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GILMANS GLOUCESTER ARCADE
COMMENT OF THE DAY
Geneva
Lo
THE Geneva conferoner
which in scheduled Degin Today faces ita greatest threat before the delegates can even attend the firat assembly. Treacherously Rusia 14 ngain insisted that the con ference is one of "ve Great Powers". It is not and wan never intended to be nuy- thing but a meeting of all nations participating in the Korean war invited by the Big Four powers, China 28 therefore there as one of the participants in the Korean WILT. The Geneva talks in so far us Korea is cerned are merely an exten- Hiom uf
the broken-uff Panmunjom truce talks. JE and when the conference begins, however, perhaps the greatest concern to the West in not the magnitude and complexity of the Korean and Indo-Chinese problems so much as the apparent wide differences between views of America on the one hand and Britan and France on the other on the ending of the Indo-
the
cut-
China war. It appears for instance that for the sake uf a cease-fire the principle of territorial partition in acceptable to Britain and France but Amurica's view ignores this consideration entirely. Far from approach- ing the Indo-China question from the point of view of Att immediate
cease-fire to place greater emplussis un military actio to strengthen the West's hand for political discussions later. The only conclusion to be drawn from this is that in Washington's view the Geneva meeting is premature.
Amerien
REELBASE
to
YET what of the Indo-Chinn campaign? Militarily it is conceded the war cannot be won; it must not be lost; yet it must be ended. Whatever approach the West adopta it must remember that France as a colonial power has the obligation
that under her promise to grant full independence to Vietnamı the Vietnamese people will have the choice of their new government and that thos will not be sacrificed to n new form of colonialism directed from Peking. On
ensure
the other side of the con the Communists whose in- tentions and tactics one may suspect but which will not
ference table at Geneva sit
be known until the talka begin. There is a feeling current in the West that China which has to fulfil a more demanding indus- trialisation programme this year enn l-afford military adventures on the lines of wholesalo intervention Indo-China. The target for industrial production is 17 per cent higher than inst year's. If this is to be China's polley, henceforth it will demand a reconsideration of the strategic ban on trade which, together with the casing of tension in the Far East, is the most Hongkong can hope for at Geneva. THE Korean problem is in- clined to be relegated to a lower order on the business sheet. The two subjects are to be treated separately (e.g. BO that a breakdown on Koren would not necessarily prejudice the talka on Indo China) but potentially the failure of the Korean talks could be extremely serious. It is regrettable that, South Korea aces military action na the most accoptable way of
This Morning's City Drama-Back Page
►W9; -WEATHER?"" TIRES' Variable" winds,” mainly" Houthi-i easterly “Cloudy' with fair periods Hui soomaforial thundery
showers are expected at' times.
CHINA MAIL
No. 35800
Established 1845
MONDAY, APRIL 26, 1964.
"RESCUE DIEN BIEN
Prico 20 Cents
ORIGINAL-ODHVER Calculator ---- Model, 107
Only $550 HONGKONG TYPEWRITER EXCHANGE 9 D'Aguilar St
Tel. 21433.
PHU Mrs Petrov Hustled On
GARRISON" ORDER Fire Halts
Defenders Earthquake
Almost At Their Last Gasp
From RUSSELL SPURR
Hanoi, Apr. 25.
The French Government has ordered General Navarre to 'rescue" the gallant garrison of Dien Bien Phu. Or at least to press a diversionary attack which would draw off some of the 40,000 Vietminh rebels now closing in on the crumbling jungle fortress.
An urgent personal message from the French War Minister, Indo-China M. Pleven, to the French Commander-in-Chief in paid a tribute to the courage of General de Castries and his men, but asked "how much longer can they hold on?"
Already the main airstrip is in enemy hands. Ammunition, food New infiltration tactics by and medical supplies are desperately short. hand-picked Communist commandos are wearing down the weary de- fenders.
The situation is so grave that a state of emergency may be de- clared throughout Indo-China,
EDEN TELLS DULLES
Give
Britain Cannot
Substantial Aid To Indo-China
Geneva, Apr. 26.
