U.S.A. ADMINISTRATION

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 December 1945, Page 5

U.S.A. ADMINISTRATION

INEFFICIENCY ALLEGED MR. HURLEY’S CRITICISM WASHINGTON, Dec. 6. The.former United States Ambassador to China (Mr. Hurley), continuing his evidence before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, alleged that Mr. Dean Acheson, who at present is Under-Secretary of State, had defeated and destroyed American policy in Persia. Mr. Hurley described the circumstances surrounding the writing and issuing of the British-American-Russian declaration at Teheran regarding Persia. The Associated Press says Mr. Hurley digressed at one point to complain that when on a diplomatic mission to New Zealand it took him five months to get his mail changed from his previous post at Canberra to Wellington. He commented that the State Department seemed to think Canberra was the capital of New Zealand. “I do not know how many career men assisted Mr. Acheson in the defeat of American policy, but I know it was defeated,” said Mr. Hurley. “I asked the State Department to produce the documents which will substantiate this. My one endeavour is to bring to the attention of the American people the fact that American policy is being defeated and has been defeated all over the world, not alone in China. The fact is the defeat of the principles of the Atlantic Chartei, the defeat of the principles of the Teheran declaration and the use of America’s power to uphold predatory ideologies contrary to the announced policies of the Government is an inside job. This is true whether the propaganda comes from career men or others.” , PEARL HARBOUR PREPARATIONS WASHINGTON, December 6. Correspondence between General Marshall and General Short, introduced at the Pearl Harbour inquiry showed that Marshall on Mai ch 5 asked Short for an early review of the defences against air attack. Short pressed continually for months foi more equipment and funds and also stressed the need for moi e aii fields and protective revetments. Short wrote on March 15: “Planes have been kept lined up on the field where they would suffer terrific loss.” Marshall, testifying, said that in all his planning he had in mind planes and guns for defence against air attack on Hawaii. He had told Generals? Arnold, Miles and Gerow, at a conference on February 6, that the planes at Honolulu were outdated, and a reasonable number of topflight planes should be available, capable of out-performing anything the Japanese could release from carriers. He also told the conference of the possibility of a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, and said the Navy had too few nets for defence against torpedoes from either submarine or plane. The records showed that Marshall on February 19, told the War Department Council that the fleet at Hawaii had to be prepared for a surprise attack. He told a meeting of generals and colonels on February 25, he did not feel a .surprise attack was a possibility even probability, but they must guard against everything: Marshall said that Short pressed very hard for radar for Pearl Harbour, and sent a letter to him on March 15, 1941, about the serious situation due to the shortage of equipment, principally lack of long-range detectors. Marshall declared the Navy and Army had enough strength to break up a Japanese attack and greatly lessen the damage. The entire Japanese campaign of aggression would have been ruined had the forces been on the alert and attack smashed. He explained the entire garrison could not have stopped the attack, but could have disorganised it, and shaken it off its targets. Had'the Japanese been detected and hit hard their advance in Malaya would have been halted, the drive into Indo-China would have had to be stopped, the Burma Road would not have been " cut, and Singapore would not have fallen. PRICE CONTROLS NEW YORK, December. 7. Mr. Chester Bowles, United States Price Administrator, in a speech to an assembly of businessmen, gave a warning that a repetition of the 1929 economic crash, only worse, faced the nation if price and rent controls were terminated. His address is widely interpreted as presaging a determined legislative attempt to continue price controls beyond next June. The United States Office of Economic Stabilisation has formally set the cost of living increase since January, 1941, at 33 per cent. It has ruled that manufacturers may base applications for price increases on wage increases to that level. MOTOR-WORKERS’ WAGES. DETROIT, December 7. • The United Automobile Workers’ Union has rejected a General Motors Corporation, proposal. The latter again stated its offer of a 10 per cent, wage increase, which offer the Union had turned down before the strike began 16 days ago. The Union VicePresident, Mr. Reuther,-said the Union maintained that an adequate settlement of the strike would be a 30 per cent, wage increase without any increase of prices.