatay's administra ton already is
dominantly Turkish, although some
units Of French troops still are sta
toned there alongside numerically
superior Turkish troops-as a SYM
Dol OF joint French-Turkish super
vision.
French effort to expand the
French-British front extended as
we'll to Rumania. M. Bonnet
planned to see the Turkish Ambas-
sador at Turkish Embassy recep-
tion tonight and then to go to the
railway station to welcome the Ru-
manian foreign minister, Grigore
Gafencu. arriving from London.
British Steps Hailed.
France, with hundreds of thou
sands of her own finest troops man.
ming her empire defenses, hailed
Great Britain's record peacetime
armament budget and the formal
announcement of British conscrip-
ton.
Informed French circles believed
both steps-yesterday's announce
ment of a 1939-4O budget totaling
$6,l77, ,600, 900. of which nearly half
was earmarked for preparedness,
and the formal announcement of
conscription today-would have a
"steadying" effect on Adolf Hitler's
Friday speech.
The French long have felt that
British CONSUMPTION to help match
the regimented strength of Ger
many and Italy was indispensable
to keep European peace.
French Deputy Francois de Tessan
planned to sail for the United States
on the liner Normandie today "on a
personal mission" during which he
will see President Roosevelt. De
Tessan, former undersecretary of
state for foreign affairs, conferred at
length yesterday with Foreign Min
lister Bonnet.
May Reopen Debt Question.
The Importance Frenchmen attach
to good relations with the United
States at the present critical period
was seen in the action of another
deputy, Jean de Beaumont, who an
nounced he would introduce a bill
in Parliament calling for reopeninp
of the question of the French war
debt to the United States.
In letter to Premier Daladier he
suggested that undeveloped parts of
the French empire be opened to
American interests "as one means
of regulating settlement" on the debt.
which on June 80, 1888, totaled about
81, ,14l ,0OO, 900.
Parliamentary observers said be-
cause Of President Roosevelts mes
sage to Hitler and Mussolini, De
Beaumont's motion might have con-
siderable chance of success.
De Beaumont said means would be
found for reopening the debt oues-
ton despite sacrifices to which the
armaments race has subjected
France already. He visited the
United States recently.
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