RUSSIA WARNS GERMANY

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28269, 6 May 1957, Page 9

RUSSIA WARNS GERMANY

N.A.T.O.’s Use Of Nuclear Arms (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, May 5. Moscow Radio last night broadcast warnings to the peoples of Greece and West Germany against tolerating atomic weapon bases in their countries. The broadcasts followed the N.A.T.O. Foreign Ministers’ communique announcing that the alliance must be in a position to use all means, including nuclear weapons, to meet any Soviet attack.

They coincided with the release by the Russian news agency, Tass, of the text of a letter from the Russian Ambassador in Bonn, Mr Smirnov, to the West German Chancellor, Dr. Adenauer.

The letter said that Russia would welcome a clear-cut declaration by West Germany that she would not arm her forces with nuclear weapons or allow foreign forces in Germany to have such weapons.

The text of the communique Issued at the end of the two-day N.A.T.O. council meeting in Bonn laid: “The Atlantic alliance has always been and remains purely defensive. It was created to protect its member countries from any aggression. It has succeeded. But the danger of aggression clearly continues, and the countries of the Atlantic alliance must therefore remain united to provide for their defence. “The council noted that since its last meeting the Soviet leaders have launched a campaign which, while throwing the cloak of oblivion over Soviet repression in Hungary, is designed to induce public opinion in various member countries to oppose the modernisation of defence forces, and to weaken the principle of collective gecurity in N.A.T.O.

“The Atlantic alliance must be in a position to use all available means to meet any attack which might be launched against it. It is the availability of the most modem weapons of defence which will discourage attempts to launch any such attack on the alliance. “Pending an acceptable agreement on disarmament, no power can claim the right to deny to the alliance the possession of the modern arms needed for its defence. “If, however, the fears professed by the Soviet Union are sincere, they could be readily dissipated. All that is needed is for the Soviet Union to accept a general disarmament agreement embodying effective measures of control and inspection within the framework of the proposals made on. numerous occasions by the. Western Powers, which remain an essential basis of their policy.”