U.S. DESIRE FOR PEACE

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26538, 28 September 1951, Page 7

U.S. DESIRE FOR PEACE

“Free World Must Also

Have Strength” (Rec. 8 p.m ) WASHINGTON, Sept. 26. The United States Secretary of State (Mr Dean Acheson) s id to-day that the desire for peace was not enough, and the free world must also have the strength to enforce peace.

Mr Acheson issued a statement of United States objectives in a series of international meetings now taking place. The statement appeared designed to clear up any misunderstandings after Mr Truman’s impromptu statement at a press conference last week that in the present circumstances it was necessary for the United States to place future reliance on force rather than on diplomacy in dealings with Russia. Critics of Mr Truman’s statement had suggested that the Soviet Government might interpret this to mean that there was no longer any point or purpose in negotiating with the United States, and that the Soviet Government might correspondingly be pushed towards war. Mr Acheson's statement said: "No one and no nation should misjudge our purpose or method. Our purpose is peace with freedom and justice. Our method js to build those situations of strength which are essential to the achievement of our purpose. This is based on our conviction that the desire for peace is not enough. The free world must also have the strength to enforce peaca"