Potsdam Progress
The only reliable news that Potsdam has yielded this week is that the Conference agrees about the necessity of co-ordinating the zones of occupation, and that Germany is to be administered as a whole in regard to natural resources, transport, and communications. This is very satisfactory, for, just as it was discovered that the British area in Berlin must get much of its food supplies from the Russian zone outside, so also as between the Russian and eastern zone, the British northern and the American southern zone, it was essential to make quick arrangements for the transport of food-stuffs, coal, pit-props, etc., from the one to the other. Already movements of food from area to area are being carried out, pre- sumably in accordance with Big Three decisions. The general impression is that substantial progress has been made on most of the matters under discussion, though the agenda had not been exhausted when the moment came for Mr. Churchill to return to Britain to hear the election results. Whatever those results may be, Mr. Churchill and Mr. Attlee will both be back in Potsdam again after a few days and the proceedings will be taken up at the point where they left off. This awkward interruption serves to show how essential it was that Mr Attlee should accompany Mr. Churchill to Potsdam. Whether his presence there will be equally essential next week remains to be seen.
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