America Insists— EFFECTIVE CONTROL BEFORE DESTROYING U.S. ATOMIC BOMBS

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 October 1948, Page 5

America Insists— EFFECTIVE CONTROL BEFORE DESTROYING U.S. ATOMIC BOMBS

(Recd. 10.15 a.m.) PARIS, October 18. The United States does not intend to give up its atomic weapons, except under a system of control sufficiently effective to guarantee that other nations do not have and cannot secure these weapons. The United States representative, Mr Warren Austin, made this clear in the Political Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations today, when the committee began its discussion of the subcommittee’s failure to find a compromise resolution that would combine the Eastern, and Western proposals for control of the atomic bomb.

Mr Austin demanded that the United Nations should turn the deadlocked atomic problem over to the Big Five Powers and Canada for direct negotiation. Mr Austin said the United Nations could go no further in its efforts to control atomic energy until the Soviet agreed to participate in the world community On a co-operative basis.

Mr Manuilsky (Ukraine) said the Canadian resolution would simply sanction an atomic arms race. “We are conscious that atomic energy is no longer a secret and that other countries are working on it,” he added. “The small countries, however, could not have the vast organisation necessary for the production of atomic weapons.” The committee adjourned until tomorrow without taking a vote. Austin said the United States could not agree to scrap the 30 months’ work of the.,Atomic Energy Commission, which provided for the setting up of complete control by stages with the destruction of the existing stockpiles to take place at an appropriate Liberty And Freedom ‘Our plan will no doubt further increase the suspicions of the Soviet Powers as to our motives,” he added. “The motive they seem unable to understand is our desire to live in a world where individual human beings, as well as independent nations, great and small, have the greatest possible liberty and freedom consonant with the liberty and freedom of others. In the field of atomic energy no effective control is possible, except in such a world.” Talks between the Big Five and Canada were proposed in the amended Canadian resolution passed on October 12 by the Atomic Subcommittee by eight votes to two (Russia and Ukraine) with India abstaining.

Appeal For Compromise Today Sir Bengal Narsing Ran (India), who presided over the Atomic Sub-committee, made a renewed appeal for a compromise. He stated that there were definite signs that Russia’s attitude was softening.

Mr Jacob Malik(Russia) stated that the Western majority plan was a manoeuvre for uncontrolled ownership and management of atomic energy by the United States. From the very beginning the United States had used every effort to prevent real This was the basic reason for the impasse. “Those who really want to free the world of fear of atomic war,” .he

said, “will see that it is quite impossible to accept a proposal such as Canada’s. We shall therefore insist on a vote being taken on the Soviet' proposal, which is the only one which offers a basis for an eventual convention on this subject.” Mr Lionel Chevrier (Canada), in defending the Canadian resolution, said he denied that it closed the door to further progress towards international control. British Assurance

Sir Alexander Cadogan (Britain) called on the Big Five and Canada to make a supreme effort to achieve agreement on fundamentals. He transmitted to the committee a formal guarantee that the British Government would enter the consultations with the sincere hope that they would enable the six Powers to announce in the very near future an agreement which would enable the Atomic Energy Commission to resume its work.