Evening star., 1948-03-07

RUHR PLAN Relates to Supervision.
Not Ownership, State Department
Official Says. Page.A-4.
BY the Associated Press
LONDON, Mar. 6.-The United
States, Britain and France an
nounced agreement tonight on
future international control of
the Ruhr and a federalized form
of Government for Western Ger
many.
The three western powers dis
closed their aims in communique
which assigned western Germany
major role in the Marshall Plan for
European recovery. France has been
suspicious that German recovery
would endanger her security.
The communique wrapped up
probably the greatest number of
decisions reached at a major con-
ference since the wars end.
1t was statement of obvious
compromise and conciliation be-
tween the three powers and con-
tanned some important incentives
for the German people to work for
CLOSE association" with the western
world.
New Attempt in April.
No hard agreement was reached
on merger of the French occupation
zone with the United States British
zones. However, responsible officials
said decisions reached at the con-
ference here will lead to that OBJ
iective. In all likelihood a new
attempt in that direction will be
made in April.
AS the conference recessed until
next month, Lewis Douglas, United
States Ambassador to Britain and
chief of the American delegation,
summed up its work this way:
extraordinarily fruitful and sue
cessful Within the past 10 days
more progress has been made than
in the preceding three years"
Left up in the air was the ques-
tion of Russian participation in the
proposed international control of
the Ruhr. Russia has advocated
four-power rule of the valley. 1t
was agreed that Germany would
participate, however.
Described In General Terms.
The Ruhr agreement was de-
scribed in general terms. Specific
recommendations were not disclosed
These will be submitted first to
the governments concerned. France
has asked for full international con-
troll and ownership of the industrial
valleys mines and mills. The COM
munique did not say whether Ger
man ownership of the areas mines
and factories would continue.
Purpose of international control,
the communique said, would be to
prevent the Ruhrs resources from
being used again for purposes of
aggressions. The Western powers
also agreed that there should be
adequate access to the coal, coke
and steel of the Ruhr for the bene-
fit of extensive parts of the Euro
pean community including Ger
many"
Continuous failure Of the Foreign
Ministers Council to reach four
power agreement has created
situation in Germany which, if per-
mitted to continue, would have in
creasingly unfortunate consequences
for Western Europe" the three
Western nations said.
German Participation.
The United States, Britain and
France listed their broad objectives
as:
l. Economic reconstruction of
Western Europe.
g Creation of a basis "for the
participation of democratic Ger
many in the community of free peo-
pies
Significantly, they did not par
ticularize western Germany in set
ting down these goals. And they
added
While delay in reaching these OBJ
jectives can no longer be accepted,
ultimate four-power agreement is in
no way precluded."
The western powers declared their
agreement on a Federal form of
government as "the best adapted for
(See LONDON, Page A-4)