Evening star., 1945-07-17
FLEET SHELLS CITY 80 MILES FROM TOKYO
Stain, TrumonM Meetut Potsdom
For Hour-Long Session Before
Opening Of Big Three PorIey
Russian Premier's
Arrival Two Days
Ago Is Revealed
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
POTSDAM, July 17.-Premiel
Stain conferred for an houl
with President Truman at. the
Little White House today ir
company with their ranking for
eign affairs officials a few hour,
before the Big Three Confer.
ence was scheduled to start.
The generalissimo, -attired as ;
marshal of the Soviet Union, wa
accompanied by Foreign Commissal
Vyacheslav Molotov, They were
guests at luncheon of the President
and Secretary of State Byrnes.
There was an atmosphere o.
secrecy surrounding the delayed
start of the conference with Prime
Minister Churchill.
Arrived Two Days Ago.
The two Soviet leaders arrived ir
Potsdam two days ago, it was dis
closed. There was no explanation
however, why the opening of the
conference had been delayed yes
terday.
Mr.. Churchill ate luncheon with
Secretary of War Stimson after
entertaining Gen. Marshall, Army
chief of staff, at dinner last night
Mr.. Stimson's views on the Pacific
war we're understood to have been
given to Mr.. Churchill.
Mr.. Stimson arrived after touring
the wrecked center of Berlin, re-
marking: II feel as though have
done a distasteful duty"
The Russians appeared at Mr.
Truman's residence at 11:50 am
with their official interpreter, v. N
Pavlov, and were greeted by the
Presidents military and naval aides
and then by Mr.. Truman and Mr.
Byrnes in their Offices on the second
floor.
Charles E. Bohlen of the State
Department was the American in
terpreter. Mr.. Pavlov has accom-
panied Premier Stain to all the
previous Big Three meetings. The
six were together for an hour before
going to lunch.
Truman at Head of Table.
Mr.. Truman wore a brown busi-
ness suit and sat at the head of the
table. The generalisSimo's uniform
was fawn-colored with silver -edged
stars on the epaulets. He sat on the
Presidents right.
Mr.. Pavlov and Mr.. Molotov sat
to Premier Stalin's right in that
order, while Mr.. Byrnes, Mr.. Bohlen
and Admiral William D. Leahy, Mr.
Truman's personal chief of staff
we're at the Presidents left in that
order.
Mr.. Truman had seen Mr.. Church
i'll informally yesterday when the
British leader called to pay his re-
spects.
The luncheon was concluded at
2:45 pm. The menu included
creamed spinach, fried liver anc
bacon, smothered with onions;
baked ham, Julienne potatoes, string
beans, pumpernickel bread, jam
sliced fruit, cookies, mint, candle.
and cigars.
1t was the kind of Sy-goinl
meeting without frills which delight
Mr.. Truman.
Subject Is Secret.
For Premier Stain it was an op
portunity to size up at leisure tht
successor of President Roosevelt.
hGr- T7f-1IF1 fc i1lcf ryoffi1ar t1rnI 4,
the sometimes cumbersome business
of interpreters, but this was /;
smooth beginning.
What they talked about remained
secret.
Both Premier Stain and Mr.
Churchill threw protocol overheard
in going themselves to pay thei
respects first to President Truman
Although Potsdam is in the Rus.
sian zone of occupation, the Ameri.
can and British quarters there art
territorial islands. Soviet authori.
ties have scrupulously avoided max.
ing any claim to being host" power
The Potsdam meeting, they woule
have it be known, is a conference
among three co-equal hosts. There
are no guests"
Earlier Mr. Truman had directed
Vice Admiral Emory S. Land, chic
of the Maritime Commission, tt
proceed to Germany as soon as pos
sible, indicating that postwar worl,
shipping and utilization of the Unit
ed States greatest merchant flee
in history would play a part in tn
discussions.
Call Is No Surprise.
The Presidents call for Admirs
Land came as no surprise. In pre-
conference discussions with his stat
before he left Washington, Mr.. Tru
man decided to direct the top ship
ping official to stand by and be pre-
pared to join the Big Three confer
ence. Admiral Land attended tn
Roosevelt Churchill Quebec discus
sions and furnished advice at late
Big Three meetings.
The conference agenda will cove
worldwide range of subjects, in
Guiding territorial disputes, occupa
One 0dd5f;o11nJ anns fro,,,