CONJECTURED U.S. REASONS

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25449, 22 March 1948, Page 7

CONJECTURED U.S. REASONS

‘Growing Tension With Russia”

MIDDLE EAST OIL SUPPLIES (N.Z. Press Association—(Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) NEW YORK. March 19. A,*sa..aw<~cap Wve. “A number of well-informed United Nations delegates have expressed the qpiniQh the rpasop. fop the United States decision to hhahdqn the Palestine partition plan was the growing tension between the United States and thg Sqviet Union,” says the “New York Times” correspondent at Lake Success“Ip spite pi the legal arguments of Mr Warren Austin (American delegate qp tng Security Council), mqst of the delegates remain that the changed United States position resulted primarily from fears that Russia would ggfa a fopthqldl to pslestfap if an internatjonal military force were sent. addition, the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington are known to believe that American pgrticipatfon in thp carrymg out p| partjtion would jUepate the Arab countries and jeopardise the supplies of oil now received 'by Britain and the United States trona Iraq"hnd Saudi Arabia-” The correspondent of the “Herald Tribune’’ at Lake Success says: “It is authoritatively reported that the absence pf majority support ip ti}e Sepurjty PouppiLfor any Palestine actioq, pfas the lack pf American troops for tne enforcement of partition now, led the ’United States to call for a Unitpd Natiqns trusteeship over the Hqiy Land. 4 ’ The correspondent pointe out ||jat Amefica is already heavily committed militarily in such places as Korea and Germany, and that the country’s armed strength is below par. Therefore, even if more forces were available, Palestine woufd not be the first place to pend |hemReferring to oil, the correspondent adffs: “The American armed services are known to have been w&Fftea apoqt this sitpatiqp bji leading off companies, and the apparent retreat frorp partition is believed to have been inspired in part by military considerations lssues Raised’’ ■ By abandoning the Palestine partition plan, the United States has accepted th® logic of the facte.” say§ “The Times” (London) in a lead-? ing article. it is not possible to pqt the partition scheme Intp operation peacefully, and the Americans prpppse instead a fresh start in so|vmg the prpblem which how raises International issues of a toost serifius kind- “ Both the Security Council and the Assembly have been discpssipg this matter with their head s in e clouds. The American proposal should b "pWe the New York ‘'Herald Tribune," in leading articles, attack the reversal of Unitea States policy on Palestine. The “Nete York Times” sftya: llj that the chqnge m American policy comes as the climax to a genes of moves “which has seldom been matched for ineptriess in th# handling of any international issue by an American Adplan holds little promise of being able to svoid the very hoards whjch it is intefiffed to circumvent. Pp foe fo.W PPfaL th? “Tfew Yorlf Times' declares foat fa maintain a “temporary trusteeship" over the whale qf Palestine might well require an even larger armed iqternational fojrce than would be required toy pg?THe “Herald Tribute’’ sgys: ‘‘The people qf thg United States deserve an explanation of the - palpable blppdpr§ of American policy"in'respect to Palestine: There have beep many unofficial excpsgs—references/ to $ changed wprld piefure, to oil, to military weakness and the like; but no responsible official has openly discussed the practical' aspects of the American* course in the Middle East or offered any reasons why that epurse need be aftprea sp shortly after it was fixed.’’