Evening star., 1953-12-03
Churchill Starts
Role Of Host at
Big ; Talks
LunieI Is Second
Arrival; Eisenhower
Due Tomorrow
By Gornett D. Horner
StoF Stoff CORRESPONDENT

N0S uOIItOIIOW
BY Gomett D. Horner
Stor Stuff Correspondent
BERMUDA, Dec. 3.-A cher
ished dream began coming true
for British Prime Minister
Churchill today when he stepped
into his role as host at a Western
Big Three conference he hopes
may be a curtain-raiser for a
Big -Four meeting with Russia.
Welcoming French Premier
Laniel to Bermuda this morning
Pictures on Poee "A
put Mr.. Churchill in business
as host for the conference due
to get under way soon after
President Eisenhower arrives
from Washington about noon
tomorrow.
Mr.. Churchill and his Foreign
Secretary. Anthony Eden. were
on hand at Kindley Field to
meet Mr.. Lanisl, his Foreign
Minister, Georges Bidault, and a
team of II experts from the
French Foreign Office as they
arrived by air from Paris.
The 79-year-old British lead
er has planned this conference
since last spring. 1t had to be
postponed when his doctors or
dered a long rest for him. And
in the meantime the nature of
the conference has been changed
by events. MIR. Churchill's chief
purpose in the beginning was
believed to be to try to sell Presi-
dent Eisenhower on the idea of
a top-level parley with Soviet
Premier Malenkov and pre-
sumably he still would like to do
that. but realizes there's little
chance. He revived the Ber-
muda conference proposal last
month after Russia's setting of
impossible conditions for a Big
-Four foreign ministers confer
ence on Germany seemed to call
for drafting new strategy to deal
with Moscow.
New Twist to Meeting.
The Soviet's Thanksgiving Day
about-face offer to join in the
four-power conference on Ger
many, putting in the background
conditions previously insisted on,
has given another new twist to
the meeting here. Now the major
business seems to be to try to
close the gap between British
enthusiasm and American skep-
ticism regarding acceptance Of
the Soviet offer.
The British want to take it
up on the theory that any kind
of parley with the new Russian
leaders is better than none. The
United States probably will go
along, but President Eisenhower
stressed a wary attitude at his
news conference yesterday.
Another issue expected to be
clarified during the Big Three
meeting is the matter of Ameri-
can troop strength in Europe.
France will press for precise as
Surances that United States
forces there will not be cut down
if she clears the way for arming
German units by ratifying the
European Defense Community
Treaty.
Guarantees Mentioned.
Despite widespread reports that
Gen. Eisenhower is prepared to
give the French a guarantee that
American combat effectiveness
(not the same thing as numbers
of SoldierS) will be increased
rather than cut down, the high
est American authorities here
today said they knew of no plan
for such a commitment. Gen.
Eisenhower indicated something
of the sort may be forthcoming,
however, when he told his news
conference yesterday that econo-
my cuts in American troop
strength will not affect units
closest to hostile positions until
political conditions change.
Actually, authorities here say
the French are more anxious for
British than American commit
ments regarding EDO support.
Mr.. Churchill and Mr.. Laniel had
opportunity for preliminary talks
about that today.
Repeatedly the French are
asking a set of conditions which
will include continued American
help for French forces fighting
Communists in Indo-C China, and
a guarantee that the industrial
Saar basin, German before
World War II. will remain close
ly linked to France.
The British Prime Minister
arrived here yesterday and set
tied in early at the closely
guarded conference headquarters
at the Mid-Ocean Club. He was
greeted with show of pag-
eantry in full dress military
ceremonies at Kindley Field. an
American Air Force base leased
from the British and the only
airfield on this island.