W. Hemisphere Defence Plans

Northern Advocate, 30 August 1947, Page 5

W. Hemisphere Defence Plans

(Rec. 2.30.)'R10 DE JANEIRO, Aug. 29. The United States was threatened with serious defeat at the interAmerican conference at Petropolis today, when Argentina sought to exclude from the provisions of the proposed defence treaty any attack on territory occupied by the United States outside the hemisphere security zone.

Argentina’s plan would mean, for example, that an attack on American troops in Germany by a foreign power would not be regarded as aggression under the treaty’s terms.

As now worded, the treaty provides that all the 21 republics must take action in the event of an attack on any of them inside the security zone. If an attack is made outside the zone, the republics must confer on possible united measures.

Argentina seeks to delete the latter provision.

It is known she had strong, and possible decisive, support from other Latin American countries.

Her sudden move caused postponement of the session, at which it was expected the treaty would be formally approved. Senator Vandenberg (United States) strongly attacked the Argentine proposal, saying it would put geographical limitation on the definition of aggression.

No nation could avoid the basic obligation of the United Nations to oppose aggression wherever it occurred.

SECURITY ZONE A military committee of three countries has defined a vast security zone, stretching from Pole to Pole and from mid-Atlantic to a point roughly 1200 miles off the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, which the American Republics are to defend against any aggressor.

The area includes Canada and the Canadian Arctic area, Puerto Rico, the Antarctic Continent between 24 degrees west and 90 degrees west, the Falkland, South Georgia, South Sandwich and South Orkney islands, and a vast North Pacific area from about 400 miles off the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula to the middle of the Bering Straits.

One border extends to a point off Greenland and thence along a line between Iceland and Greenland to a point off Newfoundland. Hawaii is not within the geographical limits of the zone, but the defence treaty which will be signed in Rio de Janeiro on September 3 places it under the same provisions.

The full committee on aggression of the inter-American defence conference will ]jl£et today to give formal approval to the zone. It will be as the Inter-American Zone of Maritime Security. CANADA ALOOF Canada is not taking any part in the conference, but the United Press says the way will be left open for her to join in the treaty later if she wishes. The United Press correspondent says most of the Latin-America diplomats considered that Canada should not be invited* again to join a panAmerican union or to sign the defence treaty.

She should take the first step herself if she so desired.

One delegate said Canada apparently was satisfied with her mutual assistance pact with the United States, and preferred to remain aloof from inter-American affairs.