Evening star., 1946-08-04

IL is Qou0tfui Whether the present
conference being held in Paris can be
truthfully called peace conference.
Twenty-one nations are gathered
around the green table in the Luxem-
bourg Palace-once the residence of the
most intriguing Queen of France, Cath
crime de Medici-to discuss and present
platonic opinions about decisions al
ready made by the Big Four.
Regardless of how acid the speeches
and protests of representatives of small
countries, such as Australia's Herbert
Evatt, may be, and regardless Of how
much the representatives of the United
States, Great Britain and France would
like to change some of the provisions
OF the treaties outlined at the last
meeting OF the Big Four Foreign Min
listers, there will be no material changes
in the bodies of any of the pre-arranged
peace dictates.
Russia has granted her wartime asso-
ciates the privilege of listening to the
voice of the smaller fellows: she conde-
scended to permit the defeated satel-
htes and Italy to be present at Paris,
but she has made it as plain as possible
that she will not permit any revision of
the decision taken by the Big Four.
Unlike Versailles Gathering.
Not by the widest stretch of the imag
| ination can the present conference be
compared with the one at Versailles 27
years ago.
In 1919 the victors over Germany met
in relative harmony and the big and
small nations all had an equal voice
although that OF the major nations was
more thunderous. There is a greater
and more vital difference, however, be-
| tween the Versailles and the Paris con-
terences. In 1919 the victors harbored
no hostile intentions toward one an
other. They were moved by the same
| desire to disarm the enemy and bring
about a lasting period of peace. The
| Big Four then exercised their greater
military power to crush incipient rows
among the newly born Wilson nations "
as the republics which had been formed
on ethnlcal principles were called after
their liberation from German, Russian
and Austrian yoke.
The Big Four also exercised their
power to curb the appetite of some of
the Balkan states which wanted to use
the success of all the Allies for their
own aggrandizement. Power politics,
OF course, was played during and par
ticularly after the Versailles, Trianon
and Neuilly treaties. Many of the high
| principles set forth by Americas first
war President eventually became emas-
culated beyond recognition. But it can
be said for the peace treaties which fol-
lowed World War I that they did con-
template maintaining law and order in
Europe on the basis of the victor's JUS
tlce. President Wilson's IA points were
neither as thoroughly nor as rapidly
Junked as the Atlantic Charter was.
Russian Force Powerful.
Fifteen months have passed since the
rout OF the German armies and the
total destruction of the Reich. Instead
OF even a superficial appearance of
harmony among the victorious nations
we find ourselves today confronted with
| large armies at ease
East OF the Elbe River the Russians
are maintaining a military establish
ment which is less strong, but as cohe-
sive as any they ever had during the
war. The defeat of the japanese and
the Germans has brought no apparent
change in the Russian military makeup.
They are today in Paris talking peace
treaties, but they have taken good care
to bring into Germany and some of
Russia's satellite countries additional
military forces in such strength that
they could roll the other armies to the
English Channel without the slightest
| difficulty.
| Since the end of the first conference
OF the Big -Four at Paris in April the
Russian general staff has made i'm
portant changes in the size of the armies
OF occupation in Germany. Some of the
troops who had defeated the Germans
were sent back to the interior while
fresh and better indoctrinated and dis