Evening star., 1951-06-08
.Acheson Doubtful
OfKremIin Influence


questioning and revived the issue
of hot pursuit. in air operations
over Korea Mr.. Acheson repeat
edly replied that he already had
answered the questions in earlier
testimony. The Secretary again
explained the withdrawal of the
plan after objections by this coun-
try's allies.)
Senator Lodge-Mr. Secretary,
I would like first to ask a few
questions about the future.
! Do you think the Kremlin has
anough influence to bring enough
pressure to bear to stop the ag-
gression in Korea if it wanted to?
| Secretary Acheson-That is a
hard question for me to answer.
1t is purely in the realm of spec
ulation. I think the Kremlin's in
f1uence will be very helpful if di-
rected in that line. :.
| Senator Lodge You nave
got no opinion as to whether it
could exercise a good deal of
weight in stopping the aggression.
| Secretary Acheson-I have al
ready said that I think 1t would
exercise good deal Of weight.
Senator Lodge. Let me now
read an excerpt from your OPEN
ing statement: THE basic
premise of our foreign policy is
that time is on our side II we make
good use of it. This does not
necessarily mean that time must
bring us to point where we can
match the Soviet Union man-for-
man and tank-for-tank.
/ What it does mean is that we
need to use the time we have to
build an effective deterrent force.
This requires us to create SUI
ficient force-in-being. both in the
United States and among our AL
lies, to shield our great potential
against the possibility of a quick
and easy onslaught, and to ensure
that our Allies will not suffer oc-
cupation and destruction. And
back of this shield we need to
have the potential that would
enable us to win war"
Using Time Wisely.
! would like to ask you some
questions based on this state
ment: First, do you think that we
are making good use of the time
that our men are buying for us
i'm Korea?
Secretary Acheson-Yes, sir; I
think we are making good use Of
lit. I think everybody involved in
the effort wishes that things
could go faster, but ! don't know
of any way myself in which they
could be made to go faster.
Senator Lodge-Do you think
THAT we have a moral obligation to
Iuse the time that our men in Ko-
Urea are buying for us in order to
lget strong as quickly as possible?
Secretary Acheson-I think
every possible consideration should
'Ilead us to do that-the one you
mention and our own national Sc
,Icurity, everything that we have,
.Ishould be thrown into that.
Senator Lodge-Do you think we
are able today, in your phrase, to
Jlshield our great potential against
the possibility of a quick and easy
!, onslaught?
Secretary heson-I don't
think those forces exist today, sir.
); Senator Lodge-.Do you think
today we are able to insure that
! our Allies will not suffer occupa-
tion and destruction?
Secretary Acheson - Not with
the forces available today. =.
Senator Lodge With
hindsight, don't you think we
would have been better of If we
!, had obtained the Congressional
authorization for the action that
we took in Korea last summer?
S Secretary Acheson - Well,
: think that a lot of people who
now think that we should have
would have been satisfied if we
! had done it; to that extent, yes.
Senator Lodge T.. Do you
think that we made mistake
!, when we pulled our own troops out
. of Korea in June, 1949?
! Denies Mistake on Troops.
| Secretary Acheson-No, I don't
think that regard that as a mis-
: take. That, as I pointed out yes
terday, was the recommendation
(. of the United Nations; it was the
/, recommendation of our military
establishment which thought oul
troops were much more seriously
needed somewhere else.
Senator Lodge. Well, the
former commander in chief, Fan
: East, I think, has, stated on this
record that in retrospect he feels
that it would have been better tt
:. have left the, troops there, and
think the Defense Department ha'
y also testified to that effect.
& Secretary Acheson-Well, yol