MILITARY AID TO EUROPE

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25878, 10 August 1949, Page 7

MILITARY AID TO EUROPE

PLANS TO CURB MR TRUMAN’S POWERS MR ACHESON WARNS OF DANGERS .WASHINGTON, August 8. The United States Secretary of State (Mr Dean Acheson) told a special committee of the Senate to-day that it would be dangerous to restrict President Truman’s powers too far under the 1,450,000,000 dollar military aid programme. '

If the limitations were too stringent, the President might find that he was constrained from taking the very action which some unexpected situation demanded in the national interest.

Mr Acheson continued: “It is a bitter commentary on our times that the most persuasive means to peace is armed security. We are certain of one fact—the leaders of the totalitarian States will co-operate when they are convinced that tne free nations are too strong to be overcome by external aggression or internal subversion.*’ Mr Acheson said that the security of the United States and that of Western Europe were one and the same thing, and were indivisible. The United States’ first line of defence was still in Europe, but America’s European allies did not have the military capacity to hold that line. It was essential that Western Europe should maintain forces sufficient to convince any would-be aggressor that he could not gain easy victories by quick marches. “The people of Western Europe want to be able to defend themselves if attacked, and to be able to hold an aggressor at bay until we can come quicklv to their aid.’’ said Mr Acheson. “They can realise this purpose only- if they actually possess adequate defence forces. The greatest danger to world peace to-day is the possibility that an aggressor, in an ill-consid-ered attempt at easy conquest, might launch an attack on an intended victim which would draw other forces into the conflict and precipitate an all-out war.”