Eisenhower Says Door Always Open For Peaceful Solutions

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27443, 1 September 1954, Page 11

Eisenhower Says Door Always Open For Peaceful Solutions

(Rec. 10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, August 30. President Eisenhower said today that he believed the continuing United States efforts to persuade the Soviet Union to consider solutions for specific international disputes advanced the cause of peace.

In spite of the discouraging results, the President said,- “the door will always be open for their participation whenever they demonstrate a sincere purpose to do so.” “Nor do we despair of eventual success,” he said. “No human problem is insoluble.” The President was addressing the American Legion, an organisation of former servicemen who fought in both world wars. The President opened his address with a statement that “clear recognition of several important truths” was basic to an analysis of the world situation. He listed those truths as:— (1) The Communist dictatorshiptruthless, strong and insatiable—is determined to establish its sway over all the world.” (2) The same dictatorship “is adroit in its selection and use of every imaginable weapon to achieve its ends.” The President said that for example the Communists were spending 50 dollars on propaganda for every single dollar the United States spent on telling the story of the democratic way of life. He added that America “must preach, demonstrate, and tirelessly sell the vitality and value of freedom in the world.”

(3) The vital Importance of collective security welding the free nations together.

(4) From the free world’s resources must be developed the many kinds of strength—spiritual, intellectual, eco-

nomic and military—required to oppose successfully “the broad front of Communist pressure.” (5) America’s key position in any successful struggle to thwart Communist aggression. Dealing with the European situation and collective security generally, Mr Eisenhower said: “The safety of any single nation in. the free world depends directly on the substantial unity of all the nations in the free world. No nation outside the Iron Curtain can afford to be indifferent to the fate of any other nation devoted to freedom. “If each, ignoring all others, pursues only its own course towards its own ends, the Communists have unlimited opportunity to turn the full force of their power upon any selected victim. “Each, beginning with the weakest and most exposed, might then succumb m turn until the strongest of all—ourselves—would be left alone to face a hostile world. The final result would be fearful to contemplate. We will never permit it to happen.” * Mr Eisenhower said that because of the strength and wealth of the United States, it had imposed upon it a heavy share of the whole burden of free world security. He added: “Today the United States nas the most powerful and most efficient fighting force it has ever maintained short of an all-out war. In fact, in some respects it is the most powerful ever developed. We have an Air Force of growing effectiveness. It has

50 per cent, more jets than last year. It possesses awesome power. We have a mighty navy with 13.000 active aircraft. It is a world leader in nuclear propulsion. “We have our strongest peace-time army equipped with modern weapon* and trained under modem doctrine. It is capable of carrying out its assignments in the modem, world. We have a Marine Corps tough and' strong, rightly proud of its esprit and readiness. All this power is supported by developing intelligence and warning systems of constantly increasing effectiveness and scope. "By no means do I intend this serie* of facts about the character of our fighting forces to be interpreted as blustering oY as a threat to anyone. “Basic Objective is Peace” "Let us always remember that our basic objective is peace; but in our search for peace—indeed in order to enhance it—we are determined to remain secure.” The President said the Government would continue' to examine with America’s friends methods for making nuclear science serve the needs of mankind. He said the creation of a mighty military reserve as a bulwark against communism would be “a number one item” on the legislative programme to be submitted to Congress next year.