Evening star., 1954-05-06
Britain Is Reported
Ready 10 Join Asian
Talks After Geneva

LONDON, May 6.-Britain ha.
moved a step closer to the Indo.
China war arena. American anc
British sources say she has
agreed to join allied talks or
united military action in the Fa,
Eastern battlefield if the Geneva
peace parley fails.
The report came as London
newspapers voiced fears Britain
would drift into a serious split
with the United States over
allied action in Indo-China.
Moscow radio asserted that Brit
ish refusal to join in new ag-
gressive plans" had isolated
the United States at Geneva.
The American-proposed parley
is expected to take place within
the next three weeks in either
Washington or Singapore. In
formants said it would discuss
plans for:
l. Underwriting any sort of
political settlement in Indo-
China that might emerge from
the Geneva parley.
2. Saving Indo China from
being overrun by the Commu-
nist-led Wet Mimi if the peace
talks fail
Expected Participants.
Projected composition of the
conference was not disclosed,
but the United States, Britain,
France, Australia. New Zealand
and Canada at least are ex-
pected to send staff officers.
Commenting on the danger of
an American-British rift, the
liberal News Chronicle declared :
Unity requires shared readi-
ness to negotiate. But at this
moment any American states
man who expresses readiness to
negotiate is howled down as an
appeaser-before anyone knows
what he is proposing to nego-
tiate."
The conservative Daily Mail
said public opinion in the two
countries "can hardly be blamed
for it's bewilderment now"
POLICY, at least in Washing
ton, seems to have been at the
mercy of every prevailing cur
rent of sentiment"
Talk Called "Mischievous."
The independent Daily Ex-
press called it Simply mischiev-
Gus" to say split now exists.
"a plan to intervene in the
Indo-China war was never clear
ly defined" the Express de-
clared. "Nor was it probable
that the American Congress, let
alone Britain, would indorse it,"
United States administration
officials have virtually ruled out
any direct American interven-
ton in Indo- China unless Brit
ain agrees to join as part of a
coalition to protect Southeast
Asia against Red conquest.
Britain served notice she opposed
such an allinace in advance of
the Indo-China negotiations
with the Communists at Geneva.
Prime, Minister Churchill also
told Parliament his government
opposes any united military ac-
ton in Indo-China while the
Geneva talks are still on.
The British attitude spelled
defeatS for United States Secre-
tary Of State Dulles hopes of
confronting the Reds at Geneva
with a united front committed
to possible Intervention in Indo-
China.
The American-proposed parley
of air, land and sea force chiefs
is expected to seek to overcome
some of these differences.
Moscow Sees Final Defeat"
The Moscow broadcast heard
here said the complete and final
defeat of colonizers" is shaping
up in Asia, and "the situation
has developed far from what the
United States Secretary of State
wanted"
REPRESENTATIVES, of many
countries taking part in the con-
ference prefer finding ways of
agreement which lead to peace
full settlement of disputed inter-
national problems to that of
agreement regarding new. ag-
gressive plans" the broadcast
said.
"In particular. the British
delegation prefers to adopt a
more careful attitude than that
which the State Department has
outlined.
The broadcast declared Mr.
Dulles Southeast Asian coali-
tion plan "pursues the aim
of opposing to the people S
liberation movement a single
front of colonial poWerS."