BIG THREE TALKS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 180, 1 August 1945, Page 5

BIG THREE TALKS

STALIN ATTENDS

Writers Criticise "Hush-Hush ,, Atmosphere N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. 1 p.m. LONDON, July 31. It is officially announced from Potsdam that Generalissimo Stalin this afternoon attended the Big Three Conference, which lasted three and a half hours. He had been indisposed for two days with a cold and his doctor had taken all precautions to safeguard the health of the 66-year-old Russian leader, says the Associated Press correspondent at Potsdam. A number of his Russian colleagues saw Generalissimo Stalin while, he was confined to his place of residence.

The Russian Foreign Commissar, M. Molotov, filled a dual role on Sunday, taking Generalissimo Stalin's place at a round-table meeting with Mr. Attlee and President Truman, in addition to conferring with his opposite numbers, Mr. Bevin and Mr. Byrnes.

To-day's session of the conference is described as a fruitful period in which a great deal of progress was made. The Big Three will meet again to-morrow.

Journalists , "Round Robin" Allied correspondents are sending a "round Robin" letter to the Big Three requesting them to give a talk to the Press before the conference disperses, reports the correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph Company. Correspondents at a meeting at Potsdam to-night expressed dissatisfaction at the "hushhush" atmosphere which has prevailed throughout the talks, even over unimportant issues. Reuters correspondent says the only other news leaking out through the wall of secrecy surrounding tne conference is that the United States Ambassador to Moscow, Mr. Averill Harriman, who is attending the. conference, intends to return to Moscow to-morrow, but whether this means that the conference is drawing to a close is not disclosed. The Exchange Telegraph Company correspondent says Mr. Attlee took an hour off yesterday and talked to British troops who were working in the area of the conference building. He thanked them for the effort they had made in assuring supplies and maintaining communications during the conference.

NEW POLISH FRONTIER

POSSIBLE FAIT ACCOMPLI

LONDON. July 29

Poland's western frontier is believed, to have been the subject of considerable discussion at Potsdam, particularly in view of the possibility that Poland may present the Peace Conference with a fait accompli, states the Berlin correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald. At Yalta it was recognised that Poland must receive substantial accessions of territory in the north and west and that the opinion of the new Polish Provisional Government should be sought on the extent of these concessions, with final decision to await the Peace Conference.

Whereas British and American opinion has tended to regard all German territory east of the Oder and Neisse, Rivers as- "too substantial," the Soviet Government apparently has supported the case for this transfer^ GermAny east of the Oder is largely a land of mystery, but the Poles have been busy ejecting Germans who remained when hundreds of thousands of the population: fled before the Russian armies.

Many thousands of Germans cleared out by the Poles have beer, arriving in Berlin, but they are not allowed to remain longer than three days. The majority, therefore, are moving west, south-west and northwest into an unknown future. German refugees "on the roads" by next autumn are expected to run into millions.