A usually reliable source said here early this morning that Mr Anthony Eden told Mr John Foster Dulles the British Government had decided it could not give substantial aid to the French forces in Indo-China at present.
The two Foreign Secretaries met within an hour after Mr Eden arrived here last night from London, where he attended two emergency meetings of the Cabinet Defence Committee called by Sir Winston Churchill to discuss France's rapidly deteriorating military position in Indo- China.
Cambodia has also taken the
Rocks
Parts Of
California
San Francisco, Apr. 25.
A "strong" 20-minute
Cold War
WAB
Berlin, Apr. 26. The "cold
war" temporarily forgotten hers Today when West Berlin firemen joined East German People's Police and Soviet soldiers in fighting a forest blaze just outside Berlin.
East German border
polico allowed three West Berlin fire engines to pass over tho British sector border into the Soviet zone where 40,0
,000 square yards of a young forest planta- tion were in flames.
When the West Berlin Aremen
This
left the area- after putting out earthquake followed by # the fire, a People's Police officer alngle Aftershock rocked thanked them for their help.
was the Arst time in northern California today, years that East German polica cracking roads, setting off landslides uild clearing public buildings and homes of panicky residents.
5.ismologists raid the tremor, which Occurrid &l 1.33 p.m. Wan centred to the Guroy- Hollister area at the intersection
hud
allowed entry to West
fremen. On Berlin
previous occasions they hod refused Western help.--Router.
CAR RIDDLED
of the Santa Clara, San Benito WITH BULLETS
and Santa Cruz county lines.
com-
It registered a magnitude of Five on instrumenta, which is cunsktered
"strong." pures to a magnitude of 6.5 for earthquake which also occurred in April.
the famed San Francisco 1908
Reports of property damages in the San Francisco Bay area and northern California flooded into police authoriti:a, but there were no immediate reports of injuries,
Tel-Aviv, Apr. 20.
on
An Israeli Army spokesman said last night that an Israeil military vehicle was fired yesterday near Millassim, facing
strip. the Egyptian-held Gaza
The
car
was riddled with bullets and a rescue party that arrived to help It also camo under Are, the spokesman said.
United Nations observers in- vestigated the incident.
The Israeli spokesman sald "Egyptian
acts of aggression" along the Gaza strip had in- creased in the past few weeks. W. C. Marion, University of❘ -Reuter. California seismologist, said tho
rolling shock was so prolonged because of ils magnitude. It was followed by an aftershock at 2.26 pm.
**An
necessary steps in view of the small but serious Vietminh assault from Central Annom
Prince Bu Loc, head of the Vietnamese Government, diy
of earthquake
such cussed the matter with General magnitude continues to give Navarro this weekend after | surface waves for some -time, flying to Hanoi for a detalled Marion said, briefing on the crisis.
M. Pleven's
message touched
un some of the recent criticians
of the Dien Blen Phu орета- tions
CAUSES LANDSLIDE
A landslide triggered by the quake blocked the Chitten Pass
Santa Cruz county line.
it is recalled that the air-Road, West of Hollister near the borne seizure of the mountain stronghold had been intended Floods of calls into the Sun to "loosen up" the costly guerilla Francisco police department re- warfare
and bring the French ported cracked plaster, broken crockery, and swaying lights. forces over to the offensiva.
Instead they have been Several sunset district
callers
Alled said streets were being dropped jute a trap.
The War Minister
urged with neighbours who ran out of to "take all their homes with the jolt. General Navarre possible steps" to break up the siege and avert a disaster.
Plans
are therefore being reinforce hastily propared to
column the smali French marching eastward through the Jungle from Moncay
Foreign Legion units been flown in from
To Plane At Sydney
Radio picture received from Australia vis London, ahows Mrs Potrov, wife of the Sovici diplomat who sought polition? asylum, being hustled to the plane that took ber from Sydney to Darwin, en route to Russia. At Darwin Mra Petrov sina decided to request asylum in Australia, whlott' was granted box.
Central Press Photo,
Australian Diplomats Fail To Get Soviet Exit Visas
Moscow, Apr. 25.
The Australian Embassy staff in Moscow, under Russian orders to leave the Soviet Union, still waited for exit visas tonight while the train out of Russia left a Moscow station.
The Australians, headed by the Charge d'Affaires, Mr Brian Hill, were on Friday given two to three days in which to leave the Soviet Union.
They
То
by
J
to them only on authorisation
the Foreign Ministry,
The next through tral to from Moscow leaves Helsinki cn Tuesday night,
There is no way the Aus trallarts con get away from Soviot Moscow and out of the Union before then unless they
from Moscow
fly.
That is difficult because they want to tako with them the
while the minutes rolled on for had been ordered
the time of the departure of close down the Embassy after a
the Helsinki train-but there Soviet diplomat, Mr Vladimir
was no news from the Forelga Ministry-Reuter, The Oakland police dispatcher Petrov, and his wife had been political Beylum in given salt the tremo: felt like a "ship
SWEDEN ACCEPTS JOB rolling" and set lights to sway- Australia.
Stockholm, Apr. 25. the Soviet comply with ng throughout the radio room.
Sweden has agreed to repro- order
der to quit, the Australians
sent Soviet interests in Aus- The quake was felt in San had to catch tonight's 8 o'clock
traila, It was learned tonight. Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, through express
The Soviet Union has broken have San Jose, Hollister, Alameda, to Helsinki.
off diplomatic relations
with Laos and San Bruno,
Pitts- Martinez,
But at departure time they Concord and Walnut had neither exit visas nor rail-belongings they have been pack Australia after a dispute over sent marching off down the 100-burgh,
ing in the last two days.
Nikolai Petrov, the Soviet diplo mile trali.
Creek
way tickets.
Fifty Casca and 20 trunks mat, who sought political asylum The abortive seaborne opera-
At 4.30 p.m. Mr Hill went tu
walted in the Embassy tonight in Australia. Trance-Presse. as the
Soviet Foreign Ministry alternatives tion in Central Annam has been
Western suspended and troops alerted for Carmel on the Monterey penin- and was told there
Information about the exit to rellevo the Vietminh pressure Foreign Ministers in Paris yes transfer northward,
from
the which
Australians Paratroopers flown out and especially for milliary and terday.
France this week
have before they cun being transport aircraft.
The alternatives for an agree- concentrated
at a large coastal of the airbase possibly for another air- Britishment on chairmanship
conference are believed to in-borne landing. clude the appointment of a per-
Armoured units mament neutral chairman.
battled Hanoi deita
for pulled back before "new operations."
Hanoi is 160 jungle miles from Dien Bien Phu.
The French Government is, pected to do, Mr Eden will put understood to have appealed for forward other
erican help i agreed between swift Brush and A
The reason for the decision was not known.
After M. Ccorges Bidauit, French Foreign Minister, made the request at the three-Power
tulks in Paria yesterday, Mr
Eden
abandoned his plan to
the
DULLES' OPPOSITION
DiMculty
over chairmanship the conference arose from travel directly to Genova and of flew instead back to London for the opposition of Mr John - Dulles, the American talks with Sir Winston Chur- ter chill.
A high American source salta here Inst night the United States
have
wre
It reached down As far
mula.
**no
It occurred 48 years and one visa week to the day after the famed must San Francisco earthquake of leave Russia.
At 7.30
p.m. the Australians 1900 which was followed by telephoned the Foreign Minis- flames that nearly levelled the
to ask if a Soviet try city, resulted in 452 dead, 1,500 could meet them at Moscow'n have been injured and property damage Leningrad station a hasty refit of $350,000,000-United Press.
In the 11-
ALMOST LAST GASP
officiat
with their vleas and tickets if they went to the station immediately,
girl who
answered the said: "I do not know
11 Killed in Phone
3 Accidents
At 10 minutes before
elgbt Mr Hill stood in the red- carpeted. steps of his Embassy and conceded: "It is physically Impossible to leave tonight,"
NO INFORMATION The Australians' passporti sent to the Foreign Ministry for. endorsement with the exit visas, were still there.
Secretary of State, to sit under French spokesmen privately the chairmanship of Communist admit that any relief campaign China and North Korea, both must hurry for Dien Bien Phu could not increase its ready branded as aggressors in Korea is almost at its last gasp.
Two-thirds
fortress of the heavy ald to France without by the United Nations.
been lost in the 45-day virtually becoming a belligerent Mr Eden flew here during the battle. in the conflict. Constitutional night
rebels, by way of Paris after
Manila, Apr. 26. Vietminh
reinforced considerations alone prevented talks in London
Eleven persons were on Saturday from all over North Indo-China, this and the United States could and Sunday with Sir Winston have
now hacked their way killed in three violent acci-
When Mr Hill called at the Indio- not directly intervene in
down the main airstrip,
dents reported yesterday in Foreign Ministry earlier, ha China in present circumstances.
Their grenade-carrying a widely separated parts of was unable to obtain any in- Bo also attended an emergency mooting of the Bri-vance units are 500 yards from
General de Castrier head the Philippines.
MEETING MOLOTOV
--
Churchill.
were
ו יוּ.
travel
formation about his facilities from Moscow. unifying Koren when the Shortly after Mr Eden and tish Cabinet on Sanday morn quarters.
that his
Six persons were fatally in- Foreigners leaving the Soviet problem is essentially a Mr Dulles met here last night, ing. It was believed
the Prime Minister One more surging advance
jured and sixteen others hurt Union must have exit visas frden political one. But perhaps it was officially announced that talks with
it seems will awamp the deseriously when a lumber truck the Bovlet authorities and the most depressing feature Mr Eden would call on Mr and the Cabinet meeting
Ung i foRCES.
in which they were riding over- | tickets for travel are issued to focussed Оп
worsening the of East-West negotiations Vyacheslav Moletov, the Soviet
Supply problems are so grave turned in the Nutva Ecija pro- Foreign Minister, this morning French
position is that in the past the West to discuss final arrangements for Indo-China. It was
military
also be that the troops seldom have wince on central Luzon. and Russia havo shown they the 10-nation conference on the lieved that Mr Eden had arrived more than one day's supply of have completely different future of Korea opening in the here with an up-to-date briefing ammunition.
The dropping zone
commit
much
NATO REPLY TO RUSSIA
In another accident, two per- SONE were killed and 15 others definitions of such an essen- afternoon.
British military on
Cul-injured in a head-on collision tial basic term as "free and
mente in Southout Asia as a small and radar-directed
~London, Apr. 28. flok so accurate that de between two trains in the Iloilo Main topic at the Eden- result of his unexpected London much as half of the recent air-province in the Visayan islands. independent elections." It Molotov talk will be the ques- talks.
to the Westen oply The would be fatally easy to fall tion of chairmanship of the con-
Boviet proposal for the adm drops have lately been falling In the Batangas province on mision of the USSR to the Into the bellor that if diplu ference still undecided,
Mr Eden told reporters in a in the Vietminh Lines.
southerns Luzon, a speeding. North Atlantic Treaty Organisa= Mr Eden is expected to soek brief, statement at Goneva air-
Reinforcement : macy fails, since war is
growing transportation bus wided on and, the creation of an dimcust. The French are passenger truck, resulting in the m car security pact in now
American only an extension. diplomacy" military action
Bondat. Government far: Mocow tomorrow, or by Tumičky #tem mumkan mathoritatives | Britian sodrony dielowed here toniihtyv
of Mr Molotov's agreement to a port: pře ̋aro all very grateful equally woman Mapachutists ›, that death "of one; persón and the enacted fa, be häïlded. to. the
Is the next course. If the conference cannot achieve
any concrete results at least
for further talks. £
the door should be left open
rotating chairmanship between to the Swiss Government for so short of the Big Four sponsoring Powers their friendly welcome,
We they are dropping in. men who
Britain, France, the United join with them in hoping that have never made an air jums rury of tour others, States and the Soviet Union. ihi conference will make a Two hundead. Jegionnairem
In "peachy, Pam Zcity, a two- But if Mr Molotov calls for fasting and enduring contribus reported to have been killed, ias | yearsold, bege min knocked down the Inclusion of Communias Tion to consdence and peace," a recabt, night drop. Seventy and Milled by Vinaigedy China in the rota, au ha 18 ark={ Reuter,"
JAGUAR
Grace - Space-Pace