The daily monitor leader., 1945-05-18

rrencn territory at the 81. Fran
els came about through the Sow
let delegations desire to have a
private dining room for Foreign
Commissar v. M. Molotov.
There wasn't anything available
on the tenth floor, to which the
Russians had been assigned, but
up on the twelfth was beauti-
fully panneled suite in which
the late Mrs. George Post, widow
of 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 treasures had been disposed
OF by her estate and there had
been no takers for her humble
abode, though the housing short
age here is pretty acute.
Soviet advance men looked
over this private suite in its pris-
tine elegance, and, being a prac-
tical people able to get along
with the bare essentials of life,
decided it would do.
JUST A SERVICE
ELEVATOR-BUT PRIVATE
The question was how to get
from their offices and bedrooms
on the tenth floor up to Suite p
on the twelfth floor. There are
several connecting stairways
and public elevators, but they
wouldn't do. II just happened
that adjoining Mrs. Posts suite
was a hotel service elevator. 1t
was turned over to the Russians,
complete. They put on their op-
orator, sealed off the shaft from
tenth to twelfth floors, installed
their own chef in Mrs. Posts kit
chen, and it's theirs till they de-
eide they want to go home.
Comrade Molotov didn't spend
much time at the hotel and he
took only a few meals in Suite
p. Most of the time when not
at the conference he spent at the
Soviet Consulate. First night he
was in town they gave a dinner
for him at the Consulate. Some
of the correspondents TAXED out
to see what went on, but Rus
sian piain-clothesmen didn't let
them get out of the cab.
When Molotov was at the st.
Francis, where he had plush Of
flee space, parlor, bedroom and
bath, an American MP was sta
toned at the tenth floor public
elevator exits and nobody gets
off who hasn't business.
ARE THERE POLES AND
WHITE RUSSIANS HERE TOO?
Much has been made of the
r u a n communications ship
anchored out in the bay. Rumors
have flown that Ukrainian and
White Russians and even Lublin
Polish delegations are out there,
waiting for the correct moment
TO appear in public. But both the
British and the Americans had
similar ra d 10 communication
ships at Yalta for the Crimean
Conference, so it's nothing new.
How many Russians are at the
Consulate, on the ship, or stay
ing at the hotel, nobody knows.
st. Francis management has no
idea how many Russian guests it
has. 1t knows definitely it has
% of the 46 delegations and it
knows the names and room
numbers Of AIS delegates and
advisers in % out of the % dele
cations, plus 26 liaison men
from the co-ordinator's office for
the 13 American delega-
tions. The st. Francis is easily
the most cosmopolitan center in
town, swarming with rubber
neckers and autograph seekers.
But on the twenty-third dele
cation, the Russians, the st.
Francis management just gave
up. The first 80 arrivals, includ-
ing IL women secretaries, were
duly registered. But when cfeSks
found they couldn't read the
Russian signatures they just let
the later arrivals move in and
take over the whole floor, doing
with 1t what they will.