Time For Cool Judgment

Northern Advocate, 13 March 1948, Page 7

Time For Cool Judgment

Addressing a meeting of the Federal Council of Churches, at which Mr Truman was among the invited guests, Mr Marshall said:

“The world is in the midst of a great crisis,* inflamed by propaganda, misunderstanding, anger and fear. “At no time has it been so important for cool judgment. “Irt the midst of this turmoil, complicated by the distractions of an election campaign, it is important to express one’s feelings on the situation in moderate terms.”

He said that he, as Secretary of State, had tried to keep a level head. Virtually every current action of the United States was misunderstood by some people abroad. “Our most generous motives,” he said, “are suspected. “Our good intentions are condemned.

“And we, on our side, are apt to grow passionate or fearful, over-zeal-ous in our passions or failing in action because of our fears.” Mr Marshall added that one affirmative and immediate measure which

America could take was enactment of the European recovery programme. Winding up the foreign affairs debate in the French National Assembly last night, the Foreign Minister (M. Bidault) dealt with the accusation that a Western bloc was being set up against other cpuntries of the Continent, says the correspondent of The Times. M. Bidualt said that there existed at present 15 treaties of mutual assistance in Central and Eastern Europe. “Western Europe,” he added, “in the service of freedom, requires, and has the right, to do what has been done elsewhere—not against, but like, others.” The characteristics of recent developments in Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia were extremely similar and, said M. Bidault, “we do not like them.” There was no time to be lost in constituting what was left of Europe. The Government’s policy was approved by 419 votes to 183. The Moscow newspaper Izvestia called the Western Union Pact “a plot against peace in Europe.” A Tass Agency despatch from Brussels reported that the pact draft provided for the reorganisation of armies and the standardisation of armaments. Norway's Defences

OSLO, Fri. (11.30 a.m.)—As the result of an agreement between all parties except the Communists, the Prime Minister (Gerhardsen) has submitted a proposal to Parliament for spending £5,090,000 in strengthening Norway’s military and civil defences.