Evening star., 1948-07-25
U. S. Experts on Soviet Affairs
Converge on London for Talks.
With Allies on Berlin Blockade
Bohlen and Murphy
Fly to German Copito|
With Clay for Day
BY the Assoeioted Press

experts on Russian affairs from
Washington, Berlin and Moscow
converged on London today tc
discuss with western power part
ners a unified policy on the Ger
man crisis.
Their mission underscored the
tense East-West differences over the
Soviet blockade of Berlin, and a
lack of agreement among the West
ern allies on Just how to proceed.
The American huddle here will
bring together Charles E. Bohlen
State Department counsellor and
Russian expert: w. Bedell Smith
United States Ambassador to Mos
COW, and Lewis Douglas, the Ambas-
sador here.
They were expected to confer with
British Foreign Secretary Ernest
Bevin and French Ambassador Rene
Massigli on the terms of a second
Western power protest against the
Berlin blockade.
Bohlen Stops OFF in Berlin.
Mr.. Bohlen plans to fly to London
after spending a day in Berlin. He
arrived in the former German cap
ital tonight in the plane which
brought Gen. Lucius D. Clay United
States military governor, back tc
Germany following conferences ir
Washington Gen. Clay's political
advisor, Ambassador Robert Murphy
also was aboard the plane.
Significantly, the three-man dip
lomatic team-Mr Bohlen, Gen
Smith and Mr.. Douglas-is the same
which helped decide United State!
policy in the deadlocked meeting Of
the Foreign Ministers Council here
last December.
American diplomatic officials here
privately reported the meeting vii
bring a complete review of Ameri.
can relations with Russia.
All three have helped form thai
policy since the wars end.
Mr.. Bohlen, fluent in Russian
served as interpreter and adviser
at Big Three meetings and at ses-
sions of the Foreign Ministers
Council before being elevated tc
his present post.
France Favors Farley.
Mr.. Douglas has been instru-
mental in tightening the ties be-
tween the United States and West
ern Europe and in the stand against
the spread of communism. He
drafted the first American note pro-
testing Berlin's blockade.
Gen. Smith has held the Moscow
assignment since shortly after the
war
The big question was this:
How far will the United States
20 in meeting a. Russian demand
for new four power talks on al
German questions?
The position Of Britain anc
France was comparatively clear.
France has demonstrated it,
willingness to DISCUSS Germany's
problems on a top level basis.
Britain, too. has signified its will
ingness to go into such a conference
after-as Mr. Bevin told Commons
on Friday-Russia ends its blockade
of rail and road transportation tC
Berlin.
Drafting New Protest.
In the initial formal protest, il
was the United States which took
the lead in limiting proposed four
power talks to the question of Ber-
lin alone.
There have been mounting indi-
cations of a change in this stano
since Russia rejected that demand
Responsible diplomatic sources here
reported the task of drafting a sec
ond protest to Moscow was turned
over to Britain.
Since then at least two complica-
tions have developed.
One was the fall of the French
government of Robert Schuman. Ir
all probability. this will require q
delay in the notes delivery until
formation of a new cabinet.
The other was the Soviet'S Offer
to feed all of Berlin. This will re.
quire a revision in some of the
language of the new notes which
were pitched on the humanitarian
line that the blockade must be liftec
so the Western powers can 60 aheac
with their obligations to provision
Western Berlin.