POLICY ON WAR PENSIONS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27209, 28 November 1953, Page 7

POLICY ON WAR PENSIONS

“EXPLANATIONS” FOR 53 CONSERVATIVES (Rec. 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 27. _The Foreign Secretary (Mr R- A. Eden) and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr R. A. Butler) last night took the heart out of a revolt by 53 Conservative Members of the House oi Commons over the Government s refusal to increase the pensions of officers of World War I. , , , Sir Winston Churchill, who had a post hostile reception accorded him by his own back-benchers when he •pnounced the Government’s firm decision, instructed his chief lieutenants to take a strong line with the “rebels, i An official statement after the meeting said Mr Butler and Mr Eden ex- > Plained that the Government recognised the hardship of the veteran officers’ position, but emphasised that to Bsmt increases to those immediately concerned might open the door to other cairns, running into as much as

Official reaction to the Soviet move is yet unknown but British newspapers reacted swiftly. Some of them referred to the Soviet timing and connected it with the imminence of the Bermuda conference and others considered that the Russian move had a relation to the French Assembly debate on the European Defence Community. T} 1 ® “News Chronicle” commentator said that the obvious result of the Note would be to throw the West off balance on the eve of Bermuda. C 4 The diplomatic correspondent of the Daily Telegraph” saw the Russian action as ‘‘an all-out effort to ensure the fall of the French Government on the eye of the Bermuda conference.” Paris reports said the news of the Russian acceptance of the Western proposal for a f’ig Four conference hit Pans “like a bombshell.” There was no official comment, but sources close to the French Government said the timing of the Soviet reply might have been intended to influence the National Assembly in its confidence vote on the European Army issue today. These sources thought the news would strengthen the opponents of the European Defence Community. German reaction was guardedly hopeful. One leader of the West German Social Democratic (Opposition) Party said the Russian Note should be regarded as something “positive.” He wondered about the reason for Russia’s “sudden change of front.” A spokesman for the West 'Berlin City Government said the Soviet move could be regarded as a small step towards solving world problems, and, thereby, the German problem.