The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-21

garding Greece, Italy, lend Churchill Roosevelt-Stalin con- ference provisionally scheduled for just after elections, about Nov. g.
 It is no secret that Churchill was irritated over RooseVelt'S de- cision not to proceed. However, 1t has been a secret that not only was he irritated, he was boiling mad. And his ire, undoubtedly influenced relations with Greece and Italy, definitely caused the partial failure of the Chicago Air Conference.
 Since then, Churchill has been working to have the postponed Big Three conference revived at an early date, and it now looks as if he had succeeded. Obvious ly the President cannot leave the country until he is inaugu- rated January 20. But after that the meeting probably will take place.
 Judging by the temper of Chur- chill's critics in parliament and hostile editorials in even The London Times regarding his Greek policy, the prime minister badly needs such meeting to restore his shaky prestige.
 The inside background of the Churchill Roosevelt irritation goes back to ChurchiIl'S flying visit to Moscow right after the Quebec conference last summer. Personally Churchill got along famOusIy with Stalin on that trip, though politically he didn't do much business. A lot of things, he felt, such as conflict ing British Russian influence in the Balkans, Turkey, Iran re-
 main to be settled. So he
 counted on ironing them out with Roosevelt after elections.
 The President, however, decided not to rush off to the NeaC. East or Russia right after elections. For one thing he didn't want to get in the middle of a Stalin- Churchill dispute.
 CHURCHILL'S
 SHAKY DEBATE
 This was when Churchill hit the ceiling. Insiders noticed that a lot of warmth disappeared from their personal telegramS ilnmedi- ately afterwards.
 There was one memorable oc- caSion when the Chicago Air Conference reached a deadlock when Churchill seemed especially stubborn. The British and Amer ican delegations were not far apart, but neither side could back down. At one cabinet meeting in London, two British cabinet members urged Churchill to cable Lord Swinton, British delegate in Chicago, to compromise. They felt British-American harmony was much more important ian a point of commercial air ad- vantage, and that the two chief Allies of the war should not cause an important conference to go on the rocks because of their differences.
 Churchill, however, refused to
 budge. The conference ended
 with a patched-up agreement
 camOuflaged as a real agree
 ment.
 On top of this, conditions drift ed from badd to worse in Greece. It is quite true that Roosevelt had agreed to give the British a free hand in Greece. In fact, Roosevelt had carried this so far that all American political and underground operations in Greece had to have British ap- proval. Roosevelt even backed up Churchill in supporting King George of Greece when most of the cabinet wanted to require plebiscite before the King could return.
 So, unquestiOnably, Roosevelt shared in planting the seeds from the present trouble springs. His advisers say, however, that he did not expect or even dream that British policy would drift into such a tragic impasse as occurring today in the streets of Athens.
 It has had serious repercusSionS