| Show n nI I Merry Merry-G Round Go Roun U. U US U.S. Opposed To To Unity Unify In Germany By fly y DREW PEARSON PARSON N MARSEILLE By Wireless VIrel ss I During During the London conference one United States States' de delegate confided con con- Sided to a friend that we should have hav been been scared stiff sUf for fear the Russi Russians would take u us up upon upon upon on our plan for unifying Ger Ger- many Fortunately the tho Russians Rus- Rus weren't smart enough and the London conference of ot foreign for for- eign min ministers ter ended in a stalemate stale stale- mate malc-exa malc mate exactly exactly wh what t the United States wanted I In other words the United States has put itself in the unenviable un enviable position of not wanting a n peace treaty for tor Germany the Germany the same obstructionist position it has accused Russia of occupyIng occupying occupying occupy occupy- ing for the last two years All AH this boils down to the fact that Secretary George C. C Marshall arshall is convinced that once the four tour zones of ot Germany are unified the Russians will soon dominate all Germany I Thus for two years the thc United States has hM been harping on the idea of unifying Germany and now weare weare we were are re worried sick for fear e r it will willbe be unified This reversal of position to some flome extent I is is' isa a reflection on ourselves ourselves ourselves-ily es By at least fifty per cent It boils down to two facts 1 We know the Russians have done a better job politically in their zone than we have in ours This doesn't mean that the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans love them but it do does s mean that the Russians have carefully carefully carefully care care- fully built up a German army trained to take orders from Moscow Also they have indoctrinated in in- some thousand able German leaders lenders with enough communist allegiance to gradually gradual gradual- ly take over the other zones of at Germany once Germany is uni wit fied 2 We know from experience that the Russians will be absolutely absolutely ruthless in opposing the United States once Germany is unified In other words theoretically theoretically theo theo- American newspapers would then circulate in the rest of Germany but they wouldn't they would disappear in sewers Theoretically also American businessmen could do business Inthe in inthe inthe the Russian zone zone but they could not obstacle after after obstacle would be placed In their way Theoretically also wo Americans could travel all all allover over a unified Germany Actually they would be arrested or kicked off oft trains on phony pretexts As Asi In Iri 1946 S 1945 1945 So despite weeks weeks of London deliberations the United States tates Germany and arid Russia are right back where they started at Potsdam in the summer summer summer sum sum- mer of 1945 All the talk at London all the hours used up in interpreting speeches all the money spent on cablegrams to Washington giving minute details details details de de- de- de tails of th the conference all ll the hotel bills rolled up by delegates all all went for nothing In fact the American delegation knew it would be for nothing even before before before be be- fore the conference started They just didn't want to be in the position of admitting it publicly So as M the last day of the confere conference conference con con- fere ference ce arrived the British foreIgn foreign for for- eign minister remarked Is there anyone who would care to suggest suggest suggest sug sug- gest a date for reconvening this conference Marshall looked away Foreign Foreign For For- eign Minister Bidault sat arms folded staring straight ahead Molotov pretended not to hear and thus ended the long-awaited long much-advertised much conference of at foreign ministers rs to arrange a p. p peace ace treaty for Germany and Austria Now we wonder what will happen happen happen hap hap- pen when the Russians get wise and quit talking about Their demand for reparations reparations reparations gave the American delegates delegates dele dele- gates the excuse they wanted for deadlocking the conference Rosy cheeked French Minister Bidault is now off the fence re regardIng regarding regarding re- re garding Russia while brusque E Ernie Bevin is on Hitherto it was was Bidault who was wu always tr trying Ing to conciliate between Russia Russia Rus Rus- sia and the United States Fearful of the French communists com com- com com- Bidault played a straddling game tried game tried to please both the U S S R and the United States Now with the Fr French communists on the downgrade Bidault is frankly and openly pro Bevin on the theother theother theother other hand has become more ca cautious Tough on Columnists The Russians arc are gradually waking up to 10 the importance of at better press press' relations At At London they held a briefing for the press every day This meant that after th the foreign ministers finished Russian Pola- Pola koff koft held a press conference at which he gave newsmen an o off off- the-record the in fill on what had happened This is In an one that the Russians le learn learned rn d from James F F. F Byrnes Byrncs when hen he e ewas was secretary of state and decided decided decided de de- de- de that the best bes way to handle the press was to give the newspapers ne the truth about what happened in a secret conference Since then its it's been a question question ques ques- tion as to which foreign minister minister minis minis- ter can leak the most and the quickest All of ot which makes life tough for a columnist |
