BRITAIN AND SOVIET COLLABORATE.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 10 May 1939, Page 5

BRITAIN AND SOVIET COLLABORATE.

COMMITMENTS OP BOTH CONSIDERED.

RUSSIAN PREPARATIONS.

(By Telegraph--Prt/B3 Assn.-Copyright; Received Tuesday, 11.50 p.m. MOSCOW,.May 9.

The British Ambassador, Sir William Seeds, and M. Molotov, the new Soviet Foreign Minister, met for two hours yesterday and made progress towards clarifying the positions of the two countries. Sir William Seeds explained the British reply to the Soviet proposals. Meanwhile the Soviet is pushing ahead its military preparedness. Fourteen military academies yesterday passed out 2143 graduates and are now training over 200,000.

I A British official Wireless message dated May 8 stated: — A further stage in the discussions on the Eastern European security question was marked yesterday with the receipt by the British Ambassador at Moscow, Sir William Seeds, of communications from London bearing on the proposals and counter proposals which recently passed between Moscow and London. A reply to the latest Soviet observations was put into final form in consultation between the Prime Minister and Viscount Halifax, after the latter had an interview with the Russian Ambassador, M. Maisky, and it is expected that this latest expression of the views of Britain will to-day be presented to M. Molotov, the new Soviet Foreign Minister.

Although the terms of this communication are not revealed, the general attitude of Britain, which has undergone no material change in the past few days, is well known. Britain and France have declared their fullest help to be immediately forthcoming in the event of any threat to the independence of Poland, Eumania or Greece being resisted by force, and the discussions which are still proceeding in Angora have revealed the fullest understanding between Britain and Turkey. It may be assumed that Moscow is now being invited to give an assurance of her readiness to assist Poland and Eumania if they should become victims of aggression, as and when requested by them, in the knowledge that Britain and France would already have moved in the fulfilment of their assurances.

SOVIET OFFER OF DEFENSIVE GUARANTEES LONDON, May 8. Reuters' Bucharest correspondent says that the Soviet is offering all the smaller European States in the neighbourhood of her western frontier defensive guarantees similar to those which Britain and France have given to Greece and Rumania.

Warsaw reports that the unexpected appointment of M. Szaranoff as Soviet Ambassador is regarded as a symptom of improving relations between Poland and the Soviet.

The press alleges that Poles at Grossstrehlitz, in German Silesia, were terrorised and that a Polish school at Jedryn was destroyed.