Evening star., 1949-11-12
|AchesonC Confers
With j. Chiefs
In West Reich
Secretary Will Meet
With Heuss, Adenuuer
Tomorrow in Bonn
BY the Assoeioied Press

HEIDELBERG. Germany, Nov.
l2.-Secretary of State Acheson,
fresh from the Big Three Foreign
Ministers conference in Paris,
lunched here today with top
American military and diplomatic
officials in Germany.
Heidelberg is the headquarters
for the United States Armed
Forces in Europe. Army officials
said. however. that defense prob
lens were not up for discussion.
The Secretary. first American
official of his rank to visit Ger
many since James F. Byrnes came
here in 1916. was the guest of
Gen. Thomas T. Handy. comman-
der in chief of American forces in
Germany, at a mountain top
hotel overlooking this old univer-
sity city.
Accompanying Mr.. Acheson to
the luncheon were John j. Nc
Cloy, American high commits
sioner; Lewis w. Douglas, Ameri-
can Ambassador in London;
George w. Perkins, Assistant Sec
retary of State for European
Affairs. and Henry Byroade, di-
rector of the Office of German
Affairs of the State Department.
Huebner, Cannon Attend.
Representing the armed forces
were Gen. Handy. 1t. Gen. Clar-
ence r. Huebner, commanding
general of the United States Army
in Germany. and 1t. Gen. John K.
Cannon. commanding general OF
the United States Air Force in
Europe.
The Secretary flew to Frankfurt
from Paris yesterday.
Mr.. Acheson's arrival for a
four-day visit in Germany was
accompanied by a flood of rumors
about Germany's position in
Western defense plans. Outstand-
ing was a rumor from Paris that
the Elbe River dividing the West
ern zone of occupation from the
Russian zone would be considered
the Western defense line" rather
than the Rhine. American off,
cials refused to confirm these
reports.
The top American diplomat is
| scheduled to meet tomorrow at
Bonn with the heads of the West
German Republic, Chancellor
Konrad Adenauer, and the presi-
dent. DR.. Theodor Heuss. Allied
observers here believe Mr.. Acheson
will give them a general outline
OF what was decided when he con-
ferred this week in Paris with
British Foreign Secretary Bevin
and Frances Foreign Minister
Schuman.
Mr.. Acheson himself told re-
porters yesterday only that the
Paris conference decided to keep
German steel production down to
its present ceiling of 1880, 900
tons year.
McCloy to Speak for United States.
Apparently West Germany's
government will learn details of
the Foreign Ministers decisions
from Mr.. McCloy and his British
and French colleagues. A COM
munique at the end of the Paris
conference said certain instruc-
tions and powers" had been given
the high commissioners. Mr.. Ache
son said yesterday that Mr.. Nc
Cloy would speak for the United
States.
In the most general terms the
communique issued by the minis
ters, at the end of their meeting
said they proposed to support and
foster the progressive integration
OF the German people into the Eu-
ropean community"
German production and possible
abandonment of most of the huge
program of dismantling of Ger
man industries were said to be
major issues in the Foreign Min
listers talks.
It was reported that France had
hedged on an outright decision
pending discussion of the whole
German problem in the French
National Assembly, which meets
November %.
The Germans, eager to see the
dismantling program halted,
showed considerable disappoint-
nent at the vagueness of the Big