“CRITICAL FOREIGN SITUATION” TO BE CONSIDERED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 133, 17 March 1948, Page 3

“CRITICAL FOREIGN SITUATION” TO BE CONSIDERED

PRESIDENT TO ADDRESS JOINT . CONGRESS SESSION

(N.Z.P.A. — Copyright). WASHINGTON, March 15.

President Truman will address a joint session of Congress at 9.30 p.m. on Wednesday on “the critical foreign situation/' This was announced from the White House to-day. The speech, which is obviously of the highest importance because of its timing, will be broadcast by all major radio networks.

The announcement surprised Congress and State Department officials. .It followed a series of secret conferences of the nations leaders, including one between the Secretary of Defence (Mr James Forrestal) and the joint Chiefs of Staff of the armed services at Key West, Florida.

It is expected that Mr Forrestal will report to President Truman before Wednesday on attempts to formulate a plan of unified strategy to defend the United States against attack. The Secretary of .State (General G. C. Marshall) and the Under-Secretary of State (Mr Robert Lovett) are reported to have spent the week-end in North Carolina, presumably at work on a report for President Truman to help him frame his message to Congress.

Officials on Capitol Hill said that the President was expected to report on the entire world situation. He might lay special emphasis on recent Russian encroachments >on Finland and Norway. He was also expected to discuss the situation in Italy. They added that Congressional leaders had been given only 30 minutes' warning of the President’s announcement of his desire to address a joint session of Congress, and that he had some serious' information; ‘ presumably of developments in Europe, which had not yet been made known to the public. The Speaker of the House of Representatives (Mr Joseph Martin) told Reuter that President Truman had telephoned him 30 minutes before the White House issued its . announcement, and said: “I have some information I want to give Congress before it leaks out.”

“President Truman is expected to submit to the joint session a comprehensive ‘preparedness’ programme based on United States supremacy in air power,” says Reuter's Washington correspondent.

“Such a programme would be designed to back up the United States against any consequences which might follow complete fulfilment of the “Truman Doctrine” pledge that the United States will support any European country resisting totalitarian pressure. This is taken in informed quarters to include Scandinavia.”

The correspondent, who compares the position with that after the fail of France in, 1940, when Mr Roosevelt asked} for a, nationwide preparedness programme, adds: “It is understood that there is strong pressure on the President to call for a comprehensive mobilisation of United States resources.

“Measures under discussion in responsible circles here include the revival of conscription, the establishment of war powers over industry, restoration of lend-lease, and the declaration of a state of national emergency.” Support for Alliance Both'' the “ New York Times,” in a leading article, and the “New York Herald Tribune,” in a dispatch from it*s Washington correspondent, suggest that President Truman may announce American plans to support the alliance now being formed by Britain, France, and the Low Countries. The “New York Times” says: “The alliance is assured v of the tacit support of the United States, but President Truman’s decision to address Congress, suggests that this support may be made more explicit.”

The “Herald Tribune” correspondent says it is reported in Washington that the . Administration has decided that the new alliance in Brussels must be backed by some form of military commitment from the United States. “The hour, is far more fateful now than it was a year ago,” said General Marshall to-day. He wae speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The United States, he said, must act “with calm determination” to prevent any further spread of Communism in Europb. General Marshall was urging Con-

gress to vote 275,000,000 dollars for military aid to Greece and Turkey. Last year 400,000,000 dollars was voted. . .

General Marshall said: “By intimidation and frank terror, Communist regimes, have been imposed on Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Totalitarian control has been tightened in other Eastern European countries, and these States have been linked in a network of alliances.

“Other European peoples face a similar threat of being drawn against their will into the Communist orbit.”

Genera! Marshall said that the United States should avoid “hasty action, which could lead to the dissipation of our resources, or fear, which could lead to sterile inaction.”

He then said: “With calm deliberation we must pursue the policy confirmed last May by Congress.” (Congress last May first approved aid to Greece and Turkey in response to the “Truman Doctrine” message). General Marshall said that to-day the Greek situation was serious but not without hope. He added that the latest example of the Greek guerrillas’ ruthlessness was the planned removal of 12,000 or more Greek children to countries of Eastern Europe “in connivance with foreign Powers.” The State Department said to-day that if Italy becomes Communist she will receive no more economic aid from the United States. Arming of Merchant Ships Mr Michael McDermott, a press, officer who made the announcement, said: “If the Communists should win the elections in April—which we cannot believe will be the case—there will be no further question of assistance from the United States.” Italy, which has already received emergency assistance from the United States, is listed for a substantial allocation under the European recovery programme. The United . States Senate to-day unanimously approved of a Bill to renew President Truman’s power to arm all United States merchant ships during a national emergency. Mr Truman’s authority to arm United States ships was to expire on July 1. - i