Evening star., 1951-05-13

/ L. 4AlC OllltCu OtdUCS l11tI OQU
Measures Committee of the Unite
calls on all members of the orr
materiel and certain other strat
It seemed probable today that the
resolution would be adopted within
the relatively near future.
2. London prohