Evening star., 1948-02-28
Treaty 70 Help
Chinese With
Planes Revived
. 135 Still Due on
l945 Agreement
With Marking
BULLETIN

CGCeHt QcVclOpIIlcIltS III
Czechoslovakia and Finland
make it imperative that Con-
gress decide as promptly as
possible what it is going to do
on the various foreign aid pro-
grams to discourage the spread
of communism, Chairman
Vandenberg of the Senate For
eign Relations Committee said
today.
A secret 1945 agreement te
arm China with LOTT American
planes, suspended in 1915, has
been revived, with 135 remaining
to be delivered.
The administration let this be
known today in reply to congress
sional critics demanding military
help. for Chang Kai-shek's Ma.
tionalist Armies, which are locked ir
battle with Communist forces.
At least 936. planes already have
been transferred to China. OF the
135 listed last month as still due
and ready for shipment, 81 are Fly.
ing Fortresses. In addition, the
United States has trained 5,13I
Chinese to man and service the
planes.
Secretary of State Marshall, ther
President Truman's special envoy
to China. called halt to the pro-
gram In August, 1916, when his
efforts to stop the Chinese civil
war broke down.
Ban Relaxed Gradually.
The ban was relaxed gradually
until Gen. Marshall lifted the finaI
barrier to fulf1llment of the All
Force program last December is, il
was disclosed last night.
Until then the only publicly an.
nounced military aid to China was
a relatively small shipment of am.
munition last year.
Whether the new information
would silence Republican critics o.
the pending $570,0O0,0 900 economi.
aid program remained to be seen.
A number of COP lawmakers-in.
cluding Chairman Bridges of tn.
Senate Appropriations Committee
have contended the money woule
be wasted unless Chang were giver
weapons to beat down the Com.
munistS.
Bridges Reveals Agreement.
It was Senator Bridges who mad.
public the Air Force agreement
The State Department had in.
formed him of 1t last month, but
the information was labeled secret
until last night.
Senator Bridges office then re.
leased copies of a letter telling oi
the pact.
A State Department spokesman
said the reason for taking the Sc
crecy ban off the letter was to show
that this country has been giving
military help to China all along.
Senator Bridges himself was moi
Immediately available for comment
However, only yesterday he joined
with Senator Taft, Republican, Of
Ohio, in urging that military help fol-
China be Jumped with the new $275,-
100000 Greek Turkish aid program
Senator Taft is chairman of the Sen
ate Republican Policy committee.
Reached in 1945.
Under the agreement reached In
September, 1945, the United States
undertook to supply enough planes
and train the men to fly them-te
give China an air force of eight ano
one third groups:
One heavy bomber group, one
medium bomber group, four single
engine fighter groups, two troop car
rier groups and one photo-reconnais.
sance squadron. These total LOT
planes.
The program further provides fol
three-year supply of replacement
equipment and spare parts.
The letter said the procurement
cost of the aircraft was approx.
mately $121, 100000 and the selling
price to the Chinese is presently sci
at $1,000, ,000."
However, it estimated the cost oi
added materiel to complete the
program "at something on the order
of s166 6,0O0,O 900 to 100000 at cur
rent prices"
Letter Tells Of Plan.
The letter Senator Bridges made
public was one from Secretary OF
the Air Force Symington to the
State Department reviewing the
Chinese air force program. 1t was
dated January Is, 194S.
The original plan, it said, was to
provide equipment and train per-
sonnel for 18 groups.
After study. it was finally deter