Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-07-29
The Puris Conference


fined to the draft. treaties drawn up
by the Big Four for Italy, Hungary,
Romania, Bulgaria and Finland, the
21-nation conference beginning in
Paris today can at best accomplish
only a segment of all that must be
done before our whole human So
ciety can enjoy reasonably normal
and ordered existence. Yet, despite
this limitation, the meeting is a his
toric one, and the peoples of the
world have good reason to be en-
couraged by 1t as the first broad in
ternational effort of it's kind since
the end of the war-the first organ
lied move by multiplicity of coun-
tries, and not by a few great powers
alone, to get rid of occupation
armies and ,re-establish a peace
status in defeated enemy lands.
The usefulness of the conference,
of course, will depend in large meas
ure on how the great powers respond
to whatever counsel it may have to
offer. The five draft treaties in
volve compromises that are far from
perfect, but the Foreign Ministers
OF France, Britain, Russia and the
United States apparently could work
out nothing better, and the settle
ments may in fact be the best pos
sible that can be devised at this
time. But still there is chance that
the 21-nation meeting, by bringing
many fresh minds to bear upon the
situation, will be. able to recommend
substantial Improvements, and if the
Big Four-who are not actually
obligated to do so-make the final
treaty texts conform accordingly,
the outlook for sound and accept
able overall peace will be percep-
tibly brighter than it is now.
1t seems reasonable to expect, in
any event, that the Paris Confer
ence will be free to study and debate
the issues and offer advice on them,
in such a way as to exercise at least
some measure of moral suasion on
the great powers. This is all to the
good. Certainly, If the meeting ends
In an atmosphere of satisfaction
among all the countries concerned,
the large area sof Europe covered by
the five treaties will be relieved of
the abnormal conditions imposed
upon 1t now, and 1t thus will have an
opportunity to work its way back to
peacetime normality. Beyond that,
with the problems of Italy, Hungary,
Romania, Bulgaria and Finland
largely disposed of, the task of deter
mining the future of Austria and
Germany-a task fundamental to q
general European peace-will be
made less difficult, though it is
going to be extremely complex and
contentious under the best of cir
cumstances. BY the same token,
moreover, the equally hard and ex-
plosive question of an Asiatic settle
ment will be favorably affected.
To be sure, nothing is more obvi-
Gus than that the rockiest part of
the road to normal international
life and order will yet have to be
Travelled after the Paris Conference
adjourns. Nevertheless, as Secretary
Byrnes has declared, it is true that
just as war breeds war peace can be
made to breed peace, so that If it is
successful in dealing with the seq
ment now before it, the 21-nation
meeting may we'll set in motion
forces that will hasten a decent
overall settlement enabling the
world to forget about destruction,
death and vengeance and live crea-
lively In a new age of mutual trust
and forebearance.