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Show FRANCE IS READY FOR DEBT PARLEY PLANS TO BE PROPOSED ARE NOT ANNOUNCED BUT IDEA IS SUGGESTED Washington Predicts Leniency Of Terms If Definite Settlement Can Be Reached At The Conference Washington Officials of the American Amer-ican government have read with interest in-terest reports from Paris indicatng the terms wheh the French debt commission, com-mission, when it arrives shortly after the middle of next month, probably would present for settlement of the four billion dollar debt of France to the United States. How far the suggested sug-gested terms of agreement reflect the opinion or the expectation of government govern-ment and financial authorities in France, officials here were unable to determine, but it is said that in any event there was no reply they could make until after the arrival of the French delegation and until it had presented its proposals to the American Ameri-can debt funding commission. The general opinion in circles close to the latter body was that the various debt settlement terms now coming from Paris are "trial baloons" which are being sent up for the purpose of sounding out public sentiment in the United States and if possible obtaining obtain-ing some slant also on the attitude of the government itself. There could be no objection, it was stated, to such a sounding out process and there could be no criticism of the French if this was the motive behind the unofficial debt conversations now going on. Nothing further has been hear in regard to the coming of the French commission. The date of their sailing, sail-ing, September 16, is the only official offi-cial advice which has been received by the government, and none of the names of the delegates has been announced. an-nounced. The question as to whether the French minister of finance, Joseph Jo-seph Caillaux, himself will accompany the mission is still an uncertainty, as fas as Washington is concerned. The delegation is expected here about September 23. There is one outstanding fact in connection with the coming French negotiations, in the opinion of officials offi-cials here, and that is that France is serious in her intentions. On this account ac-count it is believed an agreement wil be reached. France, they believe, recognizes the importance of getting this stumbling block to her future economic program out of the way and realizes "that the American government govern-ment does not desire a mere "gesture," "gest-ure," but is anxious to have the debt question settled. It is asserted in well advised quarters that the delegation dele-gation which is coming "means business" bus-iness" just as did the Belgian mission, and that the "will to settlement" should mean accomplishment. While no official reports have been received here as to the terms which the French will demand, there is no secret to the fact that they will ask for lenient settlement, for easy rates of interest, a long period in which to meet their payments and probably also for a moratorium. It is believed in well informed quarters that the French were somewhat disappointed at the terms of the Belgian settlement holding that it would be a precedent in certain particulars. While France will not have the same plea as Belgium Bel-gium where the "moral obligations" incurred in connection with the actual war debt of that country was recognized recog-nized and taken into consideration, it is thought France will bring forward certain other claims of leniency, including in-cluding the great ravages to her territory ter-ritory and properties and the immense immen-se sums which it had been necessary to spend for reconstruction work not yet completed. |