“SUPER POWERS”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26473, 29 May 1947, Page 7

“SUPER POWERS”

United States and Russia

DANGER OF CLASH IN FUTURE Rec. 9 p.m. CAPETOWN, May 27. America and Russia have become “ super Powers ” as a result of the war, said General Smuts, addressing the Union Senate. He added: “ I do not like this position. There is an element of the danger of a clash in the future. It is necessary for the world’s peace that Britain recover her position and maintain herself as one of the super Powers. This will happen. It is only a matter of time. It is quite wrong to say that Britain is down and out. I look upon British rule as a safer guarantee of peace than the United Nations itself.” General Smuts continued that it was a mistake to think there was an imminent danger of war, but the struggle between ideologies might be dangerous. Communist movements were active all over the world and their propaganda might threaten peace.

General Smuts said the Government had been asked to find a place for at least some of Europe’s displaced persons. It could not do this, but would help selected people by way of immigration. “If there are suitable migrants who can be approved by the immigration authorities we shall take them." he said. “ but we cannot undertake to bring over to South Africa any large sections of displaced persons. Anti-Semitism Denied “Some misunderstanding seems to have been arisen in this connection,” he added. “I am supposed to have said that South Africa would differentiate in respect of Jews. Our policy has been described as discrimination against the Jews because they are a fairly high proportion of displaced persons. It is not this Government’s policy to differentiate against the Jews, and I hope that South Africa will ever remain free of this taint of anti-Semi-tism. I cannot imagine anything more sad than the fate of the Jews in the world to-day.” General Smuts said that South Africa did not intend to annex SouthWest Africa. “We are carrying on in the spirit of the mandate as it existed hitherto,” he added. “We intend to give the territory representation in the Union Parliament, but that does not mean incorporation or annexation. We shall send reports to the United Nations as we did to the League of Nations.” He continued that he did not think there had been a time in the last 100 years when the world was so deeply involved in crisis as to-day. The United Nations was still in the infant stage, and it was unreasonable to expect too much from its squabbling. Disagreement in the Security Council was a sad blow to those who looked for world peace. The veto had' been abused, and the General Assembly had not been very satisfactory. There had also been sharp disagreement in the Atomic Council. “We are exactly where we were two or three years ago In regard to control of the atomic weapon,” he said.

General Smuts warned Parliament that South Africa must make friends, reject isolation and “keep its house in order,” because with all the new methods of warfare there might not be time to prepare for the next war. He said South Africa was in a fairly sound defence position. “ But we are too small to stand alone in a storm. The rest of the 1 world knows South Africa is a country of great resources and in any future war we will be right in because the Cape route will be one of the cardinal points of world defence.”