Big Four Invited To Vienna To Settle The Cold War

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23201, 13 March 1950, Page 5

Big Four Invited To Vienna To Settle The Cold War

(N.Z.P.A. —Reuter— Copyright.) (10 a.in.) VIENNA, March 12. The Chancellor, Dr. Leopold Figl yesterday invited President Truman, RI. Stalin, Mr. Attlee and M. Didault to meet in Vienna to settle outstanding di‘Yerence3 between East and West, states the Associated Press, “A meeting of responsible leaders of the big Powers would certainly lead to a decided relaxation in the strained international situation,” said Dr. Gigl “With great joy the Austrian Federal Government would welcome the four great men of the world in its capital.”

The Austrian Government spokesman said: “Vienna is an ideal spot for a meeting of the Big Four. M. Stalin said in February 1949 that he would like to meet the President in Prague because his health would not permit him to travel further. Vienna is about the same distance as Prague from Moscow. Vienna Suitable Venue

“President Truman has said he will never travel to Moscow while he is President. He has not said, however, that he would not come to a city like Vienna which is the seat of a strongly anti-Communist Government. “I am sure that Mr. Attlee and M. Bidault would be more than willing to attend a meeting in Vienna."

The Associated Press correspondent in Moscow cabled a message from Moscow which was passed by the Russian censorship, that informed diplomats predicted Russia would today make an overture toward a now effort to settle outstanding world problems. Mr. Aehcson will make two major speeches in San Francisco on March 15 and observers expect him to express United States willingness to discuss the ending of the atomic armaments race but only through the United Nations or normal diplomatic channels. U.S. Officials Not Impressed

State Department officials said they were not impressed by the Soviet leaders’ protestations of peace. They were determined that neither the American people nor those of Asia and West Europe should bo misled by Soviet propaganda. United States Government officials noted that the Russians, while hinting that their Government was ready to negotiate on such things as atomic controls, refrained from any indication that Russia would agree to an international inspection that the Western world considers vitally essential. Close students of Russian tactics said that the decent record of Moscow-directed anti-American incidents showed that the Soviet is still vigorously on the aggressive in the cold war. They said the hints that the Kremlin was ready to talk peace were designed to divide and confuse America at a time when Mr. Aehcson had called for an united effort to wage and win the cold war.