Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-05-14

aviation conference later in the year,
the United States already has held
bilateral talks on the subject with Great
Britain and Canada and is scheduled to
confer soon in Washington with dele
CATION from the Soviet Union.
The State Department also has issued
an invitation to the Chinese government
to send representatives here after the
conversations with the Russians are con-
cluded, and plans to extend similar in
vitations to the Netherlands, the more
interested South American countries,
Australia and other members of the
British Commonwealth of Nations.
1t can now be said that the exploratory
discussions held thus far have been
highly encouraging to the participants,
with promising outlook for very real
achievements at the forthcoming United
Nations conference. A strong measure
of harmony and cooperation will be
main problem confronting the nations:
Determination of the degree of control
that should be exerted over air transport
by an international governing body.
High officials of the Allied countries
are agreed that such conference is a
major prerequisite for enduring postwar
peace. They pin their hopes on the crea-
ton of wholly new framework for
international aviation with elimination
of the tensions and rivalries inherent in
any uncontrolled scramble for the best
air routes and bases.
Plans for Study Grow.
They are convinced that now is the
time to set up the working machinery
for the assurance of order in the sky
ways and to prepare for the new era
of vast air traffic that will criss-cross
the globe.
The towering significance of postwar
aviation is reflected in the careful, per-
sistent diplomatic moves that led up to
the current exploratory discussions.
Shortly after the turn of the year, the
British indicated to America its willing
ness to start bilateral talks. Canada,
on its own initiative, made similar over
lures about the same time
On learning of the Canadian move
Britain said it had no objection to
Canadian participation, but if this were
done the other members of the COM
monwealth ought to be invited to the
party To which we. replied that this
would be suitable, providing other in
terested nations also were called in, in
order to avoid sighting them.
In the end the United States solved
the delicate diplomatic chess game by
determining to hold a series of bilateral
conversations with the British, Canada,
Russia, the Chinese and other nations
especially concerned, all designed to
smooth the path for the coming United
Nations conference Meanwhile the
State Department is maintaining a close
mouthed reserve on the results of the
conferences held, emphasizing that the
talks are purely exploratory in nature.
Little to Be Revealed.
Only recently Assistant Secretary of
State Adolf A. Berle, jr., and Vice Chair
man Edward Warner of the Civil Aero
nautics Board returned from their con-
versations with British officials. No de-
tailed announcement was made on the
fruits of their trip. And the public is
expected to get very little information
following the next huddle with the
Russians.
The need for such caution. Govern
ment officials insist, is imperative. Be-
cause OF the transcending Importance of
the subject, any distortion of the mean
ing of the preliminary talks could we'll
cause olssention among the Allies The
essential now is to achieve unity of pur-
pose and spirit of mutual trust.
One thing the various nations are
agreed upon is the necessity of over
hauling completely the international
regulations on air traffic. Before World
War II this traffic was governed very
loosely under two international conven-
lions, the International Air Convention
OF Paris, held in October of 1919. full
20 years before the first transatlantic
air service and the other Pan-American
Convention of Havana, in 1928.
Both of these conventions" Warner
has said, have been interpreted and
applied in the sense most unfortunate
to the free expansion of international
air services"
Before the outbreak of the present
war, the Paris convention had a men,
bership of 33 nations, but the United
states and Germany were not among
them. The Pan-American convention
was Joined by this country, Mexico.
Chle, Ecuador, all of the Central Amer
lean states except Salvador and the
Caribbean nations. except Cuba. 1t was
ignored by most of the South American
nations.
Seek Rules of the Road"
One Of the principal functions OF the
international convention, officers of the
CAB have stated, would be to insure
uniformity of aerial rules of the road. u
Under this heading would come con-
slderation of freedom of transit" or
freedom for commercial airline planes
to fly over one foreign country in transit
TO another, without the privilege of land
ing except to refuel or in the event of
an emergency.
Most Of the European powers, before
the war, were reluctant to grant freedom
of transit. since espionage for bombing
purposes was feared, reasonable
suspicion in view Of the subsequent ex-
plosion of the continental powder-keg.
This situation led to circuitous air routes
that worked special hardship on Great
Britain with its sprawling air system
linking the British colonies with the
Fonfha,- Iclo