Evening star., 1947-08-22
Argentina Urges
Limitation on
Joint Defense
Opposes United Force
In Aggression From
Within Hemisphere
BY fhe Associated Press

American Defense Conference
today with a sudden surprise
move to bar the joint use of
armed force in combating ag-
gression from within the West
ern Hemisphere.
Breaking sharply with provisions
of the Act of Chapultepec, the Ar
gentine delegation submitted to the
Donation conference new proposal
for the mutual defense treaty in
the making here under which COM
mon military force would be en-
ployed only against attack from out
side the Americas.
The United States and seven Latin
American nations have presented
proposals making no such distinc-
tion between aggression from with
out and from within the hemisphere.
Treaty Defined Aggression.
Under the Act of Chapultepec,
signed at Mexico City in 1945 by 81
American republics, including Ar
gentina, the invasion of territory of
an American state by armed forces
"of any state" would be branded
as aggression.
The Argentine proposal was sub
mitted to the conference secretariat
only an hour before last nights
deadline for admission to the agenda
OF new treaty projects.
The unexpected move came amid
an atmosphere of renewed con-
fldence as the delegates celebrated
the successful compromise of an
other Argentine proposal for spe-
cial inter-American economic con-
ference before the conference of
American states in Bogota, Colombia,
next January.
Provides for Economic Farley.
The M Mexica n-introduced plan
signed by 13 other delegations, in
cluding Argentina S, would provide
for calling an economic conference
at Bogota the latter part of next
year.
. A special plenary session was ex-
pected to approve the compromise
early this afternoon. A majority
vote of the 20 nations represented
is sufficient for approval.
Cuba was defeated in her demand
that. provisions for protection of the
economic independence" of Amer
ican nations be written into hemi-
sphere defense treaty.
The Steering Committee of the
conference voted down the proposal.
Fifteen nations voted against the
measure, which the United States
has opposed.
Argentine Proposal.
The new Argentine proposal on
aggression was that lit would be
enough" that parties to the treaty
be obligated:
"O To take no recourse to the
use of force in relations with other
(AmericanO states and (2) to solve
by pacific means established in the
inter-American system of peace
(the Pan American Union) any
controversies which occur between
them"
Such is the Argentine thought" :"
the statement added, regarding the
distinction between continental ag-
gression and extra continental ag-
gression."
The proposal drew this sharp
distinction:
81. There would be no delay in
taking up arms to maintain the
security of the continent in case
any American state were attacked
by an extra continental power.
%. The inter American peace
system will be sufficient to maintain
domestic peace. America respects
the principle of nonrecognition of
territorial conquest by force, and
the consultative system would make
secure for every American state
the clarif1cation of any question
with other American states"
The proposal made no mention of
voting procedure for invoking the
terms of the treaty. Argentina has
declared she will seek a unanimity
rule, while the United States and
most other American republics have
favored a two-thirds majority rule.
Other Developments.
The Argentine action all but over
shadowed these other conference
developments:
1) Ecuador beat the agenda
deadline with last-minute proposal
for joint action to correct unjust
treaty situations. Ecuador recently