Talks On Atomic Arms For N.A. T.O.

Press, Volume C, Issue 29435, 10 February 1961, Page 13

Talks On Atomic Arms For N.A. T.O.

(Rec. 8 p.m.) WASHINGTON, February 9. President Kennedy said yesterday that the question of giving N.A.T.O. its own nuclear weapons had been discussed with General Lauris Norstad, the Supreme Commander, when he visited Washington last week.

He also told a press conference that Mr Dean Acheson was helping Mr Dean Rusk, the Secretary of State, in a careful study of United States policy towards N.A.T.O.

Mr Acheson, Secretary of State in the Truman Administration, was one of the architects of N.A.T.O.

Mr Kennedy described N.A.T.O as America’s most important defensive alliance, and said the United States wanted to maintain its military strength in Europe. But he said suggestions that the next N.A.T.O. council meeting in Oslo in May should be a Heads of Government conference were not yet under consideration. In his announcement, the President hinted at a possible broadening of the responsibilities of N.A.T.O. “The members of N.A.T.O. must be

leaders also in and out of N.A.T.O itself, in such great causes as the integration of Europe and the co-operative development of new nations,’” he said.

Mr Kennedy said his top military aides had not yet given him a final answer whether there was a “missile gap” between the United States and the Soviet Union

Domestic Affairs

On home affairs, he said he would try to use the moral authority of the Presidency in the controversy over racial integration in schools—but at the time he considered it most useful. At present he thought it better to await the conclusion of an analysis now being made He said he hoped the business community would consider what steps it could take in order to lift the shadow of monopolistic practices, which led to fines and the imprisonment of electric company executives in Philadelphia. It would be “very beneficial’’ if business groups would set up a code of ethics such as unions had done. He would be interested to see what would work out in view of what he called "the effort made by the large electrical companies to defraud the Government.”