FUTURE CONTROL OF GERMANY

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 14049, 2 May 1946, Page 3

FUTURE CONTROL OF GERMANY

PACT PROPOSED BY AMERICA TERM OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS London, April 30. America has proposed to Britain, France and Russia the .signature of 25-year mutual assistance pacts to ensure Japanese and German disarmament after the joint occupation of each country. The United States Secretary of State, Mr J. F. Byrnes, anounced this after the fivehour session of the Foreign Ministers’ Conference in Paris. . Mr Byrnes said that with the support of Britain and France he attempted to insert in the agenda of the conference the projected treaty covering Germany (which was contained in a secret document sent to the three Powers three months ago). However, M. Molotov objected to this course. Britain and France agreed to the treaty in principle and Russia was preparing to discuss tire question. Mr Byrnes declined to comment on, the proposed pact relating to Japan, because it had not yet been discussed with the Pacific Powers. He said the draft had been sent to the Allied Government for their consideration. Tho treaty regarding Germany, said Mr Byrnes varied only slightly from the* military agreement. It provided for the inspection of Germany by agents from the four Allied Powers to ensure against violation. In the event of violation Allied military headquarters would decide what military action would be taken, either by air or ground forces, to enforce the disarmament terms.

Mr Byrnes said he discussed the treaty with Marshal Stalin last Christinas. Marshal Stalin, at Yalta and on other occasions, expressed fears that America would withdraw from Europe, as she did after 1918. Reuter’s Paris correspondent says M. Molotov would not agree to a discussion by the present conference of the proposed treaty coveting Germany cn the grounds that future disarmament was of secondary importance, and that the vital question was that of effective immediate disarmament. Pie'made a counter-proposal that a commission of inquiry be sent to investigate,the present disarmament and to verify whether the Potsdam Agreement was being satisfactorily implemented ed. The other delegates opposed this on the grounds that the Allied Control Commission already possessed the necessary powers. The correspondent adds that the draft treaty for ally similar to that for Germany.