BACKING FOR TREATY

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27445, 3 September 1954, Page 11

BACKING FOR TREATY

Western Forces Outnumbered

NEW YORK, September 1. Even if the eight nations attending fie Manila conference should agree on the formation of an all-Pacific army, the forces they could field if war broke out tomorrow would be .only ■half the size of the combined Comttunist forces in the Far East, says an American Associated Press dispatch from Manila today. The best the West could muster for immediate service in the Pacific would be 500,000 ground troops and 3000 combat aeroplanes, the correspondent ouotes a highly-placed source as saytag. , China alone is believed to have 00,000 ground troops, while the Soviet Union can muster another 350,000 foot soldiers from her Far Eastern * garrisons, the dispatch said. The combined Communist air force has been estimated at 7500 combat aeroplanes. Representatives of the Philippines, Pakistan. Siam, Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand and the United States are gathering in Manila to form an alliance aimed at stopping the spread of communism throughout Asia. Philippines Seeks Army The Philippines Republic is holding out for an army, navy and air fore consisting of troops from each of the -eight countries, says the correspondent The Philippines also wants any alliance bom to specify that if one nation is attacked the other seven will come to the rescue. Although it is commonly believed that the United States is backing the Philippines plan, and the United Kingdom arguing against it, a well-informed source told the correspondent that just opposite is true. Early United States arrivals said that the Secretary of State (Mr Dulles) is afraid he cannot get- his government to approve an alliance which could commit the United States to war without Senate approval. Siam is pushing for an all-Pacific along with the Philippines, and Britain has not opposed it. In fact one usually reliable source said Britain would approve an all-Pacific army if the United States would. Siam strongly supports the Philippine plan. At present, however, Siam can only contribute about 60.000 men tc such an international force. The Philippines can add about 80,000 and Pakistan more than 100,000 fighting men. if she decides to go along with •the plan. Australia and New Zealand have one of the largest and best d» Visions in Korea. It can easily be developed into a corps of from 30,000 to 50.000 men. with troops serving in Australia and New Zealand. The United States has roughly eight divisions, or 125.000 ground troops in the Far East, plus the Far East Air Force, which consists of 2500 combat aeroplanes. The Navy forces in the Far East are ■n unknown quantity, so far as the record is concerned, but this force would be a mighty arm of the international force which the Philippines is seeking. The one country which cannot contribute troops now will be France, because of the Geneva Treaty, which specifies that all French Union forces oust be contained within certain assembly areas in Indo-China.