DISARMAMENT PROPOSAL

Chronicle (Levin), 11 October 1948, Page 5

DISARMAMENT PROPOSAL

(N.Z.P.A,

— : Reuter ,

Humbug And Rubbish, Says British Delegate

Copyright)'

Received Sunday, 7 -p.m PARIS, Oet. 9. The . . Polish Foreign Minister, Mr. Modzelewski, deseribed the American Government ' as- the " world 's greaj;est pedler of fear and gre'atest exporter of dread," when the Politieal Committee of United Nations Assembly opened the debate on the Soviet proposal for a one-third reduction in armanients by the Big Five and. a ban on atomic weapons. Mr. Modzelewski claimed that the fear of war which liung over the world could directly be attributed to the United States Government with its Truman doctrine, Marshall plan and Wall Sreet bankers seeking profits. He commended the Soviet proposal as a start on the right road. Reduction by one-third of the world 's armanients would be a reduction by one-third o± the world 's fear. Mr, Kisselev (Byelo-Russia) repeated tlie charge that the Aniericans were pianning war against Russia. He mentioned tlie arrival of American SuperFortresses in Britain and deseribed the Western Union Pact as blatantly aggressive. Evidence of this, he stated, was the appointment of Field Marshai Montgomery as Chief of the Defence Council. Sir -Har-tley -Shaweross • (Britain) said there could not be agreement on disarmament until agreement was reached on atomic control. He repeated Britain 's disarmament proposals of a year ago, asking, firstly, that the nations exchange information on naanpower and their armed forces; secondly, this information to be verified by some simple control system; thirdly, that the verified information be pubished in all countries. He describu(. the Russian plan as "humbug, rubbish and. propaganda. ' ' He declared thai Russia 's armed. forces were 2J times great er than they were bqfore World War ' II. Britain would not be bamboozled but demanded that Russni lift secreey before any agreement could be reached 011 disarmament or atomic control. ' ' The Soviet Government will have to put a great many cards on the table before we hre satisfied that this proposal is anything but a somewhat threadbare propaganda device," he added. The committee adjourned until Monday.