London, May 9.
Anglo-Soviet parleys will most likely drag on for some time yet. British quarters close to the Government asserted today, although they did not discount Soviet assurances that Moscow's policy would not change since M. Maxim Litvinoft's departure from the Foreign Commissariat.
Britain's plans provide for a Soviet pledge of assistance in the event that Britain and France request it once they themselves are involved in war in fulfilment of their guarantees to Rumania and Poland.
Both Lord Halifax here, and Sir William Seeds in Moscow, emphasized that these proposals made a prerequisite condition of Soviet assistance the fact that Britain end France should be first to carry out their engagements.
This condition precludes any possibility of Soviet assistance to Poland and Rumanía while Britain and France keep out any eventual conflict.
Soviet quarters here made it understood, however, that minimum conditions for Soviet ce-operation would [most likely include "provisions for M 'w's other commitments, and the itary arrangements to supplement extension of guaraníees to the Baltic States.
In reply, authoritative British sources stated that Anglo-Soviet staff parleys were "by no means excluded." But, they concluded, the question of guarantees to the Baltic nations "does not depend on the British Government alone."—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.