U.S.'s Attitude To Military Aid Clause In Atlantic Pact Sought

Chronicle (Levin), 16 February 1949, Page 5

U.S.'s Attitude To Military Aid Clause In Atlantic Pact Sought

(N.Z.P.A.-

-Reuter.

Copyright)

Eeceived Wednesday, 10.20 a.m. WASHINGTON, February 15." The Netherland's Government has asked the American State -Department to qualify its views on the proposed Atlantic Pact, following reports that the United States favoured dropping the military guarantee. " It is expected that other Western European ambassadors will ask Mr. Dean Acheson, Secretary of State, for the clarifica- 1 tion of the commitments which the United States is prepared to undertake in the Pact.

The Associated Press correspondent at The Hague, quotes an official Dutch source as saying that the Dutch consider anything less than ari ironclad guarantee contained in the Brussels' treaty as a weakening of the Pact. No consideration has yet been given as to whether this issue would be important enough to lead to any of the Western Union powers walking out of the Pact. However, wond-wide astonishment has been caused by the revelation that the Senate will not accept tne "moral obligation" in the proposed Pact which would commit the United States to go to war even if one of the signatories was attacked. Mr. Acheson, at a press conierence on January 26, committed himself to the view as Secretary of State, that the United States, through the Pact, would make it "absolutely clear in advance that any armed attack aflecting our national security would be met with overwhelming force."

Torn Between Two Loves As the leading administration spokesman lor the United Siates 111 the Pact negotiutions, Acheson is at present caught between a Senate, obviously unwilling to give up the sacred American foreign policy s principles of l'reedom of action in any international crisis and a desire of the Western European powers for firm assurances of action against the violators of the peace, in order to deter any potential aggressor from attacking any member of the North Atlantic Pact. _ It is emphasised in diplomatic circles in Washington, that it is not primarily a question of what happena when war breaks out or is imminent, but of what happens now in.relation to the building up of European confidence "aird security, by -removing the temptation to a potential aggressor to attack a Western European country. A question being asked in Washington today, is this: Unless the United States makes some firm commitment, will Russia uncterstand that an overwhelming force —which can only come from the United States — will be speedily mobilised against her if she engages in an aggressive act, or will Russia, like Nazi Germany in 1939, assume that American intervention can be discounted during the first stage of any war.

European Diplomats Concerned European diplomats in Washington are obviously disturbed over the Senate's unwillingness to commit the United States in advance. They don't disguise their disappointment that the kind of North Atlantic Treaty contemplated by the leading Republican Democrat Senators, appeared to be merely a "community of interest" pact, rather than the forthright military alliance originally contemplated. The State Department declared today that there was no differences of objectives between the Administration and the Senate, but the conception of the Pact acceptable to the Senate appears to differ considerably from the conception as stated by Truman in his inaugural address in January. Mr. Truman then described the purpose of ihe Pact on this basis: "The best deterrent to aggression is certainty. Immediate and ef-l fective counter-measures will be 1 taken against those who violate I peace." It is difficult to see how there could be any such "certainty" if the Senate insists on refusing to commit itself either morally, or legally, to counter-measures which it is generally accepted must be militarv.

The State Department spokesman said the objectives were clearly agreed upon, but the (jetails of the terms of the Pact would not be decided until it was signed. The I spokesman said Mr. Acheson was ' working closely with the Senators and the situation was still fluid. He added: "The basic objective is to seek to contribute 1o the maintenance of peace by making clear our determination to fulfil our obhgations under the United Nations Charter."