U.S. “SHOCKED” BY ATTLEE

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27403, 16 July 1954, Page 11

U.S. “SHOCKED” BY ATTLEE

Speech On Asia In Commons (Rec. 7 p.m.) WASHINGTON, July 15. Suggestions by Mr Attlee in a speech In the House of Commons today that Marshal Chiang Kai-shek should be “pensioned off” and Formosa handed to the Chinese Communists have chocked Washington; A Reuter correspondent said that, while there was no public comment from the State Department, the attitude of officials at the highest level was authoritatively said to be that Mr Attlee’s criticisms would undoubtedly create ill-will in the United States. At best, they would do little to help in the delicate international negotiations aimed at creating and strengthening a “united front’* between Britain, the United States, and other allies, the correspondent said. The feeling was that at a time when both the British and United States Governments were doing their best to resolve some of the basic differences over China policy, Mr Attlee’s blanket criticisms of the Secretary of State (Mr Dulles), and, indirectly, of President Eisenhower, came at a particularly inopportune time Mr Attlee's' speech was in fact described at a high level as “sniping.” which could easily undermine the position of Sir Winston Churchill and complicate British-American attempts to settle outstanding questions between the two countries.’ "

, That the Pans talks resulted in the decision on Mr Smith’s return is regarded in Washington as a partial diplomatic victory for the French Prime Minister (Mr Mendes-France) who had apparently convinced Mr Dulles that, with the support of the United States, he would be in a stronger position to resist unreasonable Communist demands in the Indo-China settlement terms. “It was generally accepted in Washington that the United States reluctance to have high-level participation in the closing stages of the Geneva negotiations was based on a feeling that they would result in a settlement which would be extremely distasteful to the United States. “This point of view was given prominent expression in Congress where a powerful bloc was exerting pressure on the White House and the State Department to shun further negotiations with the Communists on the ground that th** British and French were bent on appeasement”. SYNGMAN RHEE TO VISIT U.S. (Rec. 8 p.m.) WASHINGTON, July 14. President Eisenhower said today that Dr. Syngman Rhee, President of South Korea, would visit Washington for four days, beginning on July 26. for consultations aimed at achieving “a unified, free, and independent Korea.” Dr. Rhee and the United States Secretary of State (Mr John Foster Dulles) had agreed on August 8 last that if the political conference provided for by the Korean armistice terms failed, further talks between South Korea and the United States would be held.