RUSK AND S.E.A.T.O. HELP
(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright)
WASHINGTON, June 3.
The United States Secretary of State, Mr Dean Rusk, will ask S.E.A.T.O. nations, particularly Britain, Australia and New Zealand, to provide more help in South Vietnam when he attends the S.E.A.T.O. meeting in Canberra next month, according to Associated Press.
No pressure was being applied, A.P. quoted United States officials as
saying, but it was noted that an easing of the Indonesia-Malaysia dispute might permit Britain to provide more help in Vietnam.
Mr Rusk would also be searching for any support United States allies could provide for South Vietnam when he attended next week’s N.A.T.O. meeting in Brussels.
The S.E.A.T.O. nations wilt meet in Canberra from June 27 to June 29.
High on Mr Rusk’s prospects for additional support from S.E.A.T.O. nations were Britain, Australia and New Zealand, who now had 50,000 troops committed to defence of Malaysia. Washington was quite sensitive to Britain’s budgetary problems and the maritime strike, Associated Press said. But it also was sensitive to
election year criticism at home that the United States was bearing the brunt of the Vietnam war with only the substantial help of Australia among its seven S.E.A.T.O. partners.
Congressmen reported that their constituents were asking:
If the United States was committed to the defence of Vietnam by the S.E.A.T.O. treaty, why were not also all
other members of the alliance—Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan?
Under questioning by the Senate foreign relations committee last February, Mr Rusk said United States forces were sent to the jungle war “because South Vietnam has, under the language of the S.E.A.T.O. treaty, been the victim of aggression by
means of armed attack.” He reminded Senators that in joining 5.E.A.T.0., the United States took “a solemn treaty engagement of farreaching effect.” The treaty specifies that “each party” recognised that aggression by armed attack would endanger its own peace and safety. It was agreed to act to meet the common danger according to the constitutional processes of each country. The Johnson Administration interpreted this to mean that it did not require all of the S.E.A.T.O. members to take action together before the United States obligation to help the victim of attack became effective, Associated Press said.
The treaty did not require a decision from ail eight to meet the common danger, Mr Rusk said during the hearings.
Under this interpretation, the United States commitment had grown to more than 260,000 men and estimated expenditures of more than 1000 million dollars monthly.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31077, 4 June 1966, Page 17
Word Count
420RUSK AND S.E.A.T.O. HELP Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31077, 4 June 1966, Page 17
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