London paper says –
Roosevelt dominating Big Three talks
Outspoken American attitude reported
LONDON, England (UP) – The Sunday Observer, usually well informed diplomatically, indicated today that President Roosevelt was playing a dominant role in the Big Three conference, expressing an outspoken American attitude on differences in Allied policies.
The Observer said:
Hints from high Americans officials suggest that President Roosevelt is going to play (or is perhaps already playing) a most active part at the Big Three conference. He has made it clear that he will be outspoke on differences in policies of Allies and will make several proposals on how to settle them.
U.S. ready to bargain
The Observer said the United States opposes any totalitarian or authoritarian regimes, “whether of right or left that may be sponsored or propped up by Russia or Great Britain,” and that Mr. Roosevelt was believed to be strongly critical of British policy in Greece and Italy and Russian policy in Poland.
The United States is prepared to use its many bargaining counters, especially economic to enforce open-door politics and is likely to ask from Russia that no Communist governments be sponsored in liberated countries of the Russian zone, the Observer said.
The newspaper added that Mr. Roosevelt favors settlement of Germany’s future now rather than at a peace conference and has rejected all lenient peace proposals although not going as far as British and Russian advocates of harsh terms.
The Observer believed the President would suggest that the German frontier be not along the Oder River, but about halfway between the Oder and the 1939 Polish frontier. Similarly, while supporting a Curzon Line settlement in Poland, he was said to oppose the “Curzon A” settlement supported by Churchill preferring “Curzon B,” under which Poland would retain Lwow and the Galician oil fields.
The Big Three, the Observer said, is likely to discuss a new Polish settlement providing for diffusion of the London and Lublin government, in which the political parties and groupings in London and in Lublin would cooperate, the Observer said.
Early German collapse
The Sunday dispatch said the No. 1 priority item, on the agenda of the meeting is “What to do in case of early German collapse.” Since post-war plans for Germany have already been worked out the Big Three now has only to discuss the final details, the newspaper said.
They are also expected to make a final demand for Germany’s surrender, the newspaper said. The Germans have suggested that the “Big Three” will issue a new version of Wilson’s Fourteen Points.
The Germans have issued such suggestions in hope unconditional surrender terms may be modified, the Dispatch said, adding that “this is wishful thinking in hopes that owing perhaps to Allied differences there may be a chance of conditional terms.”
The Sunday Times said the first task of the meeting will be to decide on the final measures to end Nazi resistance and treatment to be given the defeated enemy. It added that the Nazi leaders are obviously apprehensive that the Allied statesmen may appeal to the German people “over the heads of the gangsters in control,” and that the Germans “seem to think such action might lead to that crack of which they are so terrified.”
The Sunday News of the World editorialized that it is taken for granted the three leaders are now meeting somewhere in Europe or outside, adding that “the Big Three have gotten together for the last time before the trumpets of peace replace the drums of war… the future of a dying Germany is priority number one at this fateful conference.”
U.S. prepares hard terms for Germany
‘Big Three’ expected to give approval
WASHINGTON (UP) – The State Department is preparing what it regards as hard, realistic and practicable peace terms for Germany.
These plans contemplate that Germany’s war potential must be destroyed or at least rigidly controlled; that its standard of living must not be allowed to improve faster than that of any neighbor states which were ravished by the Nazis, and that Germany should help reconstruct Europe to the maximum of its ability.
The broad outline was painted coincidentally with confirmation here that the “Big Three” leaders are expected to give quick, formal approval to armistice terms for Germany which have been prepared by the European Advisory Commission.
Changes possible
President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Marshal Joseph Stalin may find it necessary to make some changes. But it is anticipated that their approval of the terms to be handed the German High Command when and if the Nazis surrender unconditionally will be more or less routine.
The controversy in this country over a “soft” or a “hard” peace for Germany reached a climax last fall when the so-called Morgenthau Plan was publicized. Compared with some of the proposals of the Morgenthau Plan – such as the flooding of all German coal mines, it might be said that the State Department’s ideas are less drastic.
But it was pointed out that they were also believed to be far more realistic. For example, most of the nations surrounding Germany are dependent upon her for coal.
French need coal
France, always deficient in coal, could hardly be expected to agree to the flooding of mines, thereby cutting off her main source of supply.
There is no inclination here to give the impression that the steps to be taken to keep Germany unarmed after this war are near completion.
Some of the decisions that will have to be made cannot be done until after the war is over. It will be impossible to decide what industries are to be destroyed, transferred or controlled until it is known what industries are left after the final battles are over.
To determine zones
According to the Army and Navy Journal, the “Big Three” conference “is expected to determine the zones of Germany which the military forces of the several powers will occupy after conquest” but warned that no responsible officials here placed credence in reports that the Hitler regime would collapse internally.
Recent press feelers, “largely through the medium of German business moguls” have been ignored because they lacked authority, the Journal said.
The Journal said:
Since Hitler… is to be punished by the United Nations, it is obvious that to recognize him by negotiation would be to give him a standing that would embarrass later treatment of him.
It is therefore with some agency other than Hitler that surrender might be discussed, and other than the “Free Germany” Committee created by Marshal Stalin from captured German generals, no such agency is now on the horizon.