The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-11-18
Nv ANNE o'HARE MCCORMICK
Bv wireless to the New York Times

Anolo.French talks and the Moscow CONVEX
sations that are reverberating here give some
point to a remark of A. ]. Cummings in
tthis mornings News Chronicle to the effect
that Mr. ChurchilIs visit to Paris is lone
Indication of the British Governments slow
release from the domination OF the State De-
partznent" It is amusing to hear the British
| complain of the subservience OF British policy
to Washington in much the same terms
Americans accuse our Government Of follow
| ing the lead of London. Mr.. Eden character
| ICES such remarks as nonsense" and as far
as the British Government is concerned they
are. Far from feeling hampered by the ready
subjection'' to America which Mr.. Cummings
deplores, Whitehall and Downing Street would
like the United States to take a stronger
initiative in international affairs.
There can be no question Of the British
desire to see American influence maintained
and strengthened in the postwar era. This
is a matter not Of sentiment but of vital
national interest. Nobody here disputes that
the war could not have been won without
the United States and that there is no chance
Of peace without our intervention It is true
nevertheless that in recent weeks the British
have been more active in working out for
eign policy of their own than at any time
sine America entered the war. This is partly
the result of our preoccupation with the cleo
ton campaign but it is also due to feeling
in official circles here that decisions in Europe
would be taken out Of their hands unless they
moved quickly.
The long discussions in Moscow were for
the purpose OF clarifying Russian and British
interests on the Continent. In these exchanges
the British statesmen had both successes and
failures. They succeeded in having voice in
the Balkan settlements. Though it would have
been easy for the Red armies to push on to
Salonika, Moscow recognized the paramount
interests of Britain in Greece, and this gives
grounds for hope in London that Russian does
not covet major role in the Mediterranean.
The hope is fortified by Russian willingness
to concede that Great Britain and the Soviet
Union have an equal interest in Yugoslavia.
There was formal agreement on this point,
which is very important to the future of the
Balkans and its formal communication to
Marshal Tito and the Yugoslav Government
in London has considerably eased the tension
in that divided country.
Thu British did not succeed in solving The
Polish question. Public opinion in this country
is deeply troubled and divided on this issue.
Mcre than anything it has served to cool the
enthusiasm for Russia which rose to fever
pitch in these islands while the Red Army
was fighting the Germans alone The senti-
rrent is still fervent. The British-Soviet twenty
veal pact has the strongest possible popular
| support, but the people and the Government
are uneasy over Stalin's attitude toward Po-
land
On the Polish side there is profound dis
| appointment over the results of the Moscow
conference. Premier Mikolajczyk went to the
meeting with the idea that Polish-RusSian idf-
| ferences were to be negotiated. Actually he
was called on to agree to settlement already
made
Neither Poles nor British appear keen over
the proposal to extend the Polish boundary
to the Oder. The Czechs have rejected a sug-
geston that they move their pre-war frontier
westward into Germany, and the Belgian For
elgn Minister, when asked in Brussels a fort
nigh ago if Belgium wished to annex German
territory in PREPARATION for damages inflicted
by the Nazi, replied with an emphatic, mo,
thank you. We have troubles enough" Many
Poles feel the same way but they declare
tina if they lose Lwow and the oil fields they
will be obliged to take all they are offered
in compensation.
In their gloom following Moscow the Poles
here continue to count heavily on the United
States. Since it has become evident that the
French will play part in the European settle
men they are beginning to count also on their
historic friendship with France. One conse-
quence OF the weekend talks in Paris is that
the British too are taking France into their
pian7 and calculations to an extent that could
not be foreseen even month ago.
1t is hardly too much to say that the British
rediscovered Europe in France. Until this
| WSCA Gu1 OpedH QueSIlOllS anu CuIOpedA oStlle-
naents have been discussed only with Russia
and the United States. The visit to Italy was
ar eye opener for Mr.. Churchill in the sense
that it revealed conditions and problems that
could not be previewed from Moscow, Wash
ington or London. But Frances contribution
to the somewhat theoretic discussion OF the
future was to make Europe real again-so
real and alive that Churchill and Eden came
back from Paris encouraged, even exhilarat-
ed.
What struck them both was something that
comes with shock of surprise to every OBJ
server in France today. There are young
men in the French Government, new men
with fresh and broader outlook than the
stale-noinded politicians of the past. But be-
vort that France itself seems to have become
Young again. The British visitors were greatly
impressed by the youth Of the crowds in the
| streets It is strange that the leaders of VIC
torious England came back with new hope
from their first visit to defeated France, but
this is what happened. They came back more
honef,1] of the future OF Europe and more
confident of their own ability to solve it's
fri ehtening problems.
SO THEY SAY