TRUCE LINE DEFENCE

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27408, 22 July 1954, Page 11

TRUCE LINE DEFENCE

No Commitments

By U.S.

(Rec. 10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, July 20. The United States Defence Secretary (Mr Charles Wilson) said emphatically today that the United States would not commit itself to defend any Indo-China truce line agreed on unilaterally by France and Communist China. He told a press conference that the defence of such a line would be up to “the people who reached the agreement” at Geneva. But he said the United States remained willing to join a South-east Asia defence alliance to block further Communist aggression. Mr Wilson conceded that a truce in Indo-China might be the “best answer at the moment.” But he added: “It isn’t much to shout about.” While asserting that the threat of world war was “probably a little less” now than when he took office 18 months ago, Mr Wilson said previouslyplanned manpower cuts in the Army, Navy and Marines. might be eased somewhat. He said military manpower would continue ot drop in line with the “new look,” but not as much as originally planned. The armed services, including the Air Force, would contain “a little over 3,000,000 men” in the current financial year. ' Under present plans, Mr Wilson said, the Army wotfld maintain 18 divisions this year. Previously the manpower cuts ordered b.y the Defence Department would limit it to 17 divisions. He said the Indo-Chinese truce would have no “fundamental” effect on the military budget of the United States or the deployment of its forces throughout the world.