Evening star., 1941-02-24

OF talks last summer in e6ort to
rer1oue points of friction in
trade relations bet,Deen ttDo coun-
tries. Presumably as result er-
ports Of sorts machine tools and
other materials long sought BY
Russia Dere permitted and
moral embargo" against plane
shipments to Russia WdS lifted.
HoWeuer, export licensing system
has prevented Russia getting any
materials considered essential to
American defense.
By the Associated Press.
Beset by new complications aris-
ing from world events, efforts were
renewed today by United States and
Russian officials to adjust difficult
trade and political problems between
the two nations.
Constantine Oumansky, the Rus
sian Ambassador, conferred at
length with Undersecretary of State
Sumner Welles in what Mr.. Welles
described as one of a series of dis
cussions dealing with economic and
commercial relations between the
Soviet and this country. The Under
secretary said ther was nothing un-
usual about the conference.
On leaving the State Department,
Mr.. Omansky said it would be pre-
mature to comment on whether any
progress was being made toward So
luton of pending problems. Asked
If political as well as economic
questions were involved in the dis
cussion, he said obviously economic
and political matters were inter-
locking.
The conference was the first since
the United tates a month ago lifted
the moral embargo" against the
shipment of airplanes and aviation
gasoline to Russia.
This friendly gesture" to the
Soviet, however, had little practical
effect because of existing export
control restrictions which since
have been extended to oil drilling
and refining equipment, a major
Russian import for development of
her oil industry.
Questions to Be Settled.
Still unsettled after several con-
ferences were questions involving
large amounts of machinery of va
rious kinds purchased by Russia, but
held up by export restrictions, and
disposition of more than a dozen
Baltic ships held in American ports
since Soviet Russia absorbed" the
three little Baltic states-Latvia,
Lithuania and Estonia-last sum-
mer.
Recent British complaints that
supplies purchased here by Russia
were leaking" to Germany injected
a new issue into the discussions,
which are now in their sixth month.
Mr.. Welles said Friday that he
was seeking specific information on
whether such a leak" existed and
it was assumed this topic would
figure in todayfs discussions. --
Exports to Russia.
Commerce Department reports
show exports of American goods
to the Soviet last year amounted
to $50, ,0s2, 900. the largest items being
S23 1884, 900 worth of Woodworking
machinery and S14,026,000 worth of
refined copper. Value of the ex-
ports rose from s5l ,803,0 900 in 1899.
They included 10000 bales of
cotton, valued at 1884 900, and g.
l72,000 pounds of sole leather, valued
at s2,160.o00. Since Russia bought
no cotton or sole leather here in
1888 or 1889, Great Britain has
suspected that these and some of
the other purchases benefited Ger
many.
A further possible complication
arose with the negotiation of a
Turkish-Bulgarian non-aggression
pact last week, which some circles
interpreted as additional evidence
Of Russian-German cooperation.
Believed At Critical Phase.
Russia was believed in these quar-
ters to have Influenced Turkey to
sign the pact, which was widely in
terpreted in the Balkins, but denied
by the Turkish press, as sign that
Turkey would take no military &C
tion against German troops passing
through Bulgaria to attack Greece.
Tension in the Far East also ap-
parently has been accompanied by
increasing efforts on the part of
Japan to improve relations with