Evening star., 1939-05-17
British Seen Ready
To Do Business
With Russians
New Offer Is Expected
To Be Very Much Like
French Proposal
BY EDGAR ANSEL MOWRER,

BY EDGAR ANSEL MOWRER,
chicaso Daily News Foreign Correspondent.
PARIS. May II (by radio) With
the resounding collapse of British
proposals for securing Russian COL
laboration in great alliance against
aggression, negotiations with the
Russians today reached a position
promising success, which, if achieved,
may still result in the appearance
of Vladimir P. Potemkin, Russia's
vice commissar of foreign affairs,
rather than Ivan NJ Maisky, its Am
bassor to London, at Geneva next
Monday.
The original British proposals
amounted, in French eyes, to offer
ing Russia sort of handout in the
kitchen. But, thanks to Prime Min
lister Neville Chamberlain and Mu-
mich and British guarantees already
given to Poland and Rumania, the
Russian position is extremely strong
far stronger than that of Great
Britain. Therefore, from the be-
ginning the French felt that the
British would have to step down
and raise their hats if they expected
Dictator Josef v. Stain to consent
to have anything to do with them.
Ready to Do Business.
Today the British-under French
pressure-are apparently ready to do
business. The basis of the new
British proposals will be an ap-
Proclamation of the so-called French
plan. This plan calls for the con-
cluslon of Russio- British mutual
assistance pact on lines of the al
ready existing Franco-Russian pact.
Russia would thereby be linked to
Britain, Britain to France, France
to Russia. BY implication or ex-
plicitly, each power would be pledged
to assist the other two powers openly
II attacked, or if they entered a war
while resisting aggression against
other states. But-and this is i'm
portant-no specific states were to
be mentioned in order that German
Propaganda Minister Joseph Goeb-
bells and his likes should not be
furnished with ammunition for
arousing the Germans to the danger
VI oo-SoilCo
The Russian demand for a mill
tary alliance between the three great
powers went really no further than
the French scheme, except that the
Russians wanted enumerated the
states an attack on which by Ger
many would automatically cause
military action by all three states.
This meant that the Russians want
ed to be sure that, in case Ger
many attacked Latvia or occupied
Esthonia or Finland as a prelude
to invading Russia, Britain and
France would be bound to Join in
the fight.
Difference Now Small.
The British and French still
demur at mentioning any specific
states. This is the only gap
separating the two proposals unless
the Russians should also demand
the widening of their existing pact
with the French to mention specific
states. The difference is, however,
so small it seems practically impos-
slble that it should not be bridged
within the next few days and there
by solidity given the anti-aggression
front which it does not yet possess.
After all, Russia may be flabby,
as Soviet enemies insist, but when
it comes to holding the door shut
1t Is weight rather than striking
power that counts. None can doubt
that the Soviets, with more than
170.000,000 population, have weight.
Finally, it must be said that even
should Russo-British negotiations
collapse it still would not be sure
that Russia would not try to help
block Germany's eastward eXpan-
sion. For, thanks to fear of Reichs-
fuehrer Adolf Hitler, the Russians
and Poles have, during the last few
weeks, achieved the impossible
reached a degree of mutually sus-
2icious intimacy which makes the
possibility of ultimate military CO.
operation between the two, in case
OF need, more than a probability.
copyright, 1889. by Chicago Daily News.
Inc.