Evening star., 1948-07-25
American Officials Not Very Hopeful of Getting Moscow
to Agree to Free Navigation

If there is any spirit of co-opera-
ton with the west left in the Krem-
lin, II should become evident in a
conference opening in Belgrade Fri
day.
Representatives Of II nations will
meet then in the Yugoslav capital
to attempt to work our practical ar
rangements for opening the Danube
River to free navigation by the
vessels of all countries.
A major objective in American
efforts to get international COM
merce flowing on the Danube again
is to facilitate the resumption OF
normal trade relations between
Eastern and Western Europe.
This would appear to be directly
in the interests of the Soviet Union
and its satellite countries who will
WELD a majority vote~in the Bel
grade conference. Cooperation in
reaching an agreement would pay
dividends to the east as welt as the
west.
No Optimism Here
American officials are not very
optimistic, however, that the Rus
slams will cooperate to the extent
Of agreeing to conditions compatible
with the western concept Of freedom
of navigation. They fear the Mos
COW definition Of free" navigation
means Soviet-controlled navigation.
Significance of the Belgrade meet
ing goes far beyond the question OF
the Danube itself because 1t does
involve a new test Of whether 1t is
possible for the western nations to
reach an agreement with the Soviet
under present conditions, and be-
cause of the very setting of the
conference.
The session in the Yugoslav cap
ital will bring representatives of
most of the nations making up the
Cominform face to face with men,
bers of Premier Marshal Tito's gov
ernment for the first time since the
recent open split between Tito and
the Cominform. They may make
clearer just how deep is the breach
between the Yugoslav leader and his
former masters in the Kremlin.
Full particulars in the conference
will be the United States, Russia,
Britain, France, Bulgaria, Czecho-
slovakia, Hungary, Romania, the
Ukranian Republic and Yugoslavia.
Austria will be represented on q
nonvoting, consultative basis.
Settled in Principle
The question before the meeting
freedom of navigation on the DAN
ube, the Nlongest navigable river in
Europe west of Russia-has been
settled in principle for more than a
century. But history has shown
there is a big difference between
agreement in principle and practical
application. This particular prin-
ciple of unhampered commerce on
the Danube has been applied really
effectively only in the years between
the two World Wars-when Russia
had nothing to do with the river.
End Of World War II brought the
Soviet into direct or indirect control
of the bulk of Danubian fleets and
port facilities. The iron curtain"
comes down on the river now near
Linz, Austria. The Russians permit
no non-Soviet traffic below that
point.
The United States, unlike Britain
and France, has no direct CONNER
cial interest in the Danube. But it
is interested as one of the occupying
powers in Austria and because of
its long range concern for promot-
ing increased trade throughout the
world
Since the end of World War II
fighting in Europe, this Government
has made numerous attempts to
open up navigation on at least part
of the Danube. At the Potsdam Con-
ference in July-August, 1s45, it
urged that the Danube and other
European waterways be opened in
order to hasten economic recovery
of the continent. The proposal got
nowhere. In 1946 1t pressed in the
Allied Control Council for Austria
open navigation on the Danube
throughout Austria at least. But
Russia refused to permit river traf-
fic between its zone and the rest of
Austria.
Opposed u. s. Proposals
Throughout the long fight with
the Soviet over the Balkan peace
treaties, Danube River navigation
was an issue. Russia opposed
American proposals for free naviga-
ton guarantees in the satellite
treaties on the grounds that such
would impair the sovereignty Of
these countries. At the Paris Peace
Conference, Soviet Foreign Min
lister Molotov asserted that IN In