Evening star., 1947-07-24
u. 5. Officials Study
Reply 10 Soviet Note
Rejecting Treaty. Bid
Nv the Asxocioted Press


State Department officials debated
today this Governments next moves
toward drafting q Japanese peace
treaty in view of Russia's rejection
of American proposals which would
eliminate the big power veto in the
Far Eastern peace settlement.
Oficials would say only that q
note expressing the Russian atti-
tude has been received.
Secretary of State Marshall told
q news conference late yesterday
that when the note was received he
would initiate studies to determine
the proper course of action for the
United States.
Diplomatic authorities said the
Central issue is whether the Ameri-
can government should seek the COL
Elaboration Of governments other
than Russia in going ahead with
japanese treaty drafting.
This would mean in effect a de-
cision to make a separate peace
with Japan.
One Russian proposal which may
get favorable action here is for an
early meeting of the Soviet, British
and French ambassadors with a rep.
resentative of the State Department
Reds Want to Keep Veto.
The Russians want such session
to arrange for the initial Japanese
treaty drafting to be taken up in
the Council of Foreign Minister'S
system which would preserve their
veto power.
The United States might be will
ing to have discussion among the
Ambassadors simply for the pur-
pose of explaining further the
American position in favor of a
peace drafting council of II instead
Of four nations and voting system
which would make decisions by two
thirds vote.
Diplomatic informants said one
change almost certainly will be
made in the American plan. This
would change the date for conyen-
ing the initial treaty drafting group
from August 10 to some time in
September. All British Common
wealth countries have ojected to the
proposed date as conflicting with a
conference they have planned In
Canberra, Australia.
The split over how to draft a
treaty with Japan threatens to
destroy what fragments of unity
remain from the American Russian
wartime collaboration.
Deny Unilateral Action.
Specifically. American spokesmen
were ready to attack the Soviet
charge that this Government acted
"unilaterally" by initiating propo-
sails for the peace conference with
out going through the Council OF
Foreign Ministers.
The United States proposed July
II that IL nations, including the
great powers, should meet at Wash
ington or San Francisco to organize
the treaty drafting. A major point
of the proposal was that the ma
tons work under a system Of de-
cisions by two-thirds vote.
This marked a radical departure
from the German and other Euro
pean treaty-making procedures in
two respects. It included nations
other than the great powers and 1t
denied the veto privilege.
Russian Contentious.
In rejecting the proposal, the
Soviets did not comment specifl-
cally on these two points. Instead,
they contended:
l. That the Japanese peace
treaty, like the European treaties,
should be worked out in the first
instance by the Foreign Ministers
Council of the great powers of the
Far East-America, Britain, China
and Russia. The great powers in
Europe are the Big Three plus
France)
This procedure would restore the
veto because under the Councils
operation unanimity Is required on
all decisions.
2. That the United States acted
"unilaterally" by initiating the pro-
posal. This amounted to an accusa-
ton that the American Government
was deliberately breaking estab-
lished rules for peace making. The
Soviet, in fact, argued that the
precedents and procedures had been
laid down in the whole series OF
wartime conferences at Potsdam
and elsewhere.
Arguments Repeated
American officials fatty rejected
the Kremlin's arguments. They con-
tended that no procedures had been
determined for work on a Japanese
treaty and that particularly the Pots
dam agreement between President
Truman, Premier Stain and Prime
Minister Attlee creating the Foreign
Ministers Council did not require
that the Council have jurisdiction
over peace-making in the Pacific.
The State Department has an
nounced replies to its July IL pro-
posal from four governments, Brit
ain, New Zealand, Australia ana
the Netherlands. Some others are
understood to have come IN but
are still being held secret.
Broadly 1t fits into the pattern
of constantly increasing disagree
ments between the worlds two
greatest powers. These lately have
been intensified by the wide open
split over the Marshall Plan for
European recovery and the some
times violent arguments In the
United Nations Security Council
over measures to restore peace be-
tween Greece and her Balkan
neighbors.
Mrs. Cora 5. Phillips Dies;