The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-05-04
IN BIG CHARTER
 IS PLANNED
Agreements Nearly Reach ed on Major Issues
 MoIofov Is Leaving
By JOHN M. HIGHTOWER
 JAP Diplomatic News EditOrl

SAN FRANCISCO, May 4-fTance is virtually sponsoring power of the San Francisco Conference, it was learned today, and it will take part hereafter in the Council of the Big Four Powers.
 The move enlarged the Big Four to the Big Five and set the stage for operation of the proposed World Security Council.
 Virtually the only difference now between the French position at the Conference and that of the other four countries appears to be that France does not have one of the four rotating Presidencies at the Conference.
 The Big Four Foreign Ministers Molotov of Russia, Eden of Britain, Soong of China and Stettinius of the United States-today discussed amendments to the Dumbarton Oaks plan for a world organization.
 SAN FRANCISCO, May 4-The Big Four" were reported near agreement today on major changes in the Dumbarton Oaks plan for a world organization designed to keep peace.
 This accord was regarded by of ficials of the 46 United Nations in conference here as a long step to- ward preventing deadlocks even after Foreign Commissar Molotov sets out for Moscow. as he is now expected to do next week.
 Secretary of State Stettinius has told friends he is extremely pleased with the progress made thus far in his talks about amending the Dumbarton Oaks Charter with Molotov, Foreign Secretary Eden of Britain, and Foreign Minister Soong of China.
 There was no evidence that the Big Four" intend to favor any amendments which would alter the basic Dumbarton Oaks idea of con- centrating in security Council authority to use armed forces to smack down trouble making nations of the future.
 Regional Defense Facts
 But there are signs that the council may be permitted to recog- nize regional defense pacts which automatically would produce help for an attacked nation while the council was going through the pro- cess of deciding on longer-range measures.
 Stettinius held last night the latest of a series of conferences with Molotov, Eden and Soong, going over amendments which the Big Four" have in mind-most of them believed to have been put forward by Britain and the United States.
 One official said as the two-and- a-half hour session broke up that very encouraging progress" had been made. Three members of the Senate Naval Committee = Byrd, De ocrat. Virginia; Eastland, Democrat, Mississippi, and Tobey, Republican, New Hampshire-along with Senator Capehart, Republican, Indiana, presented personally at the Big Four" meeting their pro- posals for trusteeship system which would allow the United States to retain control of strategic islands in the Pacific.
 Trusteeships
 Earlier, Commander Harold E. Stassen of the United States dele gation met with representatives of the British, French, Chinese and Russian delegations to seek a formula on territorial trusteeships. He said afterward there may be agreement this weekend. This is one of the big gaps left in the plan worked out at Dunbar ton Oaks last fall. Chief American interest focused on finding a way to allow this country to retain con- trol of military bases built or to be developed on Pacific islands won from Japan with American lives. ---e
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