Smuts Urges Plain Speaking By Both Sides

Chronicle (Levin), 23 March 1948, Page 3

Smuts Urges Plain Speaking By Both Sides

j 'V -• . LONDON, Mareh 21. ' General Smuts, speaking 111 the Sensaid:. /The Gretxt -Powers shoiiiid edxiie. into the' open. and spealc tcyl dfie another as nian ro" man. Nobody knows w-Jf|tt Kussikks pgsitton ik. ■ Kussia says sii^; is just/us nuteh in-the dark about . tlit§ posiuon oi tlie Western natipns. I " Kussia claiins sJie niay' have to dej fend herself froui the iVy esterii' nutions. ; The Vv'esterii nations say tha-l "niay have j to defend themselves against Uoutj niunism. World statesmen have t£ , elear up this niisunderstanding, so that I we know Where we staiul. if assuran. us ; are required," let botli sules give them. " L' rging- "all p.eaeeful nations" to fbllow the L'nited States and ann to fiill capacity." to itvert a third world wiiy, Presideiit . Roxas in a speech at Santo Toniasi L'niversity, .. . J?hilippines_, yesterday atta ked Russia, and said a- politieal hfth ebJuinn ,W-as operating in practieally e\ ery eountry to tear down Demoeraey and to pave the vay for Conimunism. A niessage from Stockholm says the MinisteV of Defeiiee, Mr. Youglit, said the -Swedish Governmeut would propose to Parliament a 50 per eent. inerease in the air foree and a snioother mobilisation plan. • ' .

rlie Da-nish yimister of Finance, Air. R. (£' Hansen, said that .Daiiish defen.ee must be expa'nded. " We don 't • want our". land to lie open for any aggressor to strangle Danish freedom " — from witliin or from putside, '' he said. Diplomatie authorities are quotcd by tlie Fnited Press as saying that tho situation in lvurope is soserious thatc it niay cause the Soeretary of State (Air. ' Alarshall ) to ehaiige -his plans to attend tlie Inter-'Aiiierieau Confcren'ce, w lue h is selieuuled to otien in Rogota, . Ooioiubia, on Alarcli 30. * Ofheials said to day that Air. Alarshall would be extremely reluetant to caneel his visit to oxlgota, but it now appeared that, insiead oi settl.ng uowi. for tlie fuil six weeks wln.-h the eoni'er ence is expected to last, he would -Jioiu himself iu readiness to .oturu to Wasn ingtou at any time the couflict wil.i Russia required his personal attention. Saying that repo.ts on the inte. Uii iional situation were very senous, the Speaker of tlie Ilouse of Reproseiitatives (Air. Joseph' Martin ) op.noi. that COugress uiigiit sit' eontiuuously throughout the year.