Evening star., 1945-03-30

Ambassador Gromyko rather than
send Foreign Minister Molotov was
generally interpreted as indicating
Russia attaches little Importance to
the conference, although Mr.. Gro
myko told reporters yesterday this
was a false conclusion.
Issue to Be Decided at Farley.
The Big Three agreement regard
ing voting power in the assembly
was expected to meet stern opposi-
ton from other nations which have
been assured that while greater
responsibilities required greater
power for large nations in the secur-
ity council of the proposed world
organization, all countries would
have an equal voice in the assembly.
The issue will be decided at the
San Francisco Conference. The
White House announcement late
yesterday emphasized that the YaEa
conversations related to the sub
mission to a question to the San
Francisco Conference where the ulti-
mate decision will be made
There were indications that
American support of the proposal
had something of a "tongue-in-the-
cheek" nature. No State Depart
ment official could be found to in
dorse the agreement. The universal
reply to inquiries for official expla-
nation there was mo comment"
Acting Secretary of State Grew can
celed press conference yesterday,
presumably to avoid discussing the
matter.
A suggestion from a diplomatic
source here that the Yalta agree
ment raised question as to whether
the Big Three were overthrowing
the Dumbarton Oaks proposals.
which stipulate that leach member
of the organization should have one
vote in the general assembly"-met
no adequate answer.
Leak" Speeds Announcement.
There also was no official at
tempt to reconcile the Big Three
proposal with a declaration in the
Dumbarton Oaks agreement that
'the organization is based on the
principle of the sovereign equality
of all peace-loving states
The manner of the announce
ment of the secret agreement raised
many questions, leading observers to
believe that it had been planned
to keep it secret until the San
Francisco Conference actually
opened.
There was a "leak' somewhere,
however, and a New York news
paper yesterday morning published
a report that additional voting
power was being sought for Russia
and the United States. Throughout
the day, State Department officials
failed to respond to insistent de-
mands of newspapermen for an ex-
PLANTATION.
Mr.. Grew and Mr.. Stettinius con-
ferred with President Roosevelt
around noon.
Bombshell Announcement.
Late in the afternoon, the White
House issued the bombshell an
nouncement. 1t said that Soviet
representatives at the Crimea Con-
ference asked American and British
support at the San Francisco Con-
ference for proposal to give two
autonomous" Russian republics
the Ukranian Soviet Republic and
the White Russian Soviet Republic
a seat in the assembly of the pro-
posed organization.
They agreed to do So" the an
nouncement added. ''but the Amer
ican representative stated that. if
the United Nations organization
agreed to let the Soviet republics
have three votes, the United States
would ask for three votes also.
"The British and Soviet repre-
sentatives stated that they would
have no objection to the United
States and its possessions having
three votes in the assembly if it so
desired"
One related aspect of the White
House disclosure was the growth of
some uneasiness in Congress, where
there was conjecture that other and
possibly more far-reaching political
agreements reached at Yalta remain
secret.
While Chairman Connolly of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
declined comment, a number of his
colleagues took the attitude that the
proposal probably will be voted down
at San Francisco, where the small
nations will outnumber the large
powers. This would raise the ques-
tion of continued Soviet participa-
ton in the world organization plans,
however.
Senator Austin, Republican, of
Vermont said difficulties involved in