AMERICAN PLANS TO SETTLE RIVAL POLAR CLAIMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 August 1948, Page 5

AMERICAN PLANS TO SETTLE RIVAL POLAR CLAIMS

WASHINGTON, August 28. The United States has proposed that conflicting claims to Antarctic territory should be solved through some form of internationalisation. The State Department said today that the proposal had been communicated to New Zealand, Australia, the Argentine, Chile, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The department emphasised that the proposal was made informally, with a suggestion that a solution for the territorial problem of Antarctica should be discussed. The United States view is that the solution “should be such as to promote scientific investigation, and research.” The State Department’s statement did not elaborate on the form which internationalisation might take, but the United Press says it is presumed that the department contemplates a United Nations trusteeship. . , The statement said: “The United States expects that the question will require an extended exchange of views, and that until such an exchange is completed, it is not believed that any useful purpose could be accomplished by a conference on the subject, and no such conference is contemplated at present.’ The United Press says observers consider that the proposal for internationalisation may have been dictated by the United States defence considerations. The acknowledged vulnerability Of the Panama ' J Canal _ in modern warfare makes it imperative for the United States to make sure that no potential enemy can establish air bases on Antarctica within striking distance of the Cape Horn route.