WHALING AND MINING

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25226, 3 July 1947, Page 7

WHALING AND MINING

CONCESSIONS MADE TO JAPANESE REPLY TO CRITICISM OF U.S. ACTIONS (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) (Rec. 7 p.m.) TOKYO, July 1. It was a patently ridiculous charge that the temporary Allied-controlled and supervised projects of the second Japanese Antarctic whaling expedition and Japanese phosphate mining on Angaur Island threatened the economic or military security of any of the Allies, said a spokesman for the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces in the Pacific to-night. He added: "Various statements which have been reported in the newspapers to the effect that the decisions made by the United States Government on the two projects were made without due discussion - with the British and Australian Governments, are incorrect.” The spokesman said that both subjects were matters of discussion between the interested Governments before the Supreme Command was authorised by the United States Government to approve the projects. No new Allied policy resulted from those discussions, and administrative action by the United States therefore followed. By the Allied agreement, the United States acted on necessary matters in the absence of an Allied policy. It was accordingly incorrect to say that the United States was acting unilaterally when it had merely fulfilled its administrative obligations. The food deficit was given by the Supreme Command as the reason for the decisions which had caused angry British and Australian reaction. “Decisions on these matters were made on the basis of supply and the food deficit in Japan, the burden of which would otherwise have rested upon the American taxpayer,” said the spokesman.