Excerpts of the President's News Conference

An inquiry as to what will be the next step toward the disentangling of Europe's affairs. That depends, of course, upon what results from the action now being taken. If the proposal is accepted, I should say the next step would be the securing of the representatives of the different governments, and their meeting in conference. Whether the American experts will be nominated by the Administration, or whether the choice will rest with the Reparations Commission as its own initiative, depends, of course, upon what answer may be made by the various governments that are concerned.

Whether France will accept a scaling down of reparations. Of course, that is a matter that has not been considered. That will be for France to determine herself. As I understand the proposal, it is to secure information in an advisory capacity. The reparations commission would use this conference in order to secure the opinion of experts, and then to advise their governments as to what could be done.