UNITY OF ALLIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 December 1944, Page 5

UNITY OF ALLIES

BIG THREE’S MEETING

NOT BEFORE FEBRUARY (Rec. 9.50 a.m.) WASHINGTON, December 15. Mr 4 Churchill, Mr Roosevelt and Mr Stalin will probably not be meeting before February, according to the State Department British spokesman in Washington, and also a high-ranking official who would have a hand in the advance arrangements. Among the reasons against an earlier conference are that Mr Roosevelt must submit annual and Budget measures to Congress m the first week of January, and must a.so be in Washington on January 20 rnr the inauguration. It is also indicated that lessei officials are already smoothing . out the rough edges of British-American relations. .For example, Mr Richard Law is coming from Britain to discuss European relief supplies. SUPPLIES FOR EUROPE. WASHINGTON, December 15. “British and American officials will begin important conferences next week on European supply and political questions,” says the Washington correspondent of the “New York Times.” “The British Minister of State (Mr. Richard Law) and a group of shipping supply experts will first confer with the Secretary of State (Mr. Stettinius). Later Mr. Stettinius will discuss the Greek situation with Mr. Harold Macmillan, who is now m Athens. “The purpose of Mr. Law s conversations is to determine whether the flow of relief supplies in Europe can be increased without interfering with the military supply schedule. 2 “It is realised in Washington that mounting political tension in Belgium, Italy and Greece at least is partly due to economic reasons. Official reports show that the supply situation in Europe is more serious than is generally supposed, with the exception of France, where the speed of the German retreat prevented the effective crippling of transportation facilities. “However, there is a complete breakdown of transportation in Greece. Even the limited food supplies left by the Germans cannot be properly distributed. Unless the situation in Greece, Italy arid elsewhere improves, desperate people may force the Allies to change their military plans to maintain necessary order behind their lines. Thus Mr. Law’s mission, although primarily economic, has most important political and military implications.

ANGLO-U.S.A. CO-OPERATION.

RUGBY, December 14. “In the troublesome days that lie ahead of us there is one outstanding need, and that is that Britain and America should understand each other. They need not see eye to eye on every point, and they will differ on many things, but they must have that true understanding which comes from true friendship.” Making this statement at the annual general meeting of the American and British Commonwealth in London, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Viscount Trenchard added: “Lately we have seen divergencies arising over export trade, civil aviation, and other matters between two great Powers. I, for one, do not want, to clamp down their .divergencies as long as they are expressed temperately and correctly. Only by publicity can we explain our point of view and recognise the other side’s problems and points of view, which we want to hear and understand, so that we can see how an agreement can be reached. Let us do our utmost to maintain and increase the comradeship of war so as to make a peace which will be worthy of our ideals.”