Disarm Germany For 40 Years To Ensure Peace!

Grey River Argus, 8 September 1948, Page 5

Disarm Germany For 40 Years To Ensure Peace!

Proposal of Mr. J.F. Byrnes (Received September 7, 9.20 p.m.) SEATTLE (Washington), Sept. 6. The former United States Secretary of. State, Mr. James Byrnes, spoke here to-night. He urged the Western Powers to . renew negotiations with Russia on the future of Germany—Germany was the key dispute in the Cold War, he said. Mr. Byrnes was addressing the American Bar Association. He outlined the main features of a possible Peace Treaty, which, he said, would be “in the interest of both ourselves and the Soviet Union.” Mr. Byrnes, who is one of the founders of the United States Bi-par-tisan foreign policy, made the following points for an agreement with “realistic” Russian leaders:— (1) It is very much in our interest and in the Soviet interest that Germany should be demilitarised , and kept demilitarised, at least for a generation.” (2) “When a satisfactory German Government is established,” all four of the occupying Powers could remove their troops at once, and leave only a small security force to see that Germany stays demilitarised. Conceding that there was a high degree of “mutual distrust on' this score,” Mr. Byrnes said: “That makes all the more necessary the adoption of the treaty to keep Germany disarmed for forty years.” Mr. Byrnes himself offered Russia such a proposal two years ago.