Combined Chiefs of Staff Meet

Chronicle (Levin), 8 March 1946, Page 5

Combined Chiefs of Staff Meet

Press Assn.-

' JOINT WARTIME PLANNING CONTINUED .• 'i Col!abcration Seen as Informal Military Alliance

By Telegraph

-Copyright

Received Thursday 9.30 p.m. . NEW YORK, March 7. Meeting in an atmosphere of the greatest secrecy, enforeed hy armeti g uards who escort every visitor to the building, the British and Ai.ierican combined Chiefs of Staff continued yesterday their joint military plaiixiiiig'/aithoug'h the war finished more tiian six months ago. - Eespoiisible British and American staff officers declined to discuss the nature of the secret work they were doing or how long the joint bcard inteiids to continue. However, it is known that the BritiJh proposed that the combined staif should continue indefiiiitely. Some persons in Washington feel that the staff represents an jnformal unratined British-American military alliance, accomplishing many of the objectives outlined in Mr. Churchill 's Fulton speech, but f/ir, Ohurehill believes that the effect of the joint group would be gTGvHsr if its st&tus were formalised, perhaps by a treaty.

Th'e fnct that the staff is coniinuing : daily, meetings 1ms pi obahly come as 1 a surprise to many in this country, eveif Washirg ceu and now that Mr. i Churchill ua or. ught Lnto the open the ; agitation- for a forr.ial British- American I military a-llia-.ee. ii is oupected that j Congiess wul aay .moio attention to | bhe staff s f 'itrdtlcs. i | Meanwiulu ic v.'as learned that M:r. | Churchill rc -rs .r.u.ecli cn Wed ! nesday as the riost imym taiic of his !

long career. In washington' the. reaction is mixed, but influential Sena:drs appeared more willing to accept | Mr. Churchill 's diagnosis of the world 's j -ils than to take his proferred medicine. | The proposal for a military alliance is j criticised primarily on the- ground that j it would tend to weaken IJnited Na- t bions. The majority of Representatives opposed the proposal. Some linked the j address with efforts to win approval of the credit to Britain.; i