Evening star., 1944-10-15

brought about finally the meeting be-
tween Messrs. Roosevelt, Churchill and
Stain at Teheran
Teheran is now almost history to those
who know even partially what happened
there. And in the light of history it
Tan be said that the Teheran conference
was bitter disappointment for the
British Premier. He had suggested
British strategy of invading Germany
through the Balkans. Prime Minister
Stain resolutely thrust this aside by
saying that the Balkans are of no mill.
tary Importance whatever and that Rus
sia, America and Great Britain must
make frontal attack against the Euro
pean fortress with everything they have
at their disposal
Wanted to Await Air Action.
Mr.. Churchill wanted to delay the In
vasion of Western Europe until such
time when the Allied air forces had ac-
tually pulverized Germany. Stain re-
piled that aviation is very important in
a war as an auxiliary but cannot reduce
the enemy, and pointed out the failure
- eAAS AAAS"OA4C w ACAdSE IoiltdAt LII
1910 and Russia in 194I and 1912, when
neither country had any air forces to
match the Germans. Mr.. Churchill
agreed in the end to the Americana
Russian strategy, but the suspicious
Stain saw in the British Premier's at
titude another reason for his old sus-
plcious against him and his country.
From the diplomatic point Of view,
Teheran was also a none-too-pleasant
pill for the British Premier. He re-
luctantly listened to Marshal Stains
view regarding Poland and the Balkans.
He opposed no definite resistance but
neither did he sign away Poland's SOW
ereignty. He left the matter as an open
question to be handled later in the light
of future developments
When the Polish question came to the
fore once more in the summer of this
year Mr.. Churchill, after consulting
Washington, agreed that Poland had to
yield portions of her territories to Rus
sla but would not go further On this
stand he had the support of his own
people and hoped to obtain more than a
tacit cooperation from the United
States when he insisted that Poland
must remain a sovereign state.
British Indignant.
Russia's strange attitude during the
epic battle of the Polish underground in
Warsaw-when tens of thousands of
Poles might have been saved had Rus
cion ~
British aviators landing facilities to drop
ammunitions to Gen. Boris men-raised
storm of indignation throughout Great
Britain. The English people felt that the
Russians were not playing cricket" and
their views were clearly reflected in all
the British press. Mr.. Churchill felt
strongly that so many human lives had
been sacrificed uselessly for the purpose
of discrediting the Polish government in
exile and its supporters in Poland. He
did not become theatrical Neither did
he make any speeches which may have
been resented in Moscow But he
brought the whole matter to the atten-
ton of Mr.. Roosevelt. who suggested
that he had better talk it over with
MT. Sballn IN MOSCOW.
Mr.. Churchill and his colleagues be-
heved that the sphere of influence
granted to Russia in the Balkans had
been settled at Teheran. From the
available information it had then been
agreed that Russia influence would ex-
tend in the Eastern Balkans while the
British would maintain an overlordship
In the southern and western Balkans.
That is to say, that Britain would have
control over the Adriatic and the East
ern Mediterranean. 1t was that ar.
rangement which prompted the British,
and to certain extent the American
Government, to drop Gen. Draja Mi
hailovich, who had been the hero" of
both these governments until Teheran,
and to support Marshal Broz Tito, the
head OF the Soviet-sponsored Partisans.
But when these matters were discussed
and agreed in the capital of Iran, neith-
er Mr.. Roosevelt nor Mr. Churchill are
/ said to have understood that the USSR
understood complete political, military
and economic domination of its zone of
influence at the complete exclusion of
its British and American associates.
Red Methods Disturb.
The methods used by the Russian
Army commanders in Bulgaria and in
Romania did not cause any important
comment in Washington, but worried
greatly the London government. Not
only did the Russians insist to impose
their own armistice terms on these de-
feated nations, but they expelled all
the American and the British military
men who happened to be in that coun-
try when the Russian armies arrived.
There we're 1000 American and about
100 British aviators in prison camps in
Romania. They were hustled out from,
near Bucharest before the Russian
armies entered that city, so that they
should not participate in the triumphal
parade of the Red troops. In Sofia the
10o-odd American and about So British
servicemen were huddled into trucks
and dumped over the border into Tlr-
Key on orders fro mthe commander of
the Red armies in Bulgaria. The mat
ter was brought to the attention of the
Moscow foreign Office through the usual
regular channels" Moscow promised to
look into the matter, but until now
neither the Americans nor the British
were permitted to return to Bulgaria as
observers.
The argument set forth by the Rus
/ SLAMS that these two countries had been
liberated by Russian armies exclusively