Evening star., 1949-02-03

would be pleased to have Premier
Stain visit the United States and
visit the President in Washington.
Full Participation Demanded.
Now in this connection I am sure
it is clear to you, and If it Is not
clear to you should like to make 1t
clear now, that the government of
the United States would not discuss
with any nation any matter which
was OF direct interest to other ma
tions without the participation of
the representatives of those other
nations. This is not a new or startl-
ing doctrine. There have been many
statements of it. I have here one
made by Gen. Marshall on May Il
OF last year when questioned about
the confidential interview between
Ambassador Smith and Foreign
Minister Molotov. There are two OF
three sentences which bear on this
point. Secretary Marshall said:
Gen. Smith did not ask for any
general discussion or negotiation
We have had long and bitter ex-
perience With such efforts. This
government had no intention of en-
terlng into bilateral negotiations
with the Soviet government on mat
tiers relating to the interests of
other governments. The discussion
OF any proposals in regard to out
standing issues which the Soviet
government might hive in mind must
as a matter of course be conducted
In the body charged with RESPONSE
bility for these questions.
Now coming back to the discus
sion about this meeting, this morn
ing we have still a further develop
ment. There had been a new cues
ton and answer. We gather from
that exchange that Premier Stain
Is unhappily prevented by the con-
dition OF his health from coming
to Washington because he cannot
travel either by sea or air. He thus
seems to be effectively grounded
The implication of this answer per-
haps Is that the President of the
United States for the fourth time
should travel half way around the
world to meet Premier Stain and
on this occasion to do so for the
purpose of talking with him on a
matter so tenuous that it aefles spe-
ciflc statement I think that con-
cludes the comment on that oues-
tion and answer.
Takes Third Question Last.
Now the third question and an
swer, which I will deal with last,
is as follows: Question: If the
Governments of the United States
of America, the United Kingdom
and France agreed to postpone
establishment of a separate Western
German state pending a meeting
OF the Council of Foreign Ministers
to consider the German problem
as whole, would the government
OF the U. S. S. r. be prepared to
remove the restrictions which Soviet
authorities have imposed on COM
munications between Berlin and the
Western zones of Germany
AnSwer-"Pfovided the United
States Of America, Great Britain
and France observe the conditions
set forth in the third question, the
Soviet government sees no obstacles
to lifting the transport restrictions
on the understanding, however, that
transport and trade restrictions in
troduced by the three powers should
be lifted simultaneously"
Now this question and answer is
the only one of the four which re-
lates to an issue between the Soviet
government and the Western
powers. Therefore, it is the most
interesting exchange of the four.
I might review very briefly for you
this situation out of which comes.
For more than six months now
the protests of the three Western
powers against the illegal blockade
OF Berlin have been the subject of
the most earnest discussion. There
were discussions in Moscow between
the ambassadors and the Soviet
authorities. The discussions were
then transferred to the military
governors in Berlin. Both groups
of discussions failed. The matter
was then transferred to the Security
Council in Paris. There the Security
Council proposed solution to this