Evening star., 1951-03-11
KEN Acts 10 End Aid
10 Nations Who Ship
War Goods 10 Reds

war UOO0S 10 ke0S
Senator KEN, Republican, OF
Missouri, last night demanded
action by the National Security
Council to shut off American aid
to countries furnishing war ma
terials to Russia and her satellites
His statement came as officials
familiar with constant unpubli-
cized negotiations with Western
European countries about East
West trade reported definite prog
ress over the last several months
in reducing shipments of strategic
items behind the Iron Curtain.
Charging that 80 far as have
been able to find out all the Sc
curity Council has done is to con-
sider,' discuss and negotiate
Senator KEN asserted:
mot once have our gifts been
suspended to any one of the Mar
shall Plan countries because it was
shipping war materials to the
Communists"
Writes to Truman.
In letter to President Truman
which Senator KEN made public
with his statement, he cited an
act Of the 81st Congress designed
to cut off indirect aid to the So
VETS. The Missouri legislator said
the responsibility for enforcement
of this law belonged to the Sc
curity Council. Mr.. Truman is
chairman of the group.
Senator KEN named Britain,
France and Belgium as among
the big shippers of material to
Russia. He said that Commerce
Department figures valued Brit
aims January. shipments of ma
chine tools to Russia at nearly
$3.50, 900.
II hope you will agree" his
letter to the President con-
cluded, that it is contrary to
the security interests of the
United States I plead with you
to see that the National Security
Council acts on this vital matter
without further delay"
Progress Reported.
There was no direct reply to
Senator Kem's charges immedi-
ately. But officials said they were
encouraged by the progress being
made in automatically persuading
Western European countries to
embargo shipment of critical
supplies to the Soviet bloc. They
said leaks are being cut down all
the time through secret negotia-
tions.
Most of the serious leaks
through the export channels of
North Atlantic treaty powers are
said to have been stopped. Switz-
erland and Sweden, however, still
are reported to be shipping sub
stantial amounts of critical ma
terials to Eastern Europe, though
export volume from these nations
also is said to be diminishing
Neither country is a party to the
North Atlantic pact.
American export officials con-
tend that statistics are not very
revealing. because Of the way ex-
ports are classified and the secret
nature of embargo lists. The
United States has a list of three
or four hundred items which it
will not ship to Eastern Europe,
and which it is trying to discour-
age other countries from sending.
But this list is not publicized.
There might be as many as
100000 different kinds of machine
tools in existence, an official ex-
planned as an example. Of these,
perhaps only hundred or so
would be "embargoed." Therefore,
it was pointed out, statistics on
machine tools exports would prove
little or nothing by themselves.
All North Atlantic Treaty ma
tions have export licensing sys-
TENS something like our own, it
was explained. The United States
requires export licenses on every
thing shipped directly to Red sat
elite nations. The Commerce De-
partment denies licenses for ship
ments considered against the Ma
tional interests. Secret talks be-
tween this country and NATO
powers, which are going on con-
tinually. are designed to main
tain the best possible control over
critical items.
Export officials said the Ameri-
can attitude toward East West
trade has changed since the early
days Of the Marshall Plan. At
that time the policy was to en-
courage such commerce in "inno-
cent" items. Now, however, the
United States does not, object to
trade which will give a relative
advantage to the West.
To that extent, the United
States itself still is trading with
Iron Curtain countries.
The purpose of this shift in
emphasis, it is understood, is two
fold. First, 1t is designed to re-
duce Western aid to the Iron Cur
tain bloc, and second, it seeks to
make Western Europe more self
sufficient should the Reds decide
to cut off trade.
Pacific Ounke Ra~nrded