More U.S. Funds Sought For Asian Aid

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 March 1950, Page 6

More U.S. Funds Sought For Asian Aid

WASHINGTON, March-29.—The United States Secretary of State (Mr Dean Acheson) today emphasised the need for increasing the funds available to combat Communism in. the Far East. Mr,..Acheson and Dr Philip Jessup, the United States Ambas-sador-ab Large, gave their latest appraisal of the Far Eastern situation to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Both supported President Truman’s request for 45,000,000. dollars for his programme to aid the world’s under-developed areas.

It is understood that Mr Acheson and Dr Jessup emphasised the need for authority to spend, in “the general area of China,” about 100.000,000 dollars in funds Ipft over from last year’s China aid programme. Mr Acheson, told the committee that it was essential to try to work out parallel policies with Britain and France wherever possible in Asia. He added, however, that he was still opposed to American recognition of the, Chinese Communist Government. Me had no reason to expeat a change in that policy in the foreseeable future. After Mr Acheson’s conference •with the committee, a senator reported that Mr Aoheson was planning to make a strong plea for a united policy in the Far East when the Foreign Ministers of Britain, France and the United States met in London in May. Officials said that one of the proposals now under discussion for resistance to Communist penetrationin Asia, and particularly in Southeast Asia, was for a joint statement of policy. They said this did not involve a joint programme of economic and military assistance to the countries of South-east Asia. Problems In South-East Asia

Dr Jessup told the committee that he was disturbed about relations between India and Pakistan.

Dr Jessup, who recently returned from a policy survey'in the Far East and South-East Asia, was fairly optimistic about conditions in Japan and Korea, but he made a gloomy report on the situation in Indo-China, Burma, and Siam. The diplomatic correspondent of the New York Times reported DiJessup as saying that Indo-China. Burma, and Siam—in that order—were the major problems in SouthEast Asia. There was a need in Indo-China for small arms and for economic help in support of the French. That kind of support, if given, might slowly overcome the chajlklenge of the rival Communist forces.

Dr Jessup said, however, that the problems throughout South-East Asia, did not lend themselves to quick oj. dramatic solutions. Dramatic or military action by the United States was not required. Dr Jessup said that factors hampering American policy in South-East Asia included: (1) the distortion by Communists propaganda of American motives; (2) the success of the Communists in portraying the inevit-

abity of a Communist victory; and (3) fear among the Chinese people all .over' South-East Asia that their relatives in China would be punished by the Chinese Communists if they did not support the Communist cause. Healing The Breach? Dr Jessup said he thought that American economic aid to SouthEast Asia could assist other countries —notably Britain and France—to pacify the area. The Washington correspondent of the Associated Press said that the general tenor of the meeting of Mr Acheson and Dr Jessup with the Foreign Relations Committee appeared to indicate that the Administration. had made a start in healing the breach between the State Department and the section of Congress that was critical of the department’s handling of foreign policy. Mr Acheson and Dr Jessup were said to have showed, willingness to make a bipartisan approach to Far East problems, and appeared more agreeable than formerly to the idea of including Farmosa in a general Asian programme.