Evening star., 1947-04-25
The Moscow Deadlock

The Moscow Conference.-The long
est yet held by the Council of For
eign Ministers-has come to an end
without achieving agreement on any
issues of major import to the peace
of Europe and the world. The rela-
lively simple problem of an Austrian
settlement has not been solved. The
question of four-power pact to
keep Germany disarmed has been
left up in the air. The preliminary
groundwork for German treaty
has not been laid. In sum, apart
from few minor Understandings,
there has been nothing but dreary
deadlock.
This lack of progress in the peace
making can be traced directly to the
unwillingness of the Soviet Union to
agree to anything of consequence.
France, Britain and the United
States cannot be blamed for the
failure to complete settlement for
Austria; the Russians have blocked
that by insisting on an extremist
definition of German assets to be
taken from that country. Nor can
the western democracies be blamed
for the stymieing of the American
proposed four-power pact; the Rus
slams, for the time being at least,
have virtually rejected that. As for
working out treaty preliminaries for
Germany, the Russians, by refusing
to moderate their views on repara-
tions and on political and economic
unification, have made that impos-
sible at this stage.
In other words, although France,
Britain and the United States have
come together on most fundamental
matters, the Soviet Union has stub
bornly held to its own line. The re-
suit is that decent and workable
European peace system seems quite
as remote today as when the Mos
cow Conference started, with every
thing hanging fire in way that
impedes the continents recovery and
feeds its social and political unrest.
Secretary Marshall has indicated
that the meeting has not been a
total failure, and certainly the out
look does not justify a sense of
despair. Nevertheless it seems clear
that the deep and dangerous post
war gulf between Russia and the
western democracies is as wide as
ever, if not wider.
The end of the Moscow Conference
thus leaves the world with little to
celebrate. The unsolved problems
will be taken up again in November
at another meeting Of the Foreign
Ministers, this time in London. 1t
is possible that between then and
now an Austrian treaty will be
agreed upon and that the outlook
for an agreement on Germany will
be substantially improved. But that
1SAuAlO anal hCo ClldllSC Ill
Russia's attitude. At any rate, as
has been demonstrated in Moscow,
the United States is not going to
yield on matters Of basic principle.
There is strong evidence, moreover,
of an Observation-Disclosures trend
to make special arrangements to
counter Soviet obstructionism "a
trend which Secretary Marshall may
discuss when he speaks to the Nation
within the next few days.
Obviously, If Russia intends to
keep on disagreeing, France, Britain
and the United States will hardly
have any choice but to work out
understandings among themselves to
promote the recovery and stability
Of that part of Germany and the
continent under their control or in
f1uence. The present situation must
be ended sooner or later. The war
in Europe has been over since May
Of 1945. 1t is now late April, 1947.
It is high time for peace.