Evening star., 1943-10-07
Moscow Puriey

COrGell Hull has thus far made no
| statement on the scheduled tri-
partite conference Of foreign minis
terS, it is generally assumed that he
will be Americas spokesman there,
| and it is equally taken for granted
that Moscow will be the meeting
place. At the forthcoming confer
ence he will be seconded by our
new Ambassador to the Soviet Union,
W. AVerell Hartman, now in London
but ready to accompany Anthony
Eden, BritainS foreign secretary, on
the trip. Mr.. Harriman's previous
visits to Moscow as lease-lend ad-
miniStratOr and the contacts he has
made in that capacity with the
highest Soviet officials should prove
useful in the actual negotiations.
The precise nature of the tripartite
conference should be clearly under
stood in order to understand its
scope and possibilities In the first
place, it is exploratory in character.
The official heads Of the American,
British and Soviet foreign Offices are
to exchange views, canvass the re-
Sultin% cOnVorGancieS or EMERGENCIES
Of national policies, and estimate
whether degree of ncgotiability has
been discovered which VIII warrant a
subsequent meeting Of their prin-
ciNals, President Roosevelt, Prime
Minister Churchill and Premier
Stain For il is obvious that no such
meeting will take place unless a
genuine basis for accord exists be-
tween the heads of state. More harm
than good would result from such
meeting which ended in hopeless
disagreement.
1t is equally certain that prelimi-
nary conversations have taken place
between subordinate diplomats and
special CmisS2rioS Of the three gov
erMmentS One such conference is
known to have occurred last week
between Joseph Z. Davies, former
Ambassador to Moscow. and Con-
Stantine OumansEy, Russia's AM
basSadOr to Mexico, who ranks high
in the Soviet diplomatic hierarchy
and is repeatedly close in Stains
confidence. Thus, a certain tenta-
tive knowledge Of respective view
points presumably has been gained
by all concerned.
Although no hint as to the specific
instructions which Secretary Hull
will carry with him to Moscow has
been VCuchSafed. his general attitude
is well known. Mr.. Hull has stood
consistently for a worldwide system
OF organized cooperation for peace
based on the principles of security
and fair dealing between all nations,
great ard small. That was the theme
Of his most recent pronouncement
on foreign policy. made on Septem-
bcr II and rejecting the attitude of
tho administration. The British
stand, while somewhat more re-
served, seems baSically similar. Rus
sian policy, by contrast. is rather
eniamatic. There are indications
that Stain wants it both ways, that
he desires simultaneously the ad-
VantageS Of international co-opera-
ton and the unilateral security of
strategic frontiers drawn according
to Russian ideas.
How to reconcile Russia's attitude
with the projected system of inter
national cooperation and with the
principles for which the western
powers are Waging the war, best ex-
pressed by the Atlantic Charter, is
the problem which the tripartite
meeting Of foreign ministers must
gr2pplc with. Unless a provisional
solution can be enviSaged, the meet
ing will not pave the way for larger
conference. The acid test of Ameri-
can, British and Soviet war aims and
postwar policies is thus at hand