This plan was made known by
the State Department when Sec
retary of State Hull answered in
quiries. He said:
“As to governments that are in
default or have preferred pay
ments on intergovernmental debts,
I cannot say, at the present time,
that we would sit in with those
governments in future discussions
of their debts.”
France Rebuffed
Secretary Hull's statement indi
cating a less receptive attitude to
wards nations in default was made
a' ut the same tjme the French
(jowerhment annoUrtcStt in Paris
that Prance would begin negotia
tions for revision of its war debt
to the United States with the ar
rival of its new Ambassador Andre
Lefevre de la Boulaye, who will
take up his duties in the United
States on April 12.
Pay First, Then Talk
State Department officials de
clined to amplify Secretary Hull’s
statement nor would they indicate
whether he meant the French case
would be heard only on condition
that an installment of more than
$19,000,000, now mare than three
months overdue, must be paid first.
The British government, through
Ambassador Sir Donald Lindsay,
opened formal negotiations last
Friday on debts.
The government’s defaulting De
cember 15 payments, some of which
were legally postponed, amount to
about $25,000,000.
Four Die
When Auto
Turns Over
Soldier and Diplomat, His
Mother and Two Chil
dren Are Victims
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida,
March 27. — Christian Channing
Gross, soldier and diplomat; his
two children and his mother, Mrs.
Natalie Gross, of Chicago, were
killed when their car overturned
at a curve during a trip which
was part of a family reunion.
The children killed were Peter,
aged 10 years, and Barbara, aged
8 years.
