SOVIET SCHEME TO CUT ARMS IS “HUMBUG”

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 October 1948, Page 6

SOVIET SCHEME TO CUT ARMS IS “HUMBUG”

PARIS, October 9. The Polish Foreign Minister (Mr Modzelewski) described the United States Government as “the world’s greatest pedlar of fear, and the greatest exporter of dread,” when the PoliI tical Committee of the United Nations I Assembly opened its debate on the Soviet proposal for a one-third reduction of armaments by the Big I Five and a ban on atomic weapons. Mr Modzelewski claimed that the fear of war which hung over’ the world could be directly attributed to the United States Government, with its Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan and Wall Street bankers seeking profits. He commended the Soviet proposal as a start on the right road. A reduction by one-third of the world’s armaments would be a reduction by one-third of the world’s fear. , Mr Kisselev (Byelorussia) repeat;ed the charge that the Americans were planning war against Russia. He mentioned the arrival of American Superfortresses in Britain, and described the Western Union defence treaty as blatantly aggressive. Evidence of this, he said, was the appointment of Field-Marshal Montgomery as Chief of the Defence Council. Sir Hartley Shawcross (Britain) said there could not be agreement on disarmament until agreement was reached on atomic energy control. He

repeated Britain’s disarmament proposals of a year ago, asking (1) that the nations exchange information on the manpower of their armed forces; (2) that this information be verified by some simple control system; and (3) that the verified information be published in all countries. Sir Hartley Shawcross described the Russian plan as “humbug, rubbish and propaganda.” He said that Russia’s armed forces were two and a-quarter times as great as they were before the war. Britain would not be bamboozled, and demanded that Rus- : sia lift her secrecy before any agree- . ment could be reached on disarma- ; ment or atomic control. ' “The Soviet Government will have to put a great many cards on the i table before we are satisfied that this 1 proposal is anything but a somewhat threadbare propaganda device,” ! said Sir Hartley Shawcross. i The committee adjourned until ; Monday.