Evening star., 1945-05-17
Trustee Plan
Safeguards U. 5.
Bases in Pacific
Entire Committee
Backs Formula
Drafted by Stossen
BY GOULD LINCOLN,
Star Staff Correspondent.

Strategic military or naval base
in the Pacific by reason of the
"trusteeship" proposal worked
out by the American delegation
and now awaiting further con-
sideration by the United Nations
Conference.
In the first place, the trusteeship
proposal advanced by the Ameri-
cans. with notifications to meet
ideas of some of the other nations,
merely provides the machinery for
administration of territories placed
under trusteeships. No mention is
made of specific areas.
So far as the Pacific islands and
any other territory wrested from
Japan by American armed forces
are concerned, their future will be
settled at the peace table, wherever
that may be, not at the San Fran
cisco Conference
Such areas in the Pacific as the
United States may demand and get
at the peace table in the first in
stance will be entirely at the dis
posal of the United States.
Trusteeship Machinery.
If the United States decides to
place these islands under trustee
ship, then the trusteeship machin-
cry framed at the conference will
operate.
If agreement should be made by
this country at the peace table to
accept these islands on the trustee
ship basis, then, of course, the same
machinery would go into operation.
Members of the Senate who have
feared that this country was bar
terlng away at this conference any
rights it may have to military and
naval bases in the Pacific may cast
those fears aside, it was pointed
out today.
The American plan would apply
to other areas taken from the enemy
as we'll as to the Pacific conquests,
leaving open, for example, the possi-
blllty of Great Britain retaining
IPantelleria and other strategic ter
ritory taken from Italy in the
Mediterranean.
that If the plan is adopted, the
vlctors can divide the conquests
OF war as they have in the past)
Drafted by Stassen.
The trusteeship proposal has been
accepted unanimously by the COM
mittee dealing with trusteeships as a
working paper It was drafted by
Comdr. Harold D. Stassen of the
United States delegation. It's status
is that of the Dumbarton Oaks pro-
posals, and it is open to amendment.
iDumbarton Oaks contained no
chapter on trusteeships.
The committee had before il seven
separate proposals, submitted by as
many countries, which were taken
into consideration in the Stassen
draft. The basis of the working pa
per was the original United States
proposal, but that proposal has been
amended in number of respects to
meet the views of the other nations.
Its acceptance by the committee was
without prejudice" to recommended
tlons which may come from other
nations. However, it may be said
that the committee has reached a
very large area of agreement.
The trusteeship plan under dis
cussion does not contemplate dis
arrangement of present mandates
under the old League of Nations set
up unless the nations holding such
mandates desire to change the exist
ing order.
Provision is made for trusteeships
for both strategic and nonstrategic
areas. The security council of the
new world organization would super
wise the strategic areas, while the
general assembly would have super
vision over the nonstrategic.
Differences Remain,
Differences remain to be ironed
out Australia, for example, desires
to give the assembly authority to
place an area under a particular
trusteeship and to change mandates.
Russia supports proposal that
the final objective of all trusteeships
be eventual independence of gov
erned people. This demand has
been met in part in the Stassen
working paper by inserting a clause
naming self-government Sin forms
appropriate to the varying condi-
tions Of each territory" as one of
the principal gains to be expected
under the trusteeship program.
The British proposed that trus-
teeships be aimed at economic and
social advancement of dependent
peoples in the complete areas to be
administered, of which part or the
whole could be administered as
strategic areas. The United States
takes the position that some areas
should be set aside as strictly stra-
tegic military or naval areas.
The Russians have proposed an
amendment which would give the
security council authority to rec
ommend and designate what areas.
in trusteeship-held territory, shall
be strategic areas. Another Rus
sian amendment would place on the
trusteeship council permanent MEM
bers of the security council not adj
ministering trusteeship territories.
Big Role for Russia.
These amendments would give
Russia an important role, as one of
the permanent members of the Sc
curity council, in all trusteeship
matters. They also have proposed
that mandates from the World War
be included in territories to be held
under the new trusteeships.
A general policy that it is a
sacred trust of civilization to pro-
mote to the utmost the well-being
of the inhabitants of trusteeship
territories is set forth in the work.
ing paper.
1t is provided that the trustee
ship system shall not apply to ter
(See LINCOLN, Page A-49
W1A. QnnI