Evening star., 1946-07-28
Luxembourg Palace
Ready for Delegates
After Major Repairs
By PouI GhoIi
Foreign Correspondent of The Stor ond
the Chicoao Daily News

PARIS, July 27-French officials
in charge of preparing Luxembourg
Palace to receive the 21-nation
peace conference proudly announced
today that all was in readiness.
With the help of $50 skilled crafts
men, working night and day for
month, the last nail has been driven.
The dark and stately building.
erected in 1915 for Queen Marie of
the Medici, stands completely re-
paired and refurbished after the
serious damages inflicted upon 1t in
September. 1914, when Gen. JAG
ques Philippe Leclerc's fighting
French liberated it from the Nazis.
Today the old palace, occupied by
Hermann Goering's Luftwaffe dur
ing four years of German occupa-
tion looks like a modernized rein
carnation of its former glory.
Eight Miles of Wire.
Telephone and telegraph installa-
tions have used up more than eight
miles of electric wire. and the par
titioning of the immense halls and
stately rooms, once trodden by
queens and courtiers, has cost the
French government nearly five miles
Of lumber. Some 10000 square feet
of damaged flooring has been re-
paired.
Seventy telephone circuits. link
ing the palace to all the European
capitals, three broadcasting studios
and Is telegraph lines have been in
stalled to relate to the world the ups
and downs of the Paris negotia-
tions.
The press rooms overlook lovely
! gardens and flower bedS-Small but
exact copies of the Versailles gar
denS.
Fifteen hundred delegates are ex-
pected to fill the assembly rooms,
lobbieS and corridors of the old Lux
emourg palace, once the seat of the
French Senate, when the peace con-
ference convenes Monday Afternoon.
Space Biggest Problem.
The big problem which had to
be solved by the French architects
was space The French Senate as
sembly room contains only $50
seats. So as host. the French gov
ernment has decided that only ten
delegates from each country shall
be seated in the assembly room
itself, while less important men,
bers listen to the debates in the
adjoining gold and red gallery.
Loudspeakers have been installed
in practically every corner of the
palace Transforming the entire
building into one gigantic assembly
hall.
Because Of technical impossible
tiles the speeches will not be simul-
taneously translated into three
languages, as at the Nuremberg war
crime trials.
Delegates are arriving almost
hourly at airfelds and railway
stations here and Jacques Dumaine.
head of French protocol hasn't had
a moment to himself. One delega-
ton has informed the French that
it expects to be met by a member
Of the French Academy, since its
head is member of his country's
learned body. Practically all dele
cations have informed the French
Foreign Office that no minor men,
ber OF the French government
should welcome them on their
arrival.
Russian Delegation Largest.
The Importance of the delega-
ton varies, but not according to
the country's size. Yugoslavia has
200 delegates. the same number as
the United States. Russia holds the
record with 300 members. The
smallest delegations are Czecho-
slavias with so and Frances
with 3d.
During the last week. leading
Paris hotels have been emptied of
their civilian guests to house the
worlds delegates.
The American delegation, which
will arrive tomorrow. will return
to its former quarters at the Hotel
Meurice, overlooking the Tuileries.
Mondays initial session of the
conference will begin with speech
OF welcome by French Premier
President Georges Bidault, to which
the head of each of the q dele
cations will reply. With transla-
tions into three languages. these
speeches are expected to take most
OF the first part of the week.
(Copyright 1oI6,