The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1945-05-03

France now looks on Soviet Russia
as its strongest ally and closest
friend
But that's how things are at San
Francisco, and its typical, for the
cloSe-mouthed Russians have be-
come the big mystery operators of
the conference.
The little matter of of the Rus
sian kitchen corridor into French
territory at the St. Francis came
about through the Soviet delega-
tons desire to have private din
ing room for Foreign Commissar
V. M. Molotov. There wasn't any
thing available on the 10th floor, to
which the Russians had been as
signed, but up on the 18th was a
beautifully paneled suite in which
the late Mrs. George Post. widow of
a wealthy West Coast lumber king,
had lived for some years in lavish
surroundings.
Mrs. Post died a few months ago.
Most of her antiques and art treas
rues had been disposed of by her
estate and there had been no takers
for her humble abode, though the
housing shortage here is pretty
acute. The Soviet advance men
looked over this private suite P in
its pristine elegance and, being a
practical people able to get along
with the bare essentials of life, de-
cided it would do.
The question was how to get from
their offices and bedrooms on the
l0thr floor up to the 18th floor
There are several connecting stair
ways and public elevators, but they
wouldn't do. 1t just happened that
adjoining Mrs. Posts suite was
hotel service elevator. 1t was turned
over to the Russians, complete
They put on their operator, sealed
off the shaft from 10th to 18th floors
along with suite P, installed their
own chef in Mrs. Posts kitchen,
and it's theirs till they decide they
want to go home.
Mr.. MolotOv doesn't spend much
time at the hotel and he has taken
only a few meals in suite P. Most of
the time he's not at the conference
Is spent at the Soviet consulate
First night he was in town they
gave dinner for him at the con-
sulate. Some of the correspondents
TAXED out to see what went on. but
Russian plain lothesmen didn't let
them get out Of the cab.
When MolotoV is at the st. Fran
els, where he has plush Office space,
parlor bedroom and bath, an
American MP is stationed at the
10th floor public elevator exits and
NOBODY gets off who hasn't bus
mess.
MolotoV went to a movie Sunday.
night, to see news reels of the con-
terence opening. -Four rows of seats
were reserved and he entered sur
rounded by a flying wedge OF
guards. When he sat down he was
surrounded. He stayed only about
quarter of an hour.
Much has been made of the
Russian communications ship an
chored out in the bay. Rumors have
flown that Ukrainian and White
Russian and even Lubin Polish
delegations are out there, waiting
Tor the correct moment to appear
IN public. But both the British and
the Americans had similar radio
communication ships at Yalta for
the Crlmean Conference. SO it's
nothing new.
How many Russians are at the
consulate, on the ship, or staying
at the hotel, nobody knows. The
st. Francis management has no
idea how many Russian guests it
has. 1t knows definitely it has %
out OF the As delegations and it
knows the names and room num-
bers of ATS delegates and advisers
IN % out of the % delegations,
plus 26 liaison men from the CO.
ordlnators office for the 10 Latin
American delegations. The st.
Francis is EARLY the most cosmo-
polltan center in town, sWarming
with rubberneckers and autograph
seekers.
But on the 23rd delegation. the
Russians, the st. Francis manage
ment just gave up. The first 80
arrivals, including u women secre-
taries, were duly registered. But
when clerks found they couldn't
read the Russian signatures they
just let the later arrivals move in
and take over the whole floor, do
Ing with il what thew will