Evening star., 1949-02-26
Acheson Hopes TO End
Farley on Atlantic
Treaty Next Week
By Gornett D. Horner

Iredfy NeM week
BY Gornett D. Horner
Secretary of State Achesor
hopes to wind up North Atlantic
security pact negotiations here
next week.
He voiced this hope late yester-
day at a news conference at which
he indicated major issues of the
proposed treaty to link the United
States and Canada with key West.
ern European nations in region.
al defense alliance have beer
ironed out satisfactorily.
Mr.. Acheson met with reporters
after negotiating session of about
three hours with Ambassadors o1
the participating countries. He
said excellent headway was made
at what he termed very salts.
factory meeting.
work is going ahead at the
same time. Mr.. Acheson said, or
a closely related program fol
American assistance in building
ITO the armed forces of the Euro.
pean nations joining in the At.
lantic pact. Legislation to author.
ize the arms program is beins
prepared for submission to Con.
greSs soon after the treaty i!
sent to the Senate for ratification
Silent on Taft Statement.
The Secretary refused to com.
ment on a statement by Senator
Taft. Republican, of Ohio. ex.
pressing grave doubts" about
wisdom of the rearmament plan
Senator Taft said such a program
might be more likely to cause
Russia to attack than to preserve
peace-a position exactly oppo.
site to views of State Department
planners.
Mr.. Acheson remarked with {
laugh that news reports of wha
Senator Taft said indicated h,
was giving a premonitory roar
but had not yet made up his mint
on the matter. He added that h,
did not want to prejudice tn,
Senator's thinking by answering
him at the moment.
AS the arms legislation is bein,
drafted, it would give Presiden
Truman broad authority to suppl.
American military equipment tt
countries cooperating with tn,
United States in the maintenance
Of peace and security. 1t woult
not specify arms allotments b!
countries, Atlantic pact power
would have high priority, but tn,
program also would cover Greek
Turkish and other commitments
On a global basis, the arms pro
gram is expected to cost nearl.
$4,000, 100000 the. first year, will
perhaps $1,000,000,000 going fo
the Atlantic pact powers. but Of
ficials say no actual cost figure
have been worked out yet.
Draft Due Within Two Weeks.
Mr.. Acheson's discussion of tn,
Atlantic pact negotiations indi
Gated that the treaty draft ma!
be ready for publication within
two weeks.
He said ne suggested amend
ments to almost all articles of tn.
proposed pact in the long nego
tiating session yesterday, but de-
scribed them as only drafting
changes.
It is understood that general
agreement already had beer
reached on the key defense clause
under which all member countries
would promise to resist an attack
on any one of them, with each
nation to decide for itself what
form its resistance should take.
Mr.. Acheson said he expects tc
meet again Monday or Tuesday
with Ambassadors of the partici-
pating countries-Canada, Great
Britain, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands and Luxembourg. He
added that he hopes the group
here can come to some conclusion
next week. The agreements
reached here would have to be
referred to the capitals of the
other nations for approval.