Draft May Me Necessary To Obtain 900,000

Chronicle (Levin), 20 March 1948, Page 5

Draft May Me Necessary To Obtain 900,000

' (N.Z.P.A.-

-Reuter

, Covyright)

iVecerved- Friday, 7 p.m. WABHIXGTON,. Mareh 18. The Seeret&ry of Defence (Mr. James Forrestal) indicated to the Senaro -Ai'me,d Sei'vices Conmiittee- to-day that he forces wanted to ad'd more tlian 150, 00.0' to their strength, but he did not ..my how many more. Mr. Forrestal > xaid that the draft was the oirly way. to ' get them. Later Mr. Forrestal told the comaiittee he bel-ieved' the army woul'd ask for a strength of 900,000; compared with tlie present autliorised 070, 000'. Answering questions, he said that,. Lf the -Boviet forces deeided to niove into- Germany or other parts of Furope, the American forces there •ould not stop them. He pointed out tsha>t there were only 51,000 eombat soi diers in the United' Btates and only 10,000 were organised 'into divisions. There were only seven or eight divisions overseas, none' ready for eombat. Both Mr. Forrestal and the Becre lary of tlie Army ( Mr. Ivenneth Ro.vi II) said the present draft pl'ans would ?xc.lude last war veterans. They esti-.ua-ted that M, 000, 000 men ag'ed from lu to 25 would be liablo to the draft. Tlie Iraftees would serve a maximum oi two years universal military training. >Senator Wayne Morse tohi Mr. For restal that Congress would not pass LheMraft or universal military training legislation "until the grass-roots demand it. " He added: "You have not gone far enough to eonvince the American people that, this legislation is necessary." Mr. Forrestal replied that he was try ing to avoid any appearanee of hysteria, but he still wished to emphasise the need for the programme. ■Seuator Morse said: "The American people are saying, '(rive ns more factsT I think they can' tako 'them. Without them, this legislation hasn't m ghost of a chance. " In Washin'gton a State Department spokesman (Mr. ilichael AIcDermott) said to-day that there was no signili cance in the Soviet's announcement that it was demobolising all but two age groups of the army. "Reports from the American Embassy in Moscow shew that one elass has been demobilised as another comes in, but there has been no change whatever in the number of troops entering the Soviet army," he added. "The Soviet Government 's announeement was routine." SCANDINAVIAN DEFENCE In StockholmLthe, jiSwedish, Norwegian and Danish : 'Prime Ministers, aftera live-hour secret Miieetirig,' alfirmed at 'a public iii^eting tbeir decision to- defeiuL -their'1 "c6untl'ies ( ffeedoth against i iVutsKle aggresSton. MMt^v also'-dendunc-ed Cd'mmu uism and 'dictatorship. : -' The Swedish Premier (ML Erlaiider) said the light againAt ("('oinitiHiiisin Was]>art of the defence '6f Sweden 's free , Vloin and indepen'dence. ' Rei*ent evFn'ts in' CzechosloVakia 'had unmasked t-he Communists. ' - •- ' s * ' * • ' - - ' ' We are prepared to take part in tne defence 'of freedom and peace, but we don't want to relinquish Miope for a generaF world agreenient,'" A Lr. Erlander added. ' . "• MMie Norwegiau Premier '(Mr. ,Gerhardsen) said. the Communists iii ,,tne Scandiitkvian couhtries were too weak for a'coiip or revblufidn, but he warned against uiider-ratnig the danger. The Danish Premier (Air. Hedtoft) said that, wliile forces were worlcing in VFestern' Europe for stability, the Uominunist.st were using all their power to liamper peaceful development.