The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-07-17
By RALPH HEINZEN United Press War Analyst)

No political conference in world history has ever assumed the i'm portance to all people as the third meeting of the Big Three in twenty months, in Potsdam, this week. No political conference has ever had to solve problems as truly worldly in character as this gathering The agenda of the Potsdam conference has not been published, but if the Big Three are ever at loss to find subject, they need only shut their eyes and point their fingers on the globe. Wherever they point, there is bound to be major problem needing their solution.
 It is perhaps specially befitting that Berlin's suburb was chosen as the meeting place of the three conquerors. The choice of the site should remind all Germans of their crushing defeat. It should also serve to provide the exact atmosphere needed for these monumental talks because Germany, or rather what to do with Germany" remains the problem No. on this agenda.
 The immediate material problems of feeding and policing and govern ing the German 30 millions have been solved last week, by the form ation of the four-power Komman- dantur But there remains the Ques- tion to be settled: Will Germany be allowed to live, intact, or shall she forcibly be split up into smaller states and held apart, by force if necessary. Will German 1apor be drafted and deported to rebuild war damage abroad, and German heavy industry be dismantled to remove the temptation and the possibility of ever waging war again?
 Or will German factories be re- built, her labor left at home, to produce there what the world need to heal its sores? Will German labor, impressed and deported, raise food for the French and the Rus sians and the Poles in those lands, or will German "Bauern" work their own fields, at home, and hand over their harvests into world pool to keep hundreds of millions alive through the critical years ahead?
 It must be patently clear to all, including the Germans, now, that Germany has suffered the most crushing defeat in history. The contrast between the snarling and whining Germany of 1919 and the silent, submissive soundly-whipped Germany of 1945 is striking. But time is swift healer and that is why the first problem on the Big Three Aganeda is Germany, and what to do about her before the healing begins.
 Second only to the German prob lem are the closely related problems of Austria and Hungary, of the other but weaker extremity of the Axis, Italy. Italians are clamoring for a chance to prove that she was on our side all the time. The chaos inside Italy is so total that the real status of Italy in world affairs, her position as a friend or an en- en1y, must be clarified immediately. There is urgent need of providing work, as well as food and material goods, for Italian tennpers are heat ing.
 All around the Mediterranean there is trouble.
 Greece is fearful of losing her northern edges. She is clamoring for police and help. She also wants to regain manyAegean islands when Italy's empire is carved up.
 The problem of the Dardanelles is timely. Perhaps ripe for solution otherwise than by force. But it is question whether Marshal Stalin will allow it to come up before the Big Three or whether he will treat 1t as a purely Russo-Turkish prob lem. Turkey knows she cannot keep the straits wholly in her hand. Rus sia is too powerful ever to consent to allow Turkey or anyone else to guard the side gate to her richest lands. So Turkey would welcome Big Three discussion. but will Stalin consent?
 The Near East, that sandy east shore of the troublesome Mediter- ranean, is tense and full of prob- lems. The rising strength of the Pan.Afab bloc is indeniable. With out France present in Potsdam. the Big Three cannot settle the Syrian LsebaHese dispute with General de Gaulle without provoking 'big pow CT" dictation charges. Tn America there was a suggestion today for the