DEFENCE SCHEME FOR WESTERN EUROPE

Grey River Argus, 17 September 1948, Page 5

DEFENCE SCHEME FOR WESTERN EUROPE

To be Hurried Up

(Rec. 9.40) LONDON, Sept. 16. Rt. Hon. E. Bevin announced in the House of Commons that the Defence Ministers of the five Brussels Pact Powers would meet, within a few days, to consider the report of their military committee. Mr Bevin added that the Permanent Military Committee of the Brussels Alliance had a number of meetings in London. It was only thq accident of the French political situation which had prevented more meetings. He 'had noped, especially in view of the Military Committee's good progress, that the defence scheme would have been more advanced. He said that a planned defence system for the Western Union at a minimum cost and yet at the height of efficiency would be of economic and fihancial advantage to all of the countries.

The Daily Mail quotes Mr Bevin as saying: “We cannot just sit still and wait for the United Nations to make up its mind. We must work these things out with people who are ready to join in these efforts.” The Daily Mail also quotes Mr Bevin as stating that American and Canadian observers were present at the meetings. Montgomery Busy (Rec. 11.40) , LONDON, Sept. 16. Reuter reports that because of the Government’s new precautionary defence plan, Marshal Montgomery has temporarily cancelled his engagements outside of London.

Soviet Vetoes U.N.O.

Armaments Report

(Rec. 11.40) LONDON, Sept. 16. Reuter’s correspondent in Paris says; The U.N.O. headquarters has announced that Russia has lodged an objection to the U.N.O. Armament’s Commission report, thus preventing its report going before next week’s General assembly. This objection means that the report will have to be referred back to the commission.

MARSHALL NOT HOPEFUL OF BERLIN TALKS

(Rec. 9.45) WASHINGTON, Sept. 15. The U.S. Secretary of State, General . Marshall, ' indicated pessimism over the progress of the Berlin crisis talks when he told a press conference to-day that he was in need of “a little, encouragement” over the international situation. He made this comment when a questioner sought his views on the staetment by Mr Anthony Eden in the British House of Commons that the international situation is going from bad to worse. With a grim smile, General Marshall said: “All I will say is that I haven’t had any period of great relief in the last ten days, and would welcome a little encouragement.” Berlin Air-lift Expanding to Meet Winter Situation (Rec. 10.50) LONDON, Sept. 16 Fifty-nine of the planes in the Berlin airlift, which are based at the Blankensee airport, near Lubeck, are being used to fly out sick Berliners from the capital, under a scheme which began yesterday, when the first batch of two hundred persons were evacuated to Lubeck, says Reuter’s Lubeck correspondent. From to-day, planes are expected to fly out daily two hundred and forty persons, including sick and under-nourished children.

In; Washington to-day the United States Air Force announced that about forty more C 54 Skymaster transport planes, which are being drawn from various parts of the Far East, are being added to the Berlin airlift. More than one hundred Skymasters are now flying supplies to Berlin. The Times correspondent at Berlin says: The unemployment in the Western sectors of Berlin, because of the blockade, is less than has been expected. Employers are showing the greatest willingness to retain their staffs. The employees doing by hand, work that was formerly done by machines. The expanded airlift has also enabled the food stocks to be built up sufficiently to meet any interruption of the flights by bad weather. : .l

BERLIN CRISIS BECOMING A THREAT OF WAR

LONDON, September 15.

The Moscow negotiations are coming to an end without a settlement, says Reuter’s Moscow correspondent. It seems probable that the Western Powers will now move to bring all the issues involved before the United Nations General Assembly which will meet in Paris on September 21. It is expected that there will be one more meeting at least between M. Molotov and the three Western envoys. The Russians, with time on their side, are apparently prepared to keep the exchanges drifting in the hope of achieving their aim of another meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers. How the matters involved can be brought before the United Nations remains to be seen, although the Americans have indicated that the Berlin situation may be brought up as a threat to peace.

Communist Squads

in British Sector

LONDON, September 15. The British-licensed newspaper, SoZTal Demokrat, said to-day that the Berlin Communists are organising special 10-men squads to break up anti-Communist meetings in the Western sector. These are in effect a revival of the Red Front fighters of the pre-Hitler days. The Soviet official newspaper, Taegliche Rundschau, reported that well-organised groups of “diversionists” in British jeeps attempted to break up a meeting of the Commun-ist-dominated Socialist Unity Party in the British sector by throwing bricks at a speaker.

SOVIET’S ACTION QUESTIONED The Soviet Military Court will tonight try Alfred Mueckenberger, chief of the Berlin coal administration whom the Russians arrested on August 20 on a charge of sabotaging the city’s coal supply. The American Government, in a statement, charged the Soviet authorities with acting illegally in dismissing Mueckenberger unilaterally.