Evening star., 1949-02-03
Text of Acheson Remarks on Stain MESSAGES

FOLLOWING is the official tram
scrtptton OF Secretary of State
Acheson's neDs conference re-
marks yesterday regarding the
exchange OF messages betUeen
Prime Minister Stain and Kings
bury Smith, International Ne1Ds
Service correspondent:
suppose except for the preser.
vation of our Nation and of our lib.
critics, there is no matter more
fundamental to the American peo.
pie than the preservation of peace
I say this because it is matter no.
only fundamental but sacred IL
America, and neither our people MOI
any of our representatives woule
play international politics with 6
matter Of this Importance. Tht
hopes of hundreds of millions ot
people throughout the world are
pinned on the preservation of peace
No man of conscience would tampel
with those hopes or use the raising
or the lowering of them as a pawr
al any uldlleuVeT.
Now, with those observations,
wish to talk about these questions
and answers quite candidly but
quite realistically.
The first one of them, the first
group, reads as follows:
Would the government of the
U. S. S. r. be prepared to consider
the issuance Of a joint declaration
with the Government of the United
States of America asserting that the
respective governments have no in
tention of resorting to war against
one another"
The answer is that the Soviet
government would be prepared- to
consider the issuance of such a dec
laration."
Now, I confess that I find this
answer puzzling. Both the Soviet
Union and the United States and all
the other members of the United
Nations are pledged by the most
solemn treaty commitments not to
engage in war against one another.
I should like to refresh your men,
CRY.
Paragraphs three and four of
Article II of the United Nations
Charter provide: "Au members
shall settle their international dis
putes by peaceful means in such
a manner that international peace
and security and justice are not
endangered.
Shall Refrain From Threats.
"All members shall refrain in
their international relations from
the threat or use of force against
the territorial integrity or political
independence Of any state or in any
other manner inconsistent with the
purposes Of the United Nations. !"
The President Of the United
States in his inaugural address
stated that 1t was the position of
his administration and of the
people of the United States to give
unfaltering support to the United
Nations. He did not say that he
was prepared to consider making
that statement. He made it. So
as say, this is a puzzling one. So
far as commitment Is concerned, so
far as the most solemnly pledged
word Is concerned, I had thought
that we had long passed the point
at which this answer seems to
stick.
Question No. 2: Would the
government of the U. S. S. r. be
prepared to join with the Govern
ment of the United States OF
America in measures designed to
implement this pact Of peace such
as gradual disarmaments?"
The answer is: Naturally the
government Of the U. S. S. r. would
cooperate with the Government of
the United States of America in
the carrying out of measures de-
signed to implement this pact Of
peace and leading to gradual dis
armament"
Now, naturally means, "in the