Evening star., 1946-08-04
Paris Conference Serves
Merely as Public Forum
21.Nation Gathering Affords Opportunity for
Opinion Expressions, but Treaties Are to
Follow Big Four Agreements
Bv Constantine Rroau

me brOsCu
ciplined men were taken into the Reich.
According to available estimates, the Red
Army strength in the Russian zone in
the Reich is close to TOO, 900 fully trained
men. A supporting force of not less
than $4,000 is concentrated in various
portions OF Poland, while quite recently
there have been important changes in
the Russian occupation force in Rumania
where the military establishment was
brought up to its 1945 strength of ap-
proximately 100000 men. There has
been slight decrease of forces in Bull
garia and in Hungary.
Thus, Red force OF more than 12o
full divisions, including tank and mech
anized forces, backed by an aviation
force of about 1000 planes of all types.
stands "at ease" from the Baltic to the
Danube. The troops Russia is keeping
in the Caucasus and in the Odessa
area are not counted in this conservative
estimate OF Russian forces facing the
Allies.
On our side there is next to nothing.
The American forces in Austria and
Germany are hardly more than a mill
tary police guard made up of an over
whelming number of raw and poorly
trained homesick troops. The British
are not much better off The French
are in worse shape from a military
standpoint.
1t is true that the Western Allies
possess the new weapon-the atomic
bomb-which is considered equal. If not
superior, to any existing army. We have
used this terrifying instrument of de-
struction in the war against the jap
anese. Whether it can be used defen-
sively with the same success against
country which covers such vast terri
tory is matter now discussed among
strategists the world over
The fact, however, is that at the pres
ent peace conference which is taking
place only year after the end of the
war the principal participants are at
tending in spirit of distrust Their
guns have been parked outside the con-
ference hall, but they are not too far off
to be grabbed and used And what is
more important is that they are loaded.
Byrnes Has Misgivings.
Secretary of State Byrnes is reported
by friends to have gone to Paris with
many misgivings. He has no doubt that
the peace treaties agreed on at the last
meeting of the Big -Four will be signed.
But he wonders whether they can truth
fully be represented to the peoples of the
world as meaning an era of peace and
tranquility.
Insofar as the former Hitler satellites
in the Balkans are concerned, the peace
treaties represent nothing but switch
of allegiance from the Reich to the
/ USSR. The governments installed in
Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Fin
land are handpicked by Moscow
The signing of the peace treaties with
Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary will
put the stamp of approval on these pup
pet governments by the United States,
Great Britain and France Neither the
Bucharest nor Sofia governments has
fulfilled the requirements demanded by
Washington and London at Moscow last
year to get the western powers to recog-
nize them. Therefore they will not OBJ
tain recognition after we agree to let
them sign the peace treaties regardless
of whether they have free or faxed elec-
tions
The territorial changes which were de-
manded by Russia and which are in
cluded in the treaties being discussed at
Paris have been in force for almost two
years. The same is true of indemnities.
Treaties Mean Little.
There will be no major changes in the
peace treaty with Italy, regardless of
whether or not the Italian government
agrees to sign it. There are enough
Yugoslav divisions near the disputed
territories and Red Army planes not too
far away to see that there will be no
departure from the blueprints estab-
lished in June.
The treaties which are being 'negoti-
ated" at Paris are of little consequence.
They merely formally place in the Soviet
zone of influence the Danubian states
which have been Russia's satellites since
the day they were compelled to 60 to
Moscow for the armistice they were
seeking from Washington and London.
But the future of Germany and the
disposition of territory containing a
population of some 5S,000,00O is the
main problem and the crux for the
peace of Europe. And that question
cannot come up for discussion for
some time. Military observers in WASH
ington, London and Paris feel that the
new disposition of the Red armies in
Germany and in the Danubian areas
is intended to serve as a really strong
argument for the enforcement of Mos
cows plans regarding the Reich at
future Big -Four negotiations.
Democracies Oppose War.
The Politbureau which today controls
all of Russia's policies-domestic, mill
tary and international-iS fully aware
that the western democracies, although
they possess the atomic bomb, still re-
spect land and air forces. The Foreign
Ministers of the western democracies,
who are responsible to their electorate,
cannot afford to tell their people
that because of principles they have
gotten into risky row with strong
military power capable of taking in
slant action. Whenever they are con-
fronted with the tragic possibility Of
seeing armies on the march, they cave
in and are happy to find some sort
OF face-saving formula which, when
properly coated" can be presented to
peace-loving peoples as victory rather