U.S. ARMS AID TO EUROPE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 266, 23 August 1949, Page 3

U.S. ARMS AID TO EUROPE

PRESIDENT APPEALS TO CONGRESS Speedy Approval Sought (N.Z.P. A. —Copyright) NEW YORK, Aupgust 22. President Truman to-day gave .a warning that European economic recovery would lag if “the haunting fear of military aggression is widespread/’ In a speech before a jubilee convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, at Miami, he appealed £p Congress for speedy, action on his programme of military assistance for North Atlantic and other Powers. He said that the military assistance programme was essential both for the preservation of international order and peace and for economic recovery. The military assistance programme and the European Recovery Programme were part and parcel of the same policy. There was the closest relationship between economic recovery and military defence. “On the other hand, economic recovery will lag if the haunting fear of military aggression is widespread,” Mr Truman said. “Such fear will prevent new investments from being made and new industries from being established. On the other hand, if protection against aggression is assured economic recovery will move forward more rapidly. “Sound economic recovery and adequate military defence must be carried forward together in balance. That is exactly what we proposed to do. Great progress has been made in economic recovery in Europe, and the production of the Western nations of Europe has been rising steadily. “To continue the momentum” of this economic advance it is necessary now to remove obstacles created by fear of military aggression. We should therefore undertake the programme of military assistance without delay. “We must face the fact that we have for over put behind us the false security of isolationism. We have„done so because we have learned—learned the hard way—that in the world of to-day isolationism is a futile and vulnerable shield. We have learned that the defence of the United States and the defence of other freedom-loving nations are indivisible. We have learned that we can serve our country best by joining in the common defence of the.rights of all mankind.” “To Prevent Aggression’’ Mr Truman described the purpose of the military assistance programme as being the same as that of the North Atlantic Treaty—“to prevent aggression.” He added :*“Our European partners in the North Atlantic Treaty are not strong enough to-day to defend themselves effectively. Since the end of the war they have been concentrating on the rebuilding of their war-torn economies. We can strengtliem them and ourselves by transferring some military means to them and by joining with them in a common defence plan. “We are not arming ourselves and our friends to start a fight with anybody. Wo are building defences so that we won’t have to fight. Our aid will he limited to the material necessary to equip mobile defence forces. These forces will constitute no ‘threat to the independence of other nations. Democratic nations have no desire for aggression. They only want to be able to defend their homes.” Colonel James Windsor Lewis, the British Military Attache in the United States, 1j)ld the convention that Britain was more than pulling her weight in the defensive problems of the antiCommunist world. The defence services and the industries supporting them had absorbed a sixteenth of Britain’s total working population, which was the maximum that could be afforded without prejudicing her efforts towards economic recovery. Major Roger Leguay, the French Assistant Military Attache, said that France had over 1.000.000 men who could he sent into battle without further training. The reserve of manpower was increasing annually by 250,000 men.