U.S. REFUSAL TO SHOULDER JOB OF BRITISH FORCES

Grey River Argus, 22 May 1947, Page 5

U.S. REFUSAL TO SHOULDER JOB OF BRITISH FORCES

(Rec. 6.30) WASHINGTON, May 20. General Marshall (Secretary of State) was asked to comment on the reports from London that Britain was looking to the United States to take over her military responsibilities in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Middle East, within the next two or three years. General Marshall replied: “I would not concur.” General Marshall said that h" disagreed, sharply, with the British Foreign Minister, Mr Ernest Bevin’s charge in the House of Commons, last week, that the failure of the Moscow conference was ' 1 " to “the full press coverage” given to it by the American press. Reporters asked General Marshall whether he favoured a proposal that the Foreign Ministers’ Council should revert to their old system , of issuing “secret communiques.” General Marshall said that he thought that a general press coverage of such conferences was very important. On the other hand, he recognised difficulties, and he thought that there were in reports by American correspondents more appeals to passion and prejudice than to reason.