Evening star., 1953-08-23
u. 5. and Britain Split
On Rigid or Flexible
Big -Four Agenda
By John M. Hiehtower
Associated Press Stoff Writer

The United States and Britain
were reported divided yesterday
over whether to agree to discuss
general international tensions
with Russia at proposed Big
Four meeting on Germany.
Diplomatic officials report that
Britain favorS such an agreement
and the United States does not.
France was described as tending
to support the United States
view.
British informants described
the United States point Of view
as more rigid" and their own
as more flexible"
The division has developed at
the very outset of three-power
talks at Paris on a new note to
Moscow regarding a Big Four
session. The situation reflects
the same basic difference be-
tween London and Washington
over how to deal with the Com
munist bloc which has character
lied their clashing policies on
Korea in the present U. N. As
sembly session.
Round Table" Opposed.
At the U. N, Britain has
favored a kind of round table
conference to follow up the Ko-
rean armistice and has stood
for the inclusion of both Russia
and India. The United States.
on the other hand, has been
willing to accept Russia only as
a member Of the Communist
group at the proposed negotia-
tions and has objected to in
cluding any neutral nation such
as India.
In other words, the United
States has wanted the Korean
political difference to be meet
political conference to be meet
Korean unifcation and not a
round table session which might
roam over a variety of Far East
ern issues such as the future
of Formosa and U. N. member
ship for Red China.
AS for Germany, the problem
of what to say to the Russians
will be one Of the first to be
studied by Secretary of State
Dulles when he gets back here
tomorrow after a Today vaca-
ticn. Mr.. Dulles is returning to
Washington today from a Lake
Ontario island. He had con-
sidered at one time stopping at
the United Nations headquarters |
in New York for a few days but |
finally decided to get back to his |
desk here without delay.
Divergent PresSureS.
Diplomats here said that they
we're reasonably certain that de-
spite their different approaches |
to writing a new note to Russia
on Germany, the United States
and Britain. together with |
France, will be able rather
quickly to agree on line to be
taken. The significance of the
present division lies not in the
possibility of paralyzing action in
this instance but in the evidence
1t affords of divergent British
and American pressures in deal
ing with Soviet questions.
An American informant sum-
med up the respective attitudes
this way The British think
we're too rigid and we think
they're too willing to put hope
In talk for talking's sake"
Want Specific Problems. |
The British policy apparently
traces back to Prime Minister
Churchill's speech of last May
He suggested talking with the
Soviets to explore the possibili-
ties of making settlements with
them and to find out something
about the approach of Prime
Minister Malenkov's regime
toward world affairs. Mr..
Churchill has repeatedly talked
about a top level meeting be-
tween the Western powers and
Russia but the United States
has been cold toward that idea.
The State Department has
taken its line from President
Eisenhower's April 16 speech.
He suggested that if the Soviets
really want to promote peace
they should join with the
Western powers in solving speci-
f1c problems such as an Austrian
independence treaty and uni
f1cation of Germany.
United States officials feel,
therefore, that each meeting
with Communist governments
whether in the Far East or in