Evening star., 1949-07-30
The Case for Arms Aid

AS a result of the testimony just offered
to the House Foreign Affairs Committee
by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, by Defense
Secretary Johnson and by Secretary OF
State Acheson, Congress should feel con-
siderably less hesitant about taking affirm
ative action on the Presidents proposed
Military Assistance Program. At any rate,
the objections to the plan, and the sug-
gestion in some quarters that it should
be drastically reduced, now seem to have
very little validity left in them.
For the testimony particularly Mr..
Achesons-has made clear that the pro-
gram has not been improvised out of thin
air to cope with situation that is more
imaginary than real It has been carefully
drafted after months of study involving
the most expert kind of military and
political effort to evaluate the dangers
facing the free world. Moreover, it has
been presented, in cogent terms, as some
thing that needs to be done immediately
a vital undertaking not to be confused
with the long-term problem of effectuat-
ing the continuous and effective self-help
and mutual aid" called for in Article 8
of the North Atlantic Treaty.
In Mr.. Acheson's words, the program
has been drawn up in keeping with the
"inexorable logic of the facts of life In
the world as it is" The most important
of those facts is that there exists in Europe
perilous unbalance Of power. In the West
are countries whose forces-in-being are
inadequately equipped, in varying degrees,
to defend themselves against subversion
from within or aggression from without.
BY way of contrast-in the East, including
the Red zone of Germany-"the Soviet
Union today maintains the largest peace
time military force in the history of the
world, while exerting iron-fisted control
over it's neighbors and pursuing a policy
of exploiting any evidence of weakness in
Others"
Mr.. Acheson has not exaggerated In
declaring that these two facts combined
"a huge aggressive force on one side and
admittedly inadequate defense forces on
the other-has created a morbid and
Europe" Nor has he exaggerated in warn
ing that no one should ignore the posi-
bility that the Russians, having been
checkmated economically and politicallns.
may now be tempted to gain their CONT
mental objectives by resorting to direct
military means. That is why the arms-aid
program has been called into being. Its
chief aim, as Mr.. Acheson has emphasized,
is to increase the security of our friendg
abroad and to convince the Soviet Union
that it will be taking terrible gamble
~
All this may seem to be a too-generalized
argument in favor of the Military Assist
ance Program. But apparently there are
yet to be presented facts and details of a
decidedly convincing sort. Indeed, in Mr..
Acheson's opinion, when these facts and
details-many of them secret-are sub
mitted to the appropriate congressional
committees, men like Senators Vandenberg
and Dulles, who are outstanding supporters
of our bipartisan foreign policy but who
are inclined to resist the arms proposals,
probably will be won over the admin
istration's view Assuming that no evidence
can be produced to refute that view, it
Certainly should have the support of every
American anxious to promote the safety
of the free world.