Pacific Defence

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25810, 23 May 1949, Page 6

Pacific Defence

The Secretary of State (Mr Dean Acheson), in his statement that the United States is not “ currently coni' sidering ” participation in a Pacific Pact, made it clear that the United States believes that any such defence pact must wait on the results of the present internal conflicts in Asia, and until the state of the countries concerned provide a solid foundation on which to build it. Any Pacific defence pact must be regional in scope, and, like the North Atlantic Pact, provide for the security of the area as a whole. But the present disturbed condition of Asia, which involves several of the countries with Pacific interests, makes it difficult for them to undertake the commitments required. A Pacific Pact has been advocated in Australia and New Zealand, although the nearest approach to an official statement advocating it was that of the Australian Prime Minister (Mr Chifley), who said last week that it had been distrusted on a number of occasions, and the Secretary of the Defence Department (Sir Frederick Sheddon) had discussed Pacific defence matters with United States Government representatives. Mr Chifley also said earlier this month that defence planning for the Pacific was proceeding on parallel lines to defence planning for the North Atlantic. As part of this planning the Australian Government has appointed a ’ joint war production committee to frame a policy for gearing Australian industry to meet British and American supply demands in the event of another war. Australia has also offered to integrate her defences completely with those of the United States. But these moves are a long way from the real preliminaries, even, of a Pacific Pact. For New Zealand the Parliamentary Undersecretary to the Minister of F-nah..? (Mr H. E. Combs) has spoken *onfidently to Congressmen in Washington, suggesting that the Dominion will meet the United States “more “than half-way”. Exactly what this means onlv Mr Combs knows In actual fact New Zealand is barely able to put one* foot before the other. She has a defence policy, but it is a policy without substance and most so remain while the conscription issue is unsettled. The Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) has declined to p? drawn on the subject of a possible pact since his return from the Commonwealth Conference; but at Dunedin a week ago he said that, while there had been

no discussion on a government level, he expected it would come up in due course. In effect, Mr Fraser may be understood as agreeing with Mr Acheson that there cannot be any fruitful talks on that level until all parties concerned are ready and have something to talk with as well as for.