ANGLO-FRENCH ALLIANCE

Chronicle (Levin), 17 January 1947, Page 5

ANGLO-FRENCH ALLIANCE

Press Assn.- 1

Favourable British Press Comment

BALANCE TO RUSSIAN PACT

By Telegraph

Copyfight

Received Tliursdav, 7 p.m. LONDON. Jan. 36. The Times' Paris correspondent says' the news that conversations are to begin in the near future for the concluaion "of, an Anglo-Frenelf Alliance will' rejoice the liearts of those who have long felt that the Fratrco-Russian Fact' and the Anglo-Russian Pact required to. be balaneed by a pact with Britain if French poiicy of acling as a bridge betAveen tlie" east and west. 111 Europe is to become a fornial reality aird if the triangle of European security against Germany is to be continuous-ly i'enced all rotind. . The acceptanee of British coal policv in the Ruhr which is implicit in the agreement will be lrard for some to swallow, especially after the argu ments that have been so consistently [int forward against it by previous French Governments and the newspapers of t wo of the principal partios. The impetuous vvil 1 see in it « an unrepaicL concession to Britain and will suspeel that M. Blum has lieen prepared to make a virtue out of necessity for the sake of a last testimonial to the Socialist Party's brief tenure of office. The negotiators, who are also politicians, would be more than human if they did. not allow such considerations to weigh, in their minds, but there may well be more to this change of attitude than this superlicial analysis suggests. Just before leaving for London AL. Blum invited Mr. Bogomolov, Russian Ambas sador, to dine. Mr. Bogomolov was liimselt about to leave Paris for Moseow and M. Blum musi certainly have explained the aims of liis ffondon vis'it with suffici-eut care and detail to dispel from the Russian Ambassador T liiind the idea that the wide sc'ope oi the London talks implied a new attempi to create a western bloc or even a purely westem entente. But it is likely that tlie conversation had a constructive side. France needs Russian acceptanee of her claiins to the Baar far too much to mcur the risk of alienating the" Kremlin, already none too forthcoming with its support." Reuter's Paris correspondent says a report from London quotes Mr. Bevin as saying: ' ' I believe the agreement to start negotiations for an Anglo-French ulliance is a very good thing. If we now get to work 011 it in a good spirit we can develop it without liurting any liody else. " The projiosed Britisli-French Alliance is regarded in Paris as a uiajor diplomatic achievenieut for M. Blum, inrreasing his cliaiices of receiving the I'remiership in the fourth Republic's first permanent Government wlien he formally resigns the present int orini Premiership 011 Friday, says the Associated Press 's Paris correspondent. The first reaetion to the alliance plan is generally favourable tliough official comment is lacking, probably as a result of M. Blum's ban on Government officials giving press interviews without his permission.