AMERICAN DOCTRINE

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28180, 19 January 1957, Page 11

AMERICAN DOCTRINE

Support In Congress

WASHINGTON. January 17. The Secretary of State, Mr John Foster Dulles, has assured Congress that President Eisenhower would “lean over backward” to avoid using United States troops under his new Middle East plan, ft was disclosed today.

Mr Dulles’s hitherto secret testimony was made available to the United Press soon after the House of Representatives Speaker, Mr Sam Rayburn (Democrat. Texas) threw his powerful support behind President Eisenhower’s new programme for the area.

Mr Rayburn also said that he was in favour of handling the economic and military features of the plan in one legislative package instead of splitting them as -ome Democrats suggest. Mr Eisenhower has asked Congress for permission to spend 400 m dollars in the next two years on economic aid to the Middle East. He also wants authority to use United States troops, if necessary, to deter any Communist military aggression in the area.

Mr Dulles said in private testimony that a decision on using United States troops in the Middle East should be left to Mr Eisenhow’er’s best judgment. He conceded that a miscalculation could touch off World War 111.

“I think there can be an absolute conviction that the President would lean over backward not to interpret the facts as justifying the use of armed forces unless there were real danger to the United States.” “Real Danger” Mr Dulles said that the real danger to Middle East nations came ' from Communist subversion, not armed aggression. He said that the President’s proposals were designed primarily to assist in preventing subversion. Mr Dulles said that the new doctrine would help Middle Eastern nations in three different situations that could be exploited by the Communists.

“One is the fear that the country could be subjected to overW'helming armed attack and therefore, there is no use resisting the pressure of communism because if it does not come in one way, it will come in another,” he said. “This was the case in Czechoslovakia.

“The second thing is that the Government does not now have the means to maintain a loyal and dependable security force of its own. The third is that the economic plight of the country becomes so bad that the people grab anything as an alternative.”

Mr Dulles said that the Administration had no plans now to extend economic aid to Egypt But he said that he hoped Egypt would rid itself of Communist influence “in a year or two” and thus become eligible for United States aid.

“I do not think that the fact that they once perhaps made a reckless transaction and mortgaged much of their crops to finance arms should bar them from help at all times,” he said.

There were suggestions that a definite proposal to that effect would be forthcoming soon. Informed sources said today that they believed such a move would not come at this stage. They suggested that such a proposal would be postponed until the next phase of Assembly consideration. which would presumably come when Mr Hammarskjold reported under the terms of the present Asian-African resolution. Commander Allan Noble. Minister of State at the Foreign Office, is to put forward Britain s views on the Asian-African group resolution calling for complete withdrawal by Israel from the Sinai desert and requesting Mr Dag Hammarskjold, the Secre-tary-General, to report on it within five days. Australian Plan Australia suggested yesterday that United Nations emergency forces be sent into the disputed Gaza strip and an area along the Gulf of Aqaba to act as a buffer between Israel and Egypt. The Australian delegate (Sir Percy Spender) said that on the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the two areas, they should be occupied by the U.N.E.F. for as long as was necessary to settle the problems existing in them.

Mrs Gold Meir, a the Israeli Foreign Minister, said that the mere entry of the U.N.E.F. into the areas would not in itself be a solution because there was no clarity about the functions of U.N.E.F. or how long it would be in the Middle East. Twenty-five of the 26 members of the Asian and African bloc —all but Egypt—sponsored a resolution reaffirming the Assembly’s previous withdrawal demands on Israel. N.Z. Delegate Speaks Sir Leslie Munro, of New Zealand, said that Israel’s withdrawal behind the armistice lines must be completed, but that a mere sterile return to the status quo was not enough. “Indeed, it would be worse than inadequate, it would be both unjust and dangerous,” he said. New Zealand sympathised with Israel’s desires for free navigation in the Gulf of Aqaba and the I prevention of a resumption of fedayeen raiding from the Gaza strip, but it did not believe Israel could properly make the complete withdrawal of its troops conditional upon the prior provision of hard and fast United Nations guarantees.

“In the last resort, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, like that of British and French forces, must be an act of faith,” Sir Leslie Munro said.

“But Israel is entitled to some assurances from those in whom faith is placed. Such assurances might take various forms.” One such form might be a resolution providing that, following the completion of withdrawal, ..he Assembly would take up the questions of the Gaza strip and the Gulf of Aqaba. Sir Leslie Munro said that, alternatively or additionally, leading delegations might make declarations to the effect:

(1) That the decision that the task of the United Nations emergency force had been completed should be a matter for the United Nations and not Egypt or any other country.

(2) That the decision to withdraw the force should therefore also be a United Nations matter. (3) That the forces should remain in the area at least until the Suez and Aqaba issues were settled and some progress was made towards an over-all settlement. (4) That consideration should be given to the creation of a demilitarised zone between Israel and Egypt and to the possibility of transferring to the United Nations force responsibilities so far carried by the truce supervision organisation. (5) That the Assembly had an obligation to ensure against the future use of the Gaza strip for attacks on Israel and should give consideration to ways and means of bringing the area under some form of United Nations, supervision.

(6) That freedom of passage must be secured for shipping of all nationalities, including Israel. (7) That the Assembly must proceed at an early stage to frame recommendations designed to E ing about a general settlement of the Palestine question. “The views which I have outlined, will determine New Zealand’s attitude to the resolutions which are or may come before the Assembly on this item,’’ Sir Leslie Munro said.

New Zealand was convinced that the principal responsibility now rested on those who insisted that the Middle Eastern crisis be dealt with in the United Nations, and who brought to a halt the drastic steps which Britain and France were taking outside the United Nations, to bring about a settlement.

“Just solutions must now be found within the United Nations to the questions of the Suez Cana] and of Israel’s relations with the Arab countries.”