U.S. Challenges Soviet To Allow Arms Inspection

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26362, 5 March 1951, Page 7

U.S. Challenges Soviet To Allow Arms Inspection

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) NEW YORK, March 3. The United States to-day challenged the Soviet Union to submit to international verification its claim that the Western Powers have twice as many men under arms as the Soviet Union. The Soviet Government made an allegation about relative strengths of Eastern and Western forces in its recent Note to Britain.

Mr Frank Nash, the deputy United States representative on the United Nations Commission for Conventional Armaments, said in a formal statement that if the Soviet Government was genuinely concerned about the problem it could withdraw its opposition to the plans, already approved by a majority of the United Nations, for a census of the armed forces and a system of the verification of the facts submitted by the nations,

"If the Soviet Government really wanted the world to know the facts about the level of armaments it would withdraw its opposition to this programme. The census might have been completed by now, and such statements as those made by the Soviet Government in its recent Notes to Britain would have been unnecessary and impossible in the face of the authenticated facts," Mr Nash said.

y Much of the groundwork for the ;s census had already been done. d “The sole remaining obstacle to i- practical results is Soviet obstruction," n he said. “If the Soviet Government •- will remove that barrier, the world it can immediately take the first step to- . real progress toward the reduc- . tion and regttlatiaa of armaments. “ The real issue, of course, is whether - or not the Soviet Government will 1 agree to a system of inspection.’’