U.S. MARINES ON LEAVE

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28266, 2 May 1957, Page 11

U.S. MARINES ON LEAVE

“Showing Flag In Middle East”

(Rec. 9 p.m.) NEW YORK, April 30.

One thousand United States marines went ashore at Beirut, Lebanon, today on a 12-hour leave to “show the flag,” the United Press reported from Beirut.

The marines were from the United States 6th Fleet, which made a dash into the troubled Middle East area when the Jordan crisis erupted. Vice-Admiral Charles B. Brown, Fleet Commander, said the short leave order came “from higher up.” Lebanon is separated from Jordan by portions of Syria and Israel. They are only 35 miles apart at the closest point. The shore leave was arranged through diplomatic channels, but the admiral was not worried about the reception the marines would get. “Lord knows,” he said, “no-one friendly than the Lebanese people.” He added that the local authorities indicated that the visit would be welcome, especially since it came on pay day. Just how long the Fleet would stay in the area has not been decided, Admiral Brown said, but he noted that it was there for 29 days during the Suez crisis. The Associated Press correspondent with the Fleet reported that while 50 ships of the Fleet held air defence exercises over the horizon, six transports with the men of the Marines’ 2nd Battalion moved into Beirut harbour for a liberty party. The Mount McKinley, flagship of the amphibious force, fired separate 21-gun salutes for Lebanon and for the President, Mr Chamoun.

Commander John Jones, executive officer of the Mount McKinley, said: “We are prepared to shoot our way into a trouble spot if necessary. It is good to be using salute guns to do the shooting.”

A “Daily Express” reporter with the 6th Fleet cabled tonight that naval forces were assembling off Beirut. From a helicopter he saw small landing craft going alongside transport ships and waiting to move into port. United States marines, who might have been wearing battledress instead of their best khaki drill, were on the ship’s decks. They would have been sent overland to enter Jordan and help King Hussein if the situation there had grown worse, but now they would go ashore on a shopping spree, and show the flag, the correspondent said. He quoted Admiral Brown as saying: “This is one way of letting it be known that we are here and ready to help. We fcan whisper, and we can roar.”

Yesterday King Hussein declared his confidence that the crisis in Jordan was ending. He rejected the Soviet charge of American interference and rebuked Cairo for its propaganda activities. Off Beirut stand United States warships and transports of the 6th Fleet Amphibious Squadron. Their presence was a warning to any State which adopted a warlike attitude toward Jordan, especially any goading Communist elements, the “Daily Telegraph” said.