Moscow, June 2.
IR William Seeds, British ambassador and M. Emile Naggiar, French ambassador, met M. Viacheslav Molotov in the Kremlin this afternoon at 5 when the latter handed them the Soviet reply to the Franco-British proposals of alliance. The interview lasted one hour.
Soviet conditions to enter the accord, it, is recalled, provide for a guarantee to be extended to the three north-western neigh-hours of Russia, as well as for the cancellation of the reference made in the draft plan to the League of Nations.
Poi According to well informed quarters, the three Russian north? western neighbours are Esthonia, Latvia and Finland, but not Lithuania which has no common border with the U.S.S.R. The guarantee to be extended them through the alliance pact should be valid even in case these three countries, feeling not strong enough, should decide not to defend themselves against their aggressor.
It is understood that London is ready to guarantee their neutrality io all states who would make such a request but is reluctant to extend help when they do not ask for it. On the other hand Soviet quarters are very doubtful whether the three small Powers would take the determination to defend their neutrality. They recall that the U.S.S.R. recently warned Latvia and Esthonia that, should they abandon part of their independence in favour of Germany, grave repercussions would ensue by Soviet action, British quarters here opined that Britain already reached the limit of possible concessions, but they added that a compromise still seems to be
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.