Evening star., 1939-06-26
New Concessions
To Soviet Reported
Drawn by Britain
Foreign Office Sold to
Have Decided on
Boltic Guarantees
BY WILLIAM H. srONEMAN,


Chicago Daily News Foreign Correspondent.
LONDON, June 26.-Hope for the
early conclusion Of a defensive al
lance and anti-aggression pact be-
tween Russia, Great Britain and
France rose again today with the
report that the foreign ONCE and
its representatives In Moscow had
decided to make further drastic
concessions to the Soviet view
point.
The new British concessions, II
finally approved by the cabinet, will,
it is reported, amount to an almost
100 per cent acceptance of the So
viet's insistent demand that the
three anti-axis power should give
automatic guarantees to Finland,
Estonia and Latvia. It is also un-
derstood that both British Foreign
Secretary Viscount Halifax and the
foreign Office professionals are now
willing to water down the section of
the proposed pact providing for con-
sultation before action is taken un-
der the terms Of the triple defensive
alliance.
Fresh Instructions Asked.
The foreign office is understood to
have made up its mind to these
concessions after perusing long re-
port from the British Ambassador to
Moscow, Sir William Seeds, and Will
liam Strang, special envoy of the
foreign office. who has been assisting
the Ambassador in the negotiations.
This report made 1t clear that en-
tirely fresh instructions would have
to be sent to the negotiators If they
were to make any progress in their
talks. It is also understood to have
recommended that these fresh in
structions should be sent imme-
diately.
There are still two hurdles to
jump before the negotiations can
succeed. The first is the British
cabinet which must approve the
fresh instructions. While most
members Of this body are either
reconciled to Soviet pact or posi-
lively IN favor OF getting it at al
most any price. there will certainly
be objections to "capitulating" to
the Russians as completely as the
foreign Office now is prepared to do.
The second obstacle Is the Krem-
lin, or rather Dictator Joseph v.
Stain himself. Nobody here really
knows just what Stain has in mind.
Most people like to hope that the
Russian strong man has finally de-
cided to make his peace with the
western democracies and to join in
an iron-clad front against the Ger
man enemy. Still they can see a
good many reasons why Stain might
wish to do otherwise.
Stalin's Desire . Mystery.
From practical viewpoint. much
could be said In favor of neutrality;
at this particular moment the Krem-
lin might also regard it as clever
politics to delay signature of the
defensive alliance until 1t had had
a chance to consider Germany's new
overtures for a comprehensive COM
mercial understanding between the
two countries. In any case nobody
here really knows what Stain does
want to do and until that is known
it will be difficult to say whether
there is going to be pact or not.
The belated discovery that the
Russians and the japanese have
been fighting regular war in
Outer Mongolia has heightened
rather than diminished Britain's
desire for pact with Russia. It
has at least shown that the Rus
slams are not afraid to battle the
little brown men, and has thereby
reinforced those who contend that
the Soviet would be a real ally and
not merely an impotent hanger -on
of the peace front.
(Copyright. 1889, by Chicago Daily News,