GRAVITY STRESSED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27569, 11 December 1950, Page 5

GRAVITY STRESSED

Military Situation POSSIBILITY OF WORLD WAR NZPA—Copyright WASHINGTON, Rec. 11 p.m. Dec. 10. The military situation is graver now than in the early days of the Second World War, the Defence Secretary, Mr George Marshall, declared last night. “We are not in a world war but we are facing the possibility of such a catastrophe,” he told a meeting of industrialists.

The American tendency was to rush from pessimism to jubilant optimism or the reverse over the results of a single campaign, or even a single battle, he said. “We must not be deterred by temporary military reverses. This is a time for calm determination; it is hot the time for violent emotions.”

In another statement Mr Marshall said President Truman was seriously considering the declaration of a national emergency. Mr Marshall made this statement after reviewing with the Senate Appropriations Committee President Truman’s request for an 18,000,000,000-dollar emergency arms programme. Some senators who heard Mr Marshall and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a closed session said Mr Marshall had urged such a move as an approach to all-out mobilisation

and war production. Several senators said Mr Marshall believed the public could not be brought to realise the deadly seriousness of the world situation and the sacrifices required until a Presidential declaration of a national emergency was made.