Progress in Suite A

In Suite A on the 37th floor of Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, one of the postwar era's longest, most secretive conferences was entering its third year. High above Park Avenue, the deputies of the Big Four Foreign Ministers have been trying to write a peace treaty for Austria. Last week, as they moved into their green leather chairs for their 238th meeting, some news filtered out of Suite A, and it sounded good. There had been some concessions on both sides.

Russia, for instance, had agreed to let Austria stockpile vital materials (steel, chemicals), which the West considered necessary for Austria's recovery; the West had agreed to let Russia have a large share in Austria's oil production and prospecting rights. Some questions remained to be settled: e.g., whether Austria should be allowed to hire foreign technicians to help reconstruct her economy.

Austrians, who are eager to get a treaty and get rid of their occupation armies, thought few essential Russian demands remained that could not be settled by compromise. Barring another last-minute Russian switch, it looked as if the Austrians would before long have their wish.

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