Evening star., 1947-03-22
Roosevelt Outtruded
By StuIin at YuItu
Moscow Publication of Pact
Shows u. S. Committed
Bv JavG. Havden

The late President Roosevelt's an1az-
ing secret generosity to Premier Stain
at Yalta has again been evidenced in
the publication at Moscow Of the agree
ment of these two, with Churchill dis
senting, on a $4,000, 100000 total Of
reparations from Germany, so per cent
of 1t for Russia.
Secretary of State Marshall disputed
Molotovs reassertion of this claim on
the ground that it had been superseded
at Potsdam, and Foreign Secretary
Bevin said it was of no standing any
how because Churchill refused to sign it.
The ink scarcely had dried on the
joint communique, following the Yalta
Conference, before it became apparent
that much more went on there than
was Immediately revealed.
The communique was issued on Feb
ruary 10, 1945, and just week later it
cropped up that the Atlantic Charter
had been revised. AS originally writ
ten, this document said its signers,
Roosevelt and Churchill, wish to see
sovereign rights and government
restored to those who have been forcibly
deprived of them"
"Aggressor Nations"
At Yalta there was added to this
sentence the words, "by the aggressor
nations" the obvious purpose being to
exempt territories taken forcibly by So
called "nonaggressor nations" such as
io'c nc ~ Hn Cfoto
and portions of Poland, Finland and
Romania.
Since the Atlantic Charter was issued
solely by Roosevelt and Churchill, pre-
sumably they had the right to change
it in the same personal fashion, but it
is doubtful if this is so of other secret
agreements which were subscribed to at
Yaita.
On February 81, 1945, Churchill for
the first time revealed details of the
agreement respecting Polish borders,
including modification of the Curzon
Line to give Russia the important city
of Lwow, and allotment to Poland of
the German province of Upper Silesia
and "such other territories east of the
Oder River as may be decided at the
peace conference
The latter referred to the Oder
Neisse River line, transferring to Poland
territory containing 9,500000 Germans.
In his Stuttgart speech last year Sec
retary Byrnes began trying to mitigate
that commitment and Secretary Mar
shall is expected to do the same.
Yalta was little more than a month
old before it leaked out successfully
that the Ukraine and White Russia had
been recognized separately in order to
give Russia three votes in the United
Nations, and that Russia's insistence
on an individual veto" in that body
also had been acceded to.
Biggest Concession.
Not till February, 1916, did there come
to light the biggest concession of all
to the Soviet. This was the grant to
her in exchange for promise to enter
the war against Japan within two or
three months after Germany has sur
rendered" To win that assurance
Roosevelt and Churchill signed away
to Russia, Outer Mongolia, the whole
Kurile chain of islands, half Of the
island of Sakhalin and in Manchuria,
exclusive occupation of the Port Arthur
naval base and half share with China
in control of the commercial port of
Dairen.
China was not even consulted before
this purloining of her territory, and as
subsequently developed, Russia's en-
trance into the Japanese war, on the
very last day of her commitment bred
nothing but trouble. Ever since, the
United States and Britain have been
trying to get the Russian armies back
home.
Not the least interesting element in
all this was President Roosevelt's as
sumption of the right single-handed so
to commit the Nation. Members of Con-
gress have searched in vain for any
provision, constitutional or otherwise,
that invests the President with such
broad right, except as his proposals
later may be submitted to the Senate
and approved by it.
In this instance also there is the fact
that Mr.. Roosevelt, at Yalta, was re-
duced both physically and mentally.
He died two months later. 1t is no
wonder, perhaps, that he was out
traded by Stain, but this circumstance
calls all the more for some action to
assure that this Sort of thing shall not
happen again.