Evening star., 1947-07-13
Czechs and Russians
Sign Pact 10 Exchange
Food and Machinery
By he Assoeioted Press

= PRAGUE, July 12.-Czechoslov-
aka and Russia announced tonight
a five-year agreement exchanging
. Russian food for Czech machinery
, and manufactured goods.
d. 1t was viewed as possibly setting
up basis for an Eastern European
economy of barter for nations not
participating in the Marshall plan.
Informed sources said it seemed
likely here that Poland and other
Eastern European nations which
turned their backs on the Paris
Conference at nod from Moscow
might have been offered similar in
creased trade pacts to make up for
the assistance they had hoped for
in the general European recovery
plan.
The Slav nations already are
bound together by trade alliances
but the new Czech Russian pact
called for immediate and vast in
crease in exchanged goods.
Large Wheat Shipment.
A communique announcing the
agreement said that in 1948 Czecho-
slovakia was to receive from Russia
100000 tons of wheat, 200,0 900 tons
of fodder and maize, $1,000 tons
of potassium and sodium fertilizers,
10000 tons of cotton and unspecified
quantities of oil, seeds, peas, lentils.
.phosphates. wool and iron, manga
-nese and chromium ores.
The amount of wheat alone ex-
ceeds the. 151 900 total tons of food
exported from the United States to
.Czechoslovakia in the year ending
Adast June 80, according to figures
released a week ago in Washington
.by President Truman.
= In return, Czechoslovakia will
send Russia rails. engines and other
railway equipment, pipelines for Oil
Industry, equipment for use IN set
ting up shoe and sugar factories,
.shemming machines, electric motors,
sdredging equipment. motor vehicles,
y4 power station, sugar, shoes, tex
tiles and breeding cattle.
; The amounts Czechoslovakia must
send were not disclosed.
> The communique said that a
: apermanent and continual ex-
sehange of goods was envisioned.
= Important Policy Discussions.
!. Both governments therefore
reached agreement about the mu-
~tual deliveries of goods for five
years" it said. THE agreement is
ssigned on the basis Of firm commit
-ments of goods which must be fixed
lin advance each year. Commit
-ments for 1948 are fixed by the
signing of this treaty. At the same
time, approximate commitments
must be fixed wherever possible
for the whole five years"
It added that the Czech and So
Wet representatives in Moscow dis
cussed important questions of for
eign policy and especially relations
of the U. S. S. R. and czechslo-
vakia"
The agreement met little surprise
here. The strengthening OF trade
pacts with the Soviet Union had
been the reason given by Premier
Klement Gottwald and Foreign
Minister Jan Masaryk for their trip
to Moscow this week, the trip from
which Mr. Gottwald telephoned back
word that the government must
withdraw Immediately its accept
ance of the British-French invita-
ton to the Paris conference.
Mr.. Gottwald announced the new
economic treaty in brief radio
speech 30 minutes after returning
from Moscow.
Mr.. Gottwald said the results OF
the Moscow trip were \ great vic
tory" and that the visit had shown
what a great help the friendship
of the Soviet Union is both from the
standpoint of our security and our
economy"