‘DOMINO’ THEORY

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34129, 15 April 1976, Page 13

‘DOMINO’ THEORY

Kissinger’s belief (N.Z.P.A Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, April 14. The American Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger), advancing a “domino” theory on the spread of Communism in Western Europe, has said that the United States is opposed to the sharing of governmental power in that continent even with those Communist parties that appear to be independent of Moscow. Speaking in Washington to a convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Dr Kissinger said: “I believe that the advent of Communism in the main European countries is likely to produce a sequence of events in which other European countries will be tempted to move in the same direction.” Dr Kissinger is known to believe that a Communist Party election success : n Italy, where that prospect now appears most likely, could lead to repetition in France. “Communist participation in a West European government would be a historic change which would have long-term, and very serious, consequences,” he said. “The United States could live with, and perhaps even defend, a country with a Communist or partly-Com-munist government, but only on the ground of cold-blood-edly maintaining a balance of power with the Soviet Union.” Help for /V.Y. The Bank of America, the largest American bank, has announced that it will buy SUSIOOm of New York City bonds to help New York out of its disastrous financial crisis. But the bank insisted as a condition that the state government of New York honour its short-term debts. The state legislature accepted the condition. — New York.