Meanwhile America's participation
In the deliberations of the Repara
tions Commission is assuming more
and more Importance, as is indicated
by the fact that Mr. Boyden was dele
gated by the commission to preside
over a meeting of the delegates of the
smaller nations to discuss the dis
tribution of 9 per cent, of the repara
tions payments assigned to these
Powers and that Mr. Boyden for
mally repeated to them the American j
reservations regarding the distribu
tion of any reparations sums without
the consent of the I'nited States.
It i^ now obvious that America's
claims will be greatly facilitated an.l
satisfaction more quickly obtained if i
the I'nited States representative is |
made a full member of the commls- i
sion and that the Allies, far from Ob
jecting. would welcome such a step.
Attltndr of France.
The French attitude regarding th*
American claims is dearly indicated
in Finance Minister Laateyrle's speech
In the Senate when he said the allied :
Government* had never sought to dls- |
pute the American claim and that the
whole question is merely one of pro
cedure?whetner the American Gov
ernment should not have addressed
the claim directly to Germany rather
than to the Allies.
Kven should the payment to the1
Allies of the occupation costs be fur
ther tied up by the American claim,
the French will regard this as or
Rmall importance beside the larger
Issue of the total reparations and
whether thes,^ payments are to he in
ash or kind. M. Lasteyrie's warning
of the necessity of a French Internal
loan to cover advances made for tho
devastated regions on behalf of Ger
man payments having rfruck Franco
aghast.
