President Willing But Washington Must Be Venue

Chronicle (Levin), 3 February 1949, Page 5

President Willing But Washington Must Be Venue

(N.Z.P.A.-

-Retiter.

CovvrlQht)

Jpr ' ' Received Thursday, 9.40. a.m. LONDON, February 2. Marshal Stalin today invited President Truman to meet him in Russia or, alternatively, Poland or Czechoslovakia. In Washington, White House officials stated that President Truman was willing to meet Marshal Stalin but only in Washington. Marshal Stalin's invitation was contained in an urgent telegram tp the International News Service offibe in Paris and was roproduced in the Paris newspaper, France Soir.

The message was marked "Tele-'•ram-Official-Urgent," and was nt'dre?sed to Sir Kingsbury Smith, Luropean director of the news ageney. It was apparently in i'eply * j a telegram sent by Mr. Kingsbury Smith to the Kremlin yesterday. The full text of the telegram, as published in the France Soir, is: ■I aili grateful for President's Truman's invitation for me to go to Watlington. For a long time I have desired to go myself to Washington and I told President Rooseveit this at Yalta, as well as President Truman at Potsdam. Unforumately, at the moment I fin'd it iuipcssible to realise this Wish revause my doctors categorically idvise me not to undertake a long ,i jurney, particularly by sea or air." The telegram added: "The U.S.S.R. Government would wel'•nine with pleaSure President Trun.an's visit to the U.S.S.R. "The i-.»nference eould be arranged as ihe President wished, eitner in Muscow or in Kaliningrad, or in Gdessa or at Yalta, it being underwood that this would be convsnient :br the President's personal arrangements. However, in case the suggestion would raise an objection, a meeting could be raised, at the President's request, either in Poland or Czechoslovakia. ReSpectfully, i.signed) J. Stalin." Tne Evening Standard's Paris cuirespondent says that Marshal Stalin's telegram began by ... knowledging the message which

iMr. Kingsbury smith sent to MarIshal Stalin -yesterday after observjing world reaction to the weekend i question and answer interview, in whicn Marshal Stalin said that he would be glad to consider a no war declaration with America. The telegram was receive'd in duplicate by the French central post office. Both texts were in English. Reuter's diplomatic correspondent says that some United States officials in London thought the Soviet Government wanted to force the United States into a definite jacceptance or rejection of the proposal for a meeting — in other words "bounce" the White House. Others believed that President Truman wopld be attracte'd by Marshal Stalin's new oifer. In Paris this afternoon, the Premier, Dr. Queuille, suggested Paris as the meeting place. He said: "Marshal Stalin says the doctors forbid a long journey. Perhaps President Truman will find that his own health doesn't permit 'a voyage to Eastern Europe." Reuter's Moscow correspondent reports that the newspapers Pravda and Izvestia printed four ' columns of world reaction to Mar1 shal Stalin's answers to the questions put to him on January 30. I The answers are still the main Itopic of conversation in Moscow. The reaction quoted was from Bri1 tain, the United States, France, Italy, Australia, India, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.