Evening star., 1947-03-29
Moscow Farley
Agrees toAct on
German Issue
Will Turn Monday
To Compromise on
Repurutions, Unity
BY the Associoted Press

By the Associoted Press
MOSCOW, Mar. 29-The Coun-
Gil of Foreign Ministers agreed
today to come to grips Monday
with the heart of the German
problem. They will try then to
reach a compromise on repara-
tions and economic unity.
In one-hour session. the shortest
of this conference thus far, the Min
listers agreed on a schedule for the
German discussions and set up a
special committee to attempt to
draw up a directive on the lesser
problems of the report Of the Allied
Control Council for Germany.
Agenda Agreed On.
The agreed agenda for Monday,
summing up three weeks Of pro-
posals made thus far, was:
l. Germany as an economic unit,
including reparations, plus a review
of the levels of industry, including
industrial demilitarization.
2. The form and scope OF pro-
visional German government.
Britain proposed tonight that all
prisoners or war be returned to Ger
many by the end of 1948. She
recommended that France, Russia,
Britain and the United States furn-
ish to the Allied Control Council for
Germany not later than June l,
I947, their plans for repatriation of
the priosenrs, including provisions
whereby such repatriation would be
completed by December 81, 194S."
Russia holds more prisoners than
any of the other nations.
An authorized source, meanwhile,
said talks were taking place be-
tween Soviet and British officials
concerning revision of the British
Soviet alliance.
Secretary Of State Marshall is
determined to force an early show
down on critical German issues, it
was learned on high authority today,
in an effort to discover on what
basis, If any. Russia is willing to
make acceptable agreements.
Deputies of the Foreign Ministers
today approved a report of progress
on the Austrian peace treaty which
showed that of SIS proposed articles
for the treaty, only "a had been
agreed on.
The three major open questions on
the treaty are the issues of German
assets, frontiers and compensation to
United Nations property losses due
to the war.
"Paltry'' Payments Claimed.
In the meeting OF the deputies on
Germany, meanwhile, a spokesman
for the small Western nations en-
titled to, reparations from Germany
charged that the big powers had
failed to live up to Potsdam promises
on reparations and had produced
"paltry results" in deliveries from
enemy capital equipment to date.
Gen. Marshall proposed last night
to focus discussion in the lmmedl-
ate future on what he considered
the three key problems and to set
Wednesday as a target date" Tor
decisions or deadlocks on these ques-
tions-German economic unity, pro-
visional government and level OF in
dustry and reparations.
In line with this strategy, in
formants said, the Secretary can be
expected to suggest other headlines
as the. conference progresses. They
added that if the lack of accom-
plishments continued-and they saw
good reason to think it would-then
he probably would move to break
off negotiations-aimed at peace
treaties with Germany and Aus
tria-and go home toward the mid
die OF April. If prospects of doing
something constructive brighten, he
was reported willing to remain a
reasonable time.
Chances of making real advances
in the major task of restoring Ger
many as a unified Nation dimmed
last night when disclosure of a
previously secret report of the Mini
sters' Co-ordinating Committee re-
vealed that the powers-the United
States, Britain, France, and Russia
had reached only few agree
ments in principle on relatively
minor German questions and that
conflicts had hardened on such
things as reparations and economic
unity.
The Russians told the Co-ordi-
mating Committee that they would
not accept economic unity unless
they were assured beyond doubt
of reparations from current produc-
ton. The Americans and British
took an equally firm stand against
economic unity unless German self
suff1ciency was put above all else.
The British-American view was
that continuing reparations would
delay if not prevent realization of
Germany's ability to pay her own
way. Both Gen. Marshall and Brit
ish Foreign Secretary Bevin have
insisted that their countries will
not spend another penny in Ger
many if such spending will amount
to paying for reparations to Russia.
Weakness in Soviet Position.
The real strength of the western
powers position lay in the zonal
economic merger under which they
hope to make Western Germany
self-supporting within a few years.
The strength of the Soviet position
seemed to lie in Russia's ability to
keep Eastern Germany relatively
isolated against western desires and
thereby maintain her extensive
power in Europe.
On the score of reparations, the
Soviet Unions position was believed
(See MOSCOW, Page A-2D