REARMING BY BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27190, 6 November 1953, Page 11

REARMING BY BRITAIN

Minister Describes New Plan (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, November 5. The Minister of Defence (Field-Marshal Earl Alexander) said last night: “Britain has formulated a plan for rearmament which will, I hope, carry us forward into the future for some years to come.” She had done so after many months of careful thought and study and with the advice of her military experts, th* Minister said. * The plan recognised that there never could be absolute military security, that no country could afford to spend mor* than a certain amount of its money, manpower, materials and manufacturing capacity on armaments without breaking its economy, and that it was not possible to select a particular date on which to be ready for hostilities down to the last button. Lord Alexander said: “Consequently, we have substituted for a short, sharp tug which cannot be sustained a long, steady pull which can be sustained and, if necessary, hotted up.

“If it should happen that we are faced with a third world war, it will not be of our making, and if ever that disaster should befall us we will not fight alone. We have powerful allies to share with us the burden and none more powerful than the United States.” Lord Alexander said there was still a serious gap in the whole defence front, which was caused by the absence of a German contribution. ? “We consider it neither wise nor fair that one of the major countries of Europe should be left out of this plan for collective security and thereby denied not only the right to defend her own soil against possible aggression, but denied the opportunity to make her contribution to the defensive strength of us all, which she wants to do.”

When Germany’s geographical position was considered, it was clear that the defence of Western Europe was being gravely weakened as long as Germany played no part in it, he said.