Evening star., 1947-03-21
.BidauIt in Dilemma
In Seeking Security
And Coal for France
Voice in Reich Settlement
MAY Be Lost in Conflict
With ; Other Powers
By NewboId Moves, Jr.
Star Stoff Correspondent

MoOCoW, Wdl. dr. lCllSlI
Foreign Minister Georges BIZ
dault'S seat at the Moscow con-
ference table cannot be a COM
| Portable one. Behind his words
today stands very little. Behind
! himself tomorrow may stand no
government. Yet he must speak
for a nation which perhaps has
a bigger honest stake in the
peace discussions taking place
here than any of the three great
powers at this conference of
foreign ministers.
/ The French dilemma was brought
out clearly intM Bidault's speeches
yesterday and Tuesday on economic
aspects of the German problem.
Essentially France wants two
things out OF the German settle
ment: Security and COAL
| If she were making the German
peace by herself. the treaty would
be designed to hold down as securely
as possible-militarily, politically and
above all economically-the country
which three times in 10 years has
laid waste her land.
She also would write into the
treaty provision that would bind
Germany to export to her the coal
which she. like all European coun-
tries today, so desperately needs.
Aims Conflict With Others.
But France is not writing the
treaty alone. The question today Is
whether she is going to have any
real voice in the decision as to what
to do with her arch-enemy. For her
aims conflict, in varying degrees,
with those of each of the other pow
ers here.
Economically speaking, what Rus
sia wants is settlement that will
give her as much as possible by way
of reparations out of Germanys
production.
The United States and Britain on
! the other hand. tired of spending
money on their defeated enemy,
want a settlement that will leave
. Germany with Self-sustaining
economy, which means she must ex-
port enough to pay for her imports
| herself
| In her efforts to get coal she
needs, France obviously cannot af-
ford to antagonize either Russia
or the Western powers. These basic
aims of both camps have her verbal
/ Endorsement. But the trouble is
that it seems most unlikely that
Germany can produce for herself,
for export and for reparations un-
! less she is permitted much more
industry than France would think
it safe for her to have.
And to maintain that industry,
! Germany would need her coal, M.
Bidault, becoming even more tightly
wound up in this diplomatic and
economic maze, has announced that
he will agree to allowing Germany
a higher level of industry only if
the Big Three will agree that France
gets her coal.
Bevin Cites Main Task.
He says Germany could get along
on less coal even at the higher level
of industry, but he has argued this
case with an apparent lack of con-
viction. When Soviet Foreign Min
lister Molotov agreed with him that
it was possible, he thanked his Rus
sian colleague, adding, however,
that is a difficult question which
should be very closely studied.
British Foreign Secretary Bevin
put the matter concisely Thursday.
He said. the Allies main task now is
to make Germany self supporting.
Coal could be taken out of Germany
in the meantime, he said. only at
the expense of the revival of the
German economy.
The French position is. of course.
entirely understandable. Mr.. Bidault
contented himself yesterday with
appealing to Mr.. Bevin to recon-
slider. He said the coal problem is
an essential one for France. He
spelled out his real argument. 1t
runs something like this:
You want to get things going for
| the Germans-to raise their level
of industry and make them self
sustaining, We, too, would like to
/ get going-to have a high level of
industry and be sustaining.
How about us?
Reich Will Need Steel.
This genuinely appealing French
argument applies particularly to-
production of steel. Germany will
need plenty of steel if she is to-
maintain an industry which can
meet her internal needs, balance i'm
ports with exports and pay repara-
tions from current production on
anything like the scale Russians are
demanding.
Yet France wants the German
level of industry to rise only IN
consumer goods field, 1t would be
dangerous, says Mr.. Bidault, IT her
(see MOVES. Page A-4J