Supports UNO Principles

Northern Advocate, 14 March 1947, Page 5

Supports UNO Principles

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a closed meeting attended by military and foreign policy leaders, including the acting Secretary of Stale (Mr Acheson), the Secretary of War (Mr Patterson) and the Secretary of the Navy (Mr Forrestal). The chairman (Senator Vandenberg) said afterwards that the Administration would be urged to give the people all essential information about the implications of President Truman’s programme for halting the spread of Communism.

Mr Vandenberg predicted that Congress would support Mr Truman in blocking Communist aggression, but would judge for itself the proper methods and details for carrying out such a policy. He advocated public hearings.

Asked whether American aid to Greece and Turkey might not result in eventual destruction of the United Nations, Mr Vandenberg said the United Nations was never set up as a relief organisation. It had no resources arid was never expected to have resources for such purposes.

To deal with applications for relief, the General Assembly would have to be convened to draw up new procedures totally foreign to those for which the organisation was formed —to keep the peace. A United Nations military force was not established and. even if it were, its use was subject to ‘ the speculation of action by the Security Council." (A reference to veto power).

Mr Vandenberg said the difficulty of finding common ground with Rus-

sia had made it impossible so far to agree on a United Nations’ military force.

A message from Lake Success says as a result of fears expressed in United Nations’ circles that the United Nations would be adversely affected by Mr Truman’s decision to by-pass the organisation in dealing with Greece and Turkey, the chief American dcle•gatc (Mr Warren Austin) issued the following statement, approved by the Slate Department: “The United States is dedicated to the principles of the United Nations Charter and to building up of collective security.

“Support of the freedom and independence of Greece and Turkey is essential to these purposes.

“Prompt approval by Congress of the President’s proposal would be a new and effective action by the United States in supporting, with ail our strength, our policy in the United Nations."

The Tass Agency published a lengthy summary of President Truman’s speech and briefly commented that Mr Truman bad dismissed the democratic forces in Greece and that a loan would mean American control over Greece. The speech caused a ,sensation among the staffs of the Foreign Ministers. One member of the British party said: “This changes the whole picture of the Middle East.”

Eastern European radios, including Belgrade and Warsaw, gave brief ex.cerpts but omitted references to “totalitarian regimes” and “dictatorial minorities.”