Evening star., 1950-05-31
Text of Acesons Report to Congress on Situation in Europe

The teri OF report By Sec
retGry of State Acheson on the
European situation, made to
members .ot the Senate and
House of Representatives today
IN the Library of Congress-,
tollotos:.
am greatly honored by this
opportunity to report to you and
to the people of the United States
on the recent meetings in Paris
and London. I should like to be-
gin by telling you of the strength
which was given me in this series
of meetings I am about to describe
by the reports which kept coming
into Paris and London of the sue
cessive steps taken by the Con-
gress in the enactment of the For
eign Economic Assistance Act OF
1850. The continuation by the
Congress of the European Recov-
cry Program for the third year
the Inauguration of the Point -Four
program and the approval Of the
other provisions of this great
measure are fundamental to the
program of action on which I wish
to report.
would not wish you to expect
a report of events which could be
described as sensational. The sig
nificance of the discussions with
Mr.. Bevin and Mr.. Schuman and
of the meeting of the North At
lantic Council, lies in the fact
that they are working business
meetings which are becoming a
regular institution. In this aspect
of the meetings, we see the out
ward sign of a comprehension
which ran through every discus
sion and every resolution-that
the North Atlantic community is
emerging as a political reality of
the greatest Importance.
This impression and one other
should be underlined at the out
set of this report. The other Is a
new vigor in European life and
European leadership. Mr.. Schu-
mans coal and steel proposals,
and the reception accorded them
particularly in Germany, are one
sign of this. The imminent solu-
ton of the problems surrounding
the European payments union is
another.
Two Developments Cited.
These two developments-the
growing acceptance of the North
Atlantic community as a COM
munity having common interests
and facing common dangers, and
the renewed vitality and conf
dence in Europe-give warrant in
saying that the meetings mark
the beginning of something new,
something which is full Of hope
and the promise of strength.
The realization of this hope and
this promise will depend in each
country upon those in executive
authority, upon the legislative
bodies. and upon the peoples
whom they serve.
The fundamental purpose of
these meetings was the same as
the constant purpose of our for
eign policy. That purpose is the
preservation Of peace; not the
fragile temporary peace which
comes from appeasement; not the
hopeless peace of submission; but
the peace which free peoples
sure of the rightness of their pur-
pose, win and maintain by de-
Veloping their economic and mill
tary strength through the pro-
cesses of voluntary and continu-
ing cooperation. It is from this
strength that our confidence de-
rives, from this cooperation that
peace becomes secure.
We have long hoped that all
nations would cooperate for
peace in the United Nations. The
attitude of the Soviet Union has
delayed the fulfillment of that
hope, but it has not caused us,
on our part. to slacken our efforts.
1t has made it necessary for us,
in harmony with the charter, to
use means supplementary but not
rival to the United Nations. The
North Atlantic treaty, like the
Rio pact, is one of these means.
Worldwide Problem.
The meeting of the North At
lantic Council naturally dealt with
only a part of the world problem.
But that part is an important one.
The North Atlantic community
holds the worlds greatest concen-
tration of industrial and technical
skills. 1t is the ancient home of
freedom and the rights of man.
These resources must be drawn on
by the entire free world in order
that it may continue to make
steady progress in improving the
welfare of its peoples.
The continued strengthening of
the North Atlantic community is
thus not a selfish end in itself.
The effort we devote to it will
benefit free peoples everywhere,
and in our talks we explored ways
in which we can help to advance
the security and welfare of many
areas outside the Atlantic COM
munity.
All of the meetings began with
an analysis of the present world
situation. In each case the analy-
sis was the same. Since it pro-
foundly affected all our conclu-
sions, it should be reported first.
AS we saw it. in the years since
the war the 18 Western European
countries had made great eco
nomic progress. This had played
an essential part in strengthening
their social and political struc-
lures and preventing the sub
version of their free institutions.
While this had been going for
ward the Soviet Union had been