SOVIET'S SHARE

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 31, 6 August 1945, Page 5

SOVIET'S SHARE

GERMAN PROPERTY

ABOUT 50 PER CENT. UNDER POTSDAM AGREEMENT (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) NEW YORK, August 4. The Potsdam Agreement has the effect of giving Russia approximately 50 per cent, of movable German property, according to officials with knowledge of the preliminary negotiations at Potsdam, says the Washington correspondent of the "New York Times." He says that the negotiators had an estimate of how the property should be divided between x the eastern and western zones, showing that approximately 45 per cent, of the total German capital assets were covered by the agreement in the Russian zone. The high percentage surprised those ,who considered that the bulk of the German industries were in the west, but it was stated that during the war and the > immediate pre-war period,- the Germans built up industry in the east, where they established some of the nation's largest and most efficient units. In addition to the 45 per cent, of the total movable German equipment reported to be situated in the Russian zone, the Soviet is given under the Potsdam Agreement 10 per cent, of certain capital equipment in the western zone, making a total Russian gain of roughly 50 per cent, of the whole movable equipment. The raparations claims of all the United Nations in the war against Germany, except' Russia, must be satisfied from the remainder of the _ equipment in the western zone. The bulk of the equipment would be used ' to satisfy the reparations demands of such countries as France, Holland, and Belgium, since it is assumed' that the United States desires hone of the equipment and Britain relatively little. UNSETTLED QUESTIONS. Questions raised but unsettled at Potsdam are understood to be the fol- - lowing:— 1. The withdrawal of all foreign • troops from Iran, raised by Britain. . 2. The Russian delegation is report- ■ ed to have made it clear that the Soviet desired revision of the Mon- ■ treux Convention governing the passage of ships through the Dardanelles. - The question probably will be considered later by the Black Sea Powers • and the Council of Foreign Ministers. 3. Russia is reported to have proposed that at least part of the Italian colonial empire be placed under . trusteeshio in such a manner that the '. Soviet and the other principal Allies ' would have joint authority. I 4. A four-Power conference to settle the Syria-Lebanon issue. Russia fav- _ oured a conference and Britain and America, it is reported, opposed it. It i is presumed in Washington that Russia ' wished to have the Dodecanese Islands placed under trusteeship instead of being ceded to Greece, as suggested " by Britain, and America. It is known j that there was general agreement among the Big Three that Italy should .' be deprived of possessions in the ! Aegean and Africa, but the future con- ' trol of these areas is undecided. The Associated Press of America cor- . respondent says that at the close of ' the Potsdam talks President Truman '. suggested to Generalissimo Stalin and : Mr. Attlee. that if another Big Three ' conference was held it should be in Washington. Generalissimo Stalin ' smiled and responded, "God willing.".