The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-12-07
Big 4 to Take Up Reich Treaty Today
Signing Facts For Satellites Delayed Again

S@E~~ isters will begin their long-delayed talks on German peace treaty toe day and will run smack into re. quests of Germany's small neigh bors to participate.
 Belgium, the Netherlands, Lux embourg, Czechoslovakia and Po- land-all invaded and occupied and raviShed by Nazi Germany-have demanded formally that they be given bigger and more decisive voice in the drafting of the Ger man treaty than they were in those for Hitler's former satellites.
 The decision to begin the Ger man talks was taken at last nights foreign ministers meeting after the Big Four decided that mechanical problems would prevent their sign- ing the treaties for Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland uTl- til sometime between Feb. 1 and i5, i947. Virtually all the main decisions save been made but prob- lems of translation, organization, printing, checking and final ape proval by Big Four before the for- nal signing ceremonies will take an estimated two months.
 Byrnes Reluctantly Accepts Report
 Byrnes, who had hoped too op- timistically to get the treaties signed by Christmas for presenta- tion to the U. S. Senate in January. reluctantly accepted the more pes- sirnistic report of the deputies. But he urged that every effort be made to speed up the mechanical pro- ceSses.
 The decision to hold preliminary discussion on Germany here was made by the Big Four at Paris earlier this fall. But the absence of a new French government De. cause of the recent elections and failure of former French Minister Georges Bidault to come here VII! limit the discussions to proceduraI matters.
 Today's agenda called for study of how the Big Four will proceed to tackle the German treaty. Byrnes submitted two drafts of proposed procedure, including suggested agenda for the talks here and when the foreign ministers meet early next year in Europe to begin talk ing about Gearmany in earnest.
 Byrnes has abandoned any hope of discussing anything except pro- cedure here. He may suggest, but he doesn't expect any support, that Germany's frontiers be decided here.
 Believe in Giving Them Voices
 On the question of small nation participation Byrnes and British Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin be- lieve the Big Four should be more liberal than they were with the small nations in the drafting of the satellite treaties. Soviet Foreign Minister V. Nj. Molotov's position is unknown.
 The solution of this problem is expected to be somewhere between giving such countries just the right to be heard and letting them have voting participation. The latter is prohibited under the Potsdam Agreement which created the Coun- cil of Foreign Ministers.
 The Big Four last night agreed to some minor points on the Trieste statute, sent a letter to LIN Secre- tary General Trygve Lie asking him for money to pay the Trieste gov ernor. and discussed in supersee- recy a report of naval experts on disposition of units of the Italian navy which Italy will not be per- mitted to keep.
 The naval experts are so worried that those units will be scuttled once their disposition is announced. that the Big Four last night pledg- ed every ofiicial at the meeting to absolute secrecy.
 Italy will be allowed to keep two battleships. four cruisers. four des- troyers. i6 torpedo boats. 20 corv- cites, and numerous minor and auxiliary war vessels. The rest of her fleet will be turned over to the Big Four for disposition-three bat- ueships, five cruisers. one sloop, seven destroyers. six torpedo boats. eight submarines. and minor and auxiliary craft.