DISARMAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 25938, 1 November 1946, Page 7

DISARMAMENT

AMERICA ENDORSES PROPOSAL

IMMEDIATE ACTION WITH SAFEGUARDS

REMAINDER OF MOLOTOV'S SPEECH DEPLORED

NEW YORK, October 30,

Ex-Senator Warren Austin, leader of the United States delegation, deplored M. Molotov’s speech, but said the United States endorsed the Russian proposal for immediate action on disarmament if safeguards were provided.

Mr Austin reminded the Assembly, however, that after the first world war, “ w r e made the mistake of disarming unilaterally. We shall not repeat that mistake. '* The United States is prepared to co-operate fully with all other members of the United Nations in disarmament. It advocates effective safeguards for inspection and other means against the hazards of violation and evasion.” M. Molotov’s speech indicated “ distrust and misunderstanding ” of the American and other United Nations’ motives.

Mr Austin said he did not believe m recriminations, and hoped the struggle for peace henceforth could be conducted without them. The United States believed that M. Molotov’s disarmament proposal, including the demand for ending atomic bomb manufacture, should be fully discussed by the Assembly. The United States interpreted M. Molotov’s demand for a report on troops in non-enemy countries, plus the statement that Russia was willing to co-operate, as meaning that (Russia was now prepared to report on the strength of its armed forces in Germany, former enemy Balkan States, and Polland or any other place.

Therefore, the. United States urged prompt fulfilment of this policy. The United States had

nothing to hide regarding armed forces at home or abroad. The proposed inquiry should include, all

mobilised armed forces whether at home or abroad.

The Associated Press notes that this major statement of policy was approved beforehand by Mr Byrnes and presumably by President Truman.

THE VETO. Continuing his outline of the American attitude towards disarmament, Mr Austin said that the United States objected to any immediate eradication of the veto in the Security Council,

but hoped that some time in the future the Big Five would agree unanimously to remove the veto from the peaceful settlement of disputes. Meanwhile the veto did not relieve the permanent members of any responsibilities and obligations they had assumed under the Charter, and the Security Council’s voting system should be interpreted to carry out the Charter’s spirit as well as the letter. He added: “ This is the United States policy.” Mr Austin said the Soviet’s initiative in urging armament reduction was appropriate because of its mighty ‘armies. Similarly, the United States initiative was appropriate in proposing measures for the prevention of the manufacture

and use of atomic weapons. Mr Austin said the whole world knows where the United States stands and always stood. For 20 years before the war, and for 15 months since, the United States had consistently been in the forefront in striving to reduce the armament burden upon the peoples of the world. Since the end of the wars in Europe and the Pacific the United States nad progressively and rapidly reduced its military establishment.

YUGOSLAV ACCUSATIONS. In a speech supporting M. Molotov, the Yugoslav Foreign Minister, M. Stanoje Simich, accused Britain and America of repeated violations of the United Nations Charter. He declared that certain circles were attempting to use the atom bomb 11 as a means of intimidating the world.-”.

* He said that both Britain and America were violating the Charter by maintaining troops on the territory of friendly nations, and by voting against the admission of Albania, to the United Nations. He accused the United States of holding Yugoslav vessels illegally on the upper Danube, and of refusing to turn oyer to Yugoslavia thousands of quislings now in ■displaced .persons’ camps. M. Simich strongly opposed the United States plan for atomic energy control. He claimed that the whole responsibility of handling this question should rest with the Security Council. He agreed with M.' Molotov that the first step in atom control should be the outlawing, of the production of atomic weapons. M. Simich said that M. Molotov’s proposal for the limitation of armaments corresponded with the true desires, hopes, and aspirations of the peoples of the world, who would regard it as the first ray of hope that mankind one day would be free of the constant fear of armed conflicts and of the present nightmare of war psychosis and intimidation.