EYES OF WORLD ON BIG THREE MEETING

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 163, 12 July 1945, Page 5

EYES OF WORLD ON BIG THREE MEETING

AMERICANS COMER

Russia's Entry Into War Believed Main Topic N.Z.P.A. and British Wireless Rec. 11.30 a.m. LONDON, July 11. President Truman conferred with the American Secretary of State, Mr. James Byrnes, and his Chief of Staff, Admiral Leahy, for several hours in the admiral's cabin where Mr. Churchill and President Roosevelt held most of their conferences, says the Associated Press correspondent aboard the heavy cruiser Augusta. President Truman will not have a prior consultation with Mr. Churchill, apparently with the desire to assure the Russians that he does not intend making any independent agreements, even of _a tentative nature. Several British warships will escort the American ships when they reach the British Isles and remain with them until President Truman arrives at the northern European port, from which he will fly to the conference rendezvous. War Against Japan President Truman's main topic of discussion with Generalissimo Stalin is believed to be the date of Russia's entry into the war against Japan, states the Washington correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald. ; While there are numerous other perplexing matters of international policy which the Big Three will attempt to straighten out, the war against Japan is paramount in American minds and the role which Russia will or will not play in that war has an imperative bearing on almost every aspect of America's future course of action. It is expected that control of the war against Japan in Malaya and Indonesia will shortly pass into British hands, and it would cause no surprise if divisions in General Mac Arthur's South-west Pacific command are made in order to enable the British command to extend from South-east Asia to Australia.

Russia has the answer to Japanese power in Northern China and Manchuria.

It is understood that President Truman will make clear America's readiness to continue lend-lease supplies to Russia and make substantial loans towards the reconstruction of the devastated area of European Russia in return for Russia's entry into the Pacific war at an early date. If Russia does-not fight Japan, it is conjectured the United States will have to recast its strategy in the Pacific. The Okinawa campaign indicated that big casualties are inevitable if the United States armies meet the Japanese armies in frontal attacks. Whether the tremendous casualties which America would be compelled to suffer if she alone met the main Japanese armies in China or the Japanese home islands would be acceptable to the American people is provoking earnest thought. Mr. Churchill's Painting Holiday Mr. Churchill on the fourth day of his holiday at Hendaye to-day looked much fitter. He continues to spend the afternoon and early evening painting. He places a, stool on the small footpath leading to the villa where the German Gestapo chief lived during the occupation. A local French -artist, at another turn of the path, is painting the same subject—the fine view across the Gascony Ray with the Pyrenees in the background. A statement has appeared in the Press that Mrs. Churchill crossed the Spanish frontier to-day to San Sebastian, accompanied by Colonel Ortega. Such reports are totally untrue, says a statement from No. 10, Downing Street. Neither the Prime Minister nor any of those with him has crossed the Spanish frontier, nor does anyone intend to do so. M. Fyodor Guesev, the Soviet Ambassador to London, is going to Moscow by air. The Press Association's diplomatic correspondent says that it is believed that he will accompany Generalissimo Stalin to the Potsdam conference.