Evening star., 1945-12-16
Atomic Bomb Issue Held
Secondary at Big 3 Farley
Mediterranean, Adriatic, Red Sea and Far Eastern
Problems Declared Main Controversies
to Be Studied at Moscow
By Constantine Bro,pn

By C0nsfan
When President Truman announced
in November that meeting of the
heads of state of the Big Three was no
longer necessary because the war was
over and all the problems of the United
Nations should be discussed in the open
forum of the UNO, Secretary Of State
Byrnes suggested that he be allowed to
resume conversations of the Foreign
Ministers of the other two world powers.
He was prompted in this action by
the fact that he had received informa-
ton indicating that the United Nations
Organization would be jeopardized un-
less some of the questions left in abey-
ance after the failure of the London
conference were settled to Russia's sat-
isfaction.
Moscow was chosen%as the meeting
place of the new talks because, in the
absence of Premier Stain, Foreign Com
missar Molotov is now the principal
political figure in the U. S. S. r. More
over. Russian diplomats do not want to
leave their country. They are at a
disadvantage every time meetings with
the Allies are held on American or
British soil.
The screen of secrecy cannot be fully
enforced in the western democracies,
but it works perfectly in Russia or the
adjacent countries, where the Soviet has
full control of lines of communications
and is thus able to enforce complete
censorship. At the meeting OF the For
eign Ministers of the Big Five in London,
the delegates kept their pledges not to
permit any news, except official COM
muniques, to be given out to the press.
Yet, because the cable censorship did
not exist, the world was informed Of
the difficulties encountered at the meet
ings within few hours after they arose.
Atom Bomb Issue Overemphasized.
Mr.. Byrnes has taken to Moscow
staff of diplomatic experts who for sew
eral months have studied the problems
which have created schism between
the English-speaking demoeracies and
the U. S. S. r.
The American delegation is fully
aware that the new conference can
achieve no particular purpose unless the
United States and Great Britain have
decided to yield to the U. IS. S. r. on
some of the questions which wrecked
the London conference and caused
greater cooling of of relations among
the Big Three than ever before.
The surrender of the secret and con-
troll of the atomic bomb has been prom
inently mentioned as one of the major
reasons for the present indifferent" re-
lations with Russia. High-ranking po-
litical men, however, feel that this dis
cordant note in the American-British-
Russian harmony has been greatly exag-
gerated According to the best avail
able information, the Russians have both
the formula and the know-how of man.
ufacture of that instrument of destruc-
ton. The real trouble between Russia
and Great Britain is the control of the
Eastern Mediterranean and the appar-
ent determination of Moscow to control
the Adriatic through Marshal Tito and
the southern shores of the Eastern Med
iterranean and the Red Sea through
trusteeship.
Would Menace Oil Field.
To this must be added Russias alleged
determination to take under her wing
strategic portions of Turkey such as
Kars and Ardahan in the Middle East
and Istanbul with the Dardanelles and
the Bosphorus Straits.
Kars and Ardahan are at the confines
of Iranian-Azerbaijan which is expected
to become part and parcel of the U. s..
s. r. in the near future. Possession or
control of those areas would, according
to British experts, constitute direct
menace to the important Mosul oil fields.
Control of the >Dardanelles and pos
session of Russian air and naval bases In
Tripolitania and the Red Sea are re-
garded by the British government as a
potential threat to the lines of COM
munications between the United King
dom and Indian Ocean.
These matters were discussed at length
at the London conference in September.
British Foreign Secretary Bevin refused
to yield to Commissar Molotov. He was
strongly supported by the United States.
France and China although China has
no direct interest in the Mediterranean
problems.
AS far as this country is concerned,
the major difficulty at the London con-
ference was Russia's demand for con-
trolling voice in the administration of
Japan.
It has now become obvious that our
interest in the European problems has
become academic. We are withdrawing
| our forces from that continent as speed
lily as transportation permits. Our policy
toward Germany is still uncertain and
our Army Of Occupation is most anxious
to return home It is obvious to most
observers who have recently returned
from Germany that we cannot do much
good in the former Reich, while both
the Russians and the British are fol-
lowing definite realistic policy which
| we do not seem to possess.
japanese Issue Paramount.
In London we demanded that the
Balkan countries comply with the Yalta
arrangements among the Big Three and
| hold democratic elections. It is obvious
that these arrangements are merely
scraps of paper. Democratic elections
in the western meaning Of the word will
take place in those countries In the
distant future when, and if. the armies
-==s. -.
tration is intelligible. They have not
yet been fused into fighting opposi-
tion, and they are disturbed because
they fear that three-quarters Of Church.
iIIsc mind is Sf11l f,,riolls about the 10 ct