Evening star., 1947-02-23
Allies Differ
On Reich Pact
Small Nations Flooding
Big Four Deputies
With Ideas
By Alvin J. Sfeink0bf

LONDON.-When the Big -Four
Foreign Ministers get together at
Moscow to reach an agreement on
peace treaty with Germany they will
be flooded with conflicting advice
from their smaller Allies.
Voices from the ends of the earth
are urging:
Save Germany as political unit"
and smash her to fragments"
Make 1t a hard victors' peace
and give Germany chance"
"Internationalize the Ruhr" and
keep the Ruhr inside German
economy"
Insist on ruthless reparations"
and revive Germany, SO she can
earn, so she can pay"
Preserve the frontiers" and re
draw the map OF Europe"
The deputy foreign ministers who
are assembling these recommended
tions in London, have heard from
more than a dozen of the little and
sized Allies.
There has been a great deal of
advice offered but some of the
smaller states complain that they
have not been able to bring enough
influence to bear on the treaty.
making processes.
Australia and South Africa have
suggested that the Moscow Confer
ence should not try to frame Ger
man treaty at ALL Their idea was
that the ministers should express
basic attitudes. which should be
turned over TO committees on which
all belligerents would serve. The
plan envisages still another and a
final peace conference.
Canada, Australia Agree.
Canada and Australia are not sure
that there should be treaty in the
sense of a contract which Germany
would sign. They favor an inter-
national statute to be imposed on
Germany, and hold that a final
treaty might be composed in the in
definite future when there is a
German government capable of
making and keeping agreements.
Belgium inclines to this point of
view.
Brazil, refusing to 60 into detail
because the welcome to small states
in London doesn't seem to be very
warm, wants political and economic
arrangements which would give
Germany some chance in the future,
and give her something to think
about besides revenge.
In London an east-West split
among the small Allies was less ap-
parent than in Paris at the time of
the framing of the satellite and Ital-
ian treaties. But an east-west line
was visible on the issue of small
state participation in the treaty ne
gotiations. States traditionally close
to Great Britain and the United
States wanted to get into the thick
of the debate. But states of the So
called Soviet front - Yugoslavla,
Czechoslovakia, Poland, White Rus
sia and the Urkainian republic
were content to allow the big states
to make the big decisions.
There were signs OF the east
west division in the recommended
tionS on the form of the future Ger
man state. Broadly, the west wants
it partitioned or federalized; the
east holds out for unity.
Divide your enemies and keep
them weak in little groups" was the
western formula.
Let them unite at the beginning
so they won't start conspiracies to
get together" said the east.
In the background of this discus
sion was the old Russian fear that
little German states might be DOM
mated from the west, and form a
belt across Europe hostile to the
Soviets.
Now in the final stages of the
London Conference the east seems
to yield little. Poland says it
does not favor excessive centraliZa-
tion," and White Russia suggest
that German provinces be given
broad democratic powers. But the
east wants the German government
in Berlin, where it can be watched.
Eastern and western viewpoints
vary considerably on reparations.
All the little states in Europe, east
and west, want reparations. The
totals run into fantastic sums.
distributed by the Associated Presas