Cold War In Antarctic Not Wanted By U.S.

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27873, 23 January 1956, Page 11

Cold War In Antarctic Not Wanted By U.S.

(Rec. 9 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Jan. 21. Official sources said today that the United States felt it would be unfortunate if the cold war should be carried into the Antarctic, thus spoiling co-operation between American and Soviet scientists there during the international geophysical year of 1957-

A Reuter correspondent said that inquiries among Western diplomats indicated that Britain. France, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and others of the 12 nations participating in the Antarctic phase of the international geophysical year, had concurred with the United States’ view in the course of conversations in Washington. State Department officials said they regarded the Antarctic effort as one ©f prime importance in furthering man’s knowledge of earth science. They felt that lack of co-operation with the soviet scientific expedition—which would be the nearest neighbour of the American group—would greatly hamper the project. At the same time, the correspondent reported, the United States and friendly nations were preparing strategy to meet an expected “land grab’’ ©nee the scientific observation bases have been established. Early indications that the area had Vast potential wealth —in minerals and oils, as well as in terms of global strategy—had now been confirmed, he said.

It was expected that all the nations represented there during the coming two years—Argentina, Australia, .Chile, France, Great Britain, Japan. New 'ealnnd. Norway. South Africa, the Soviet Union, and the United States—would make, and sustain, territorial claims on the continent.

Some claims, already made by those nations, overlapped, but as Antarctica was as big as the United States and Europe combined, it was considered that each claimant would eventually hold accepted dominion over as much territory as it could successfully develop and use, the correspondent said. A State Department source said that, so far, no private concerns in the United States had evinced any interest in the exploitation of Antarctic wealth.