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PARIS MEETING.
FOREIGN MINISTERS
RESUME.
SOVIET SURPRISE.
I MR. MOLOTOV'S GESTURE.
PARIS, June 16.-The Foreign
Ministers of the Big Four met at
the Luxembourg Palace yesterday I
afternoon and, after conferring for!
less than two hours, adjourned
until tomorrow afternoon. In the
meantime their deputies will draw
up specific questions for discus
sion. M. Bidault (France) was
chairman yesterday but the rota
system puts Mr. Bevin (Britain)
in the chair for the next meeting.
Reuters comments that the atmo
sphere of the meeting was ex-A
tremely friendly. The Ministers ex
changed jokes and handshakes
and there was no trace of ill-feel- I
ing such as some observers thought I
there might be as a result of the ]
heated exchanges at the last ses
sion in May.
At yesterday's meeting the Foreign
Ministers adopted the following four
point agenda:
(1) Peace treaties with Italy,
Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary
and Finland in that order.
(2) Germany.
(3) The Austrian question, includ
ing the American draft treaty.
(4) Political developments in
Italy. This was at the sugges
tion of Mr. Molotov (Russia).
A correspondent of the American I
Associated Press in Paris says that
Mr. Molotov's agreement to the in-i
clusion of the Austrian question on i
the agenda was a surprise c ncilla- I
tory gesture' He objected to the i
proposal by Mr. Byrnes (United
States) that a definite treaty with
Austria be discussed but accepted M. I
Bidault's suggestion that Austria be ]
discussed as a simple question.
Mr. Molotov, in demanding the in
clusion of the Italian political situa
tion, accused the Italian monarch- i
ists of being pro-Fascist. He added
that his request for its inclusion was
primarily a request for information
from the two Allies in direct contact
with the problem. He hinted that
action by the Foreign Ministers
might be necessary to prevent a drift
into eivil war. Mr. Bevin and Mr.
Byrnes agreed to the inclusion of
the item if it were placed last.
Hope far Compromises
"There is reason to believe that
r Mr. Molotov may accept some conm
. promises at the conference," says the
Paris correspondent of the Exchange
Telegraph Agency. Reuters indi
cates the possIbility of surprise moves
to reach an agreement. It is sug
gested that the conference may last
s two or three weeks.
c Mr. Byres expressed the hpe at
the problem of Germany would be
submitted to an expert committee.
The "Evening Standard's" corres
' pondent, reviewing unsolved prob
e lems before the Foreign Ministers,
draws attention to the divergent
1 views expressed at the earlier con
- ference on the Italian treaty, the
i future of Trieste and the Danube
i basin.
t The American view of the pros
, pects is that Russia and America
e are just as much at a deadlock about
a the peace treaties as last month, says
- an American Associated Press cor
j respondent. Sources close to Mr.
L Byrnes stated that there had been
no diplomatic exchanges between
Moscow and Washington since the
SMay meeting. The Americans con
tinued to insist on the policies enun
Sdcated by Mr. Byrnes in May-that
r Trieste should go to Italy, the Bal
kans be opened to western trade.
Italy's reparations be scaled accord
ing -to ability to pay and also that
Britain, France, Russia and America
should sign a 25-year pact against
German rearmament.
The Paris correspondent of "The
Times" says because of past failures
e the present meeting Is likely to be
decisive one way or the other. The
Ministers can not go on meeting and
adjourning without agreement. Suc
cess would mean that separatist ten
dencies in Europe would be arrested
and perhaps reversed. Another
failure, it is generally thought in
Paris, would almost inevitably result
in the division of Europe.
Eussia's Loan Begest.
WASHINGTON, June 16.-Before
he left for Paris Mr. Byrnes drafted
a third Note to Moscow inviting the
Russians to b"egin tioat?i
Sthe requested 1,000,000,000-dollar
Sloan. The Note is expected to be
sent shortly, but offcals doubt if
Russia will accept the invitation as
-the United States is reported sti
Sto be insisting on discussing Eastern
Europe economis during the loan
a talks, including the revision of Rus
Ssian trade treaties with Hungary and
e Rumania. The United States also
i wants a settlement of the Soviet
e Lend-Lease account totalling
i 11ooo,oooooo dollars, a Russian
pledge to join the International
SBank monetary fund and a promise
to attend a trade onference aimed
at lowering commercial barriers.
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