SWIFT FINALE TO TALKS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 7, 3 October 1941, Page 7

SWIFT FINALE TO TALKS

Supplies To And From Russia WIDE AGREEMENT Conference Ends Well Ahead Of Time (British Official Wireless and Press Assn.) LONDON, October 1. The six technical committees set up in Moscow to deal with supply and transport made swift progress. They completed their work today, two days in advance, and reported to the three-Power conference. The conference held a final session, and at the conclusion the following communique was issued in Moscow:— “The delegations reached agreement to supply Russia with practically every requirement for which the civil and military authorities of the Soviet Union asked. Russia has agreed to supply Britain and the United States with large quantities of urgently-required raw materials. “The conference adopted important resolutions in conformity with its aims, and also manifested the perfect unanimity of the three great Powers in the common effort to gain victory over the mortal enemy of all freedom-loving nations.

“M. Stalin participated in the final session and expressed thanks for the bountiful supplies of raw materials, machine tools and munitions, and he expressed confidence in Russia’s ability to prosecute the war against Germany.” The British and American leaders, Lord Beaverbrook and Mr. Harriman, in a statement, said that ample supplies of Russian raw materials would greatly increase the British and American war output. The transport facilities had been fully examined and plans had been made to increase the volume of traffic in all directions. It is commented in London that thus one of the biggest and quickest jobs of its kind has been completed. The spade-work done before the conference helped materially. “Go Down in History.” Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that M. Stalin’s incisive and practical mind has been an important factor in the discussions. Everyone was impressed with liis knowledge of detail and practical possibilities. The Soviet Vice-Premier, M. Molotov, in a speech at the concluding session of the ’ conference, after paying a tribute to the determination of Lord Beaverbrook and Mr. Harriman to secure the success of the conference, said that the coordination of the British, American and Russian effort guaranteed final victory in the struggle against Hitlerite Fascism, however much the Hitlerite banidts might rob their own people and the countries they had subjugated. “Our conference wil go down in history,” he said. “It is not sufficient to hate all these Goerings, Hitlers and Ribbentrops. It is necessary to beat and crush this criminal band of enslavers and annexationists, at the head of which stands the curse of mankind.” Transport Measures. Mr. L. Cadbury, a member of the British economic mission which was on its way to Russia within two days of the German invasion, said in London today that it was impossible to exaggerate the importance of keeping Russia in the war effectively, and the getting of supplies to Russia was a very important aspect of the work. Every possible entrance to Russia was being tested. One convoy had already made a passage to Archangel in the Arctic and had returned with a cargo for Britain. The Soviet authorities, be said, had given his mission a great deal of useful information about Germany, not only about the goods the two countries had exchanged before they went to war, but also the report of Russian inspectors who had visited German factories. Except for certain goods, particularly aluminium, he did not think there was any difficulty about supplies or finance for Russia. Mr. Cadbury said that Russian ships had quickly been put into service, including many which were laid up at Hong Kong, Shanghai, Vladivostok, and so on. The main difficulty was transportation. At Archangel that was lhe chief problem, and opinions varied on the feasibility of..using the port during the coming ,111011 th. Pessimists declared

that it would lie icebound after November 15, while a more hopeful view was that the Russian authorities would be able to keep it open throughout the winter.

The port was accustomed to handling timber, and must be adapted to handle other supplies, said Mr. Cadbury, and such readjustments and the consequent speed-up in turn-round constituted the main problems. The Vladivostok route was good, but expensive. Original Reticence.

A third route was via the Persian Gulf. The methods. of bringing supplies hqd been improved by the position in Iran, where the railways had been taken over.

Regarding a slight reticence which the Russian authorities had shown when his mission arrived in Moscow, Mr. Cadbury thought this might now have been modified. Lord Beaverbrook had now seen M. Stalin on three occasions, and M. Litvinov, who was particularly friendly to Britain, had been appointed to the conference now sitting.