U.S. to Consult Allies on Plans For Big Four German Parley; Castro Ridicules Batista Threat

WASHINGTON--The United States, following up top-level talks with Anastas I. Mikoyan, will start consulting its European allies this week about specific proposals to make to the Soviet Union for a Big Four meeting on Germany.

President Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles were reported yesterday to be hopeful their talks with the Soviety deputy premier may lead eventually to a softening of Moscow's German policies. They particularly hope to avert a war-threatening crisis over Berlin.

Mikoyan, appearing on NBC-TV last night, rejected as "impossible" any thought of merging Eastern and Western Berlin into a single free city. But he vigorously renewed Russia's demand that West Berlin alone be converted into a free city, contending this is needed to keep the area from becoming "a possible hotbed of war." The Soviety Deputy Premier is scheduled to leave tomorrow for Moscow to report to Premier Nikita Khrushchev and to get ready for a big Communist party meeting later this month.

State Department authorities attach so much importance to the way in which Soviet leaders deal with the Mikoyan mission that they expect to delay sending a new note to the Soviets about an East-West conference until after they get reports on what happens at the party congress.

Castro Derides Reports of Batista Invasion

HAVANA, Cuba--Rebel leader Fidel Castro has derided reports that supporters of the ousted dictator Fulgencio Batista would try to invade Cuba from Batista's refuge in the Dominican Republic. Castro spoke yesterday as Cuba's revolutionary tribunals prepared to start war crimes trials today of Batista henchmen at La Cabana fortress.

Castro asserted any attempt to invade Cuba would be crushed. He added that he would be glad to lend Batista the ships to bring to Cuba his force of 10,000 men--the number mentioned in the reports.

Democrats Pick Los Angeles for Convention

NEW ORLEANS, La.--A hard-bargaining Democratic party committee chose Los Angeles yesterday as the site for the party's 1960 national convention.

The site must be approved by the National Committee, but the group's approval is considered routine.

A similar Republican party committee plans to meet in Des Moines, Iowa, today and tomorrow to receive bids from the same cities that sought the Democratic convention.

Three other cities--San Francisco, Philadelphia and Miami Beach--were in the final running for the big convention.