| Show Big 0 it Agenda f 0 g y Soviet Nod LONDON Jan 2 LT The UP-The Thc Soviet Union has agreed to a preliminary conference of big four representatives to prepare an agenda for a power four-power foreign ministers' ministers meeting Moscow's position was broadcast Tuesday night in response to a western power suggestion that such a preliminary meeting be held IThe r I The United States Britain and France suggested Dec 22 that top delegates of the big four nations nations nations na na- at Lake Success prepare an agenda for ministerial talks aimed at the elimination of the causes of present international tension throughout the world This came after Russia on Nov No 3 called for fora a big four conference to discuss only demilitarization of Germany Have Little Hope The Soviet reply was in the hands of the three western governments governments gov gov- before any public announcement announcement announcement an an- was made in any of the four capitals concerning its contents Diplomatic officials in Washington held out little hope that the terms of the Russian reply would lead to the time top-level top meeting The Soviet reply objected to holding the preliminary meeting in New York and suggested in instead instead instead in- in stead the talks take tale place in Moscow rOSCO Paris or London since the holding of such a conference in one of the mentioned above-mentioned capitals without doubt represents a practical convenience for the majority of those taking taking- part parL l Impresses A Agreement I The Russian reply said The Soviet government g expresses expresses expresses ex ex- presses agreement with discussing other questions also pertaining to I Germany which corresponds with the position of the Soviet government government govern govern- ment expounded in the noto note of Nov 3 and with the Prague statement statement statement state state- ment of eight countries The Prague declaration by east European foreign ministers called for unification of Germany and suggested a conference of east and west German representatives to discuss how Germany could be united I The west rejected the Prague declaration as unacceptable be be- cause it proposed that east cast and west Germany should send the thc same number of representatives to such talks West Vest German Germany has at least twice as man many people as east Germany The Thc Prague declaration also called for a power four-power pledge not notto notto notto to remilitarize western Germany Subsequently Atlantic pact representatives representatives representatives at Brussels decided on plans to give western Germany a arole arole arole role in the defense of western Europe Those plans have yet et to tobe tobe tobe be agreed to by the thc west Germans themselves The United States Britain and France have agreed to a meeting of the Big Four foreign ministers if such a conference is not limited to the thc Prague declaration or even en evento evento to German problems but is expanded expand expand- ed to include world-wide world differences differences differ differ- between the thc cast east and west Russia in her reply said she considered it essential to discuss first and foremost the thc question of the demilitarization of Germany as the most acute problem for Europe The Soviet Union denied that east cast Germany was being rearmed and attacked the thc western powers powers' Set See Pa Page e ti t Column 2 BIG FOUR Continued from Page One policy on rearmament of west vest Germany The broadcast note this was the thc note to the French presumably presumably presumably ably the same as the thc other two two two- went ent on It is also known that of late the representatives of the governments governments govern govern- ments of the United States Great Britain and France have been conducting conducting conducting con con- ducting negotiations with the Adenauer Adenauer Adenauer Ade Ade- west German government on the number of German Gennan divisions to be formed and their armament including tanks and heavy artillery artillery artillery artil artil- lery and on the inclusion of these divisions in the so-called so unified armed forces The attempts to camouflage these measures by referring to the necessity of strengthening the se security security security se- se of the United States Great Britain France and other states of Europe are obviously without basis since nobody has threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened or Is threatening threatening- these states The attempts contained in the note of the French government to justify the plans to remilitarize western Germany with references to the alleged rearmament taking place in eastern Germany are all the more without basis Everything Everything Everything Every Every- thing said in this respect in the note of the French government g I is invented from beginning to end and in no way corresponds to the facts |
