The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-09-23
Western Nations to Battle Military Reports Proposal

Lake Success, N. Y, Sept. 23- (UP)-The western powers prepared hostile reception in the United Nations Security Council today for Russia's proposal that the Allies file complete reports on the size and disposition of their armed forces and bases in friendly foreign coun- tries.
 The Russian request was likely to be dismissed Summarily without even being placed on the Councils S formal agenda.
 It was placed on the delegates provisional agenda early in the three weeks-old Council session when Soviet Delegate Andrei A. Gromyko surprised his colleagues by requesting that they demand de- tailed reports on the military and naval forces being maintained as of Aug. in all foreign territories other than the eX-enemy states.
 Balk at Cost Issue
 Meanwhile the LIN Economic and Social Council called another plerl- ary session today for further dis cussion of the proposed Information al Refugee Organization, a project whose probable cost has caused most of the 18 nations represented on the Council to balk at the United States plea for speedy action. Only Can- ada, and Belgium to lesser degree, were behind the Americans efforts to get the IRO established in time to take over the problem of some 100000 displaced persons and ref ugees in Europe when UNRRA abandons it's displaced persons pro- gram next June 30
 The United States and Britain in terpreted the Russian proposal as an effort to embarrass them by throwing a spotlight on the British forces in such countries as Greece, ITrans-Jordan and Iran; Americans forces and bases in China, Iceland and the now independent Philip pines commonwealth.
 For three weeks the western pow CTS have been lining up votes against Council consideration of the Rus sian request. They apparently have enough to keep Gromyko's request from being put on the Agenda-the first step toward formal considera- tion of any matter placed before the body.
 The Anglo-American strategy, however, did not eliminate the prob ability of a hot verbal battle over the Soviet move, nor did it take into account the possibility that Gromyko's next move might be to transform the proposal into a com plaint that the presence of some AL lied force in some foreign country constitutes a threat to the peace.
 Loses Earlier Fight
 Only last week Gromyko, as the sole big power packer of the Rus sian Ukraine's charges against Greece, was defeated overwhelming lv in his effort to have the British forces in Greece condemned by the LIN as threat to peace ln the Bal- kans.
 It was not inconceivable that the Russians would bounce back with a renewed effort to indict British mil itary policy in Greece by charging again in the debate over the troops inventory proposal that the Engllsn forces constitute a matter merltlng the Councils action.
 The United States planned to leao the attack against Gromyko's pro posal. Herschel V. Johnson, the American delegate, was armed Wlth a stream of incisive questions d. rected at the propriety of the Rus sian move and based on the premise that Kromyko had no business pro nosing the inventory without at tempting to prove that the presence of Allied forces overseas threatens peace or security.
 American sources held that unless Gromyko converts his proposal into a specific complaint against one or more of the nations malntamlng military or naval forces in friendly foreign countries, the proposal can not be discussed by the Council.
 Some officials questioned the ex- act motives behind the Russian ma neuver. Others contended 1t was a tactic similar, they salo, to the now discarded Ukra1nlan charge that Greece, with Brltlsn support, menaced peace in the Bal kans.
 By six successive 9-to-2 votes the Council dismissed the UKralnlan charges after days of debate m which the western powers insisted that Russia and the Ukraine were using the Council as propaganda sounding board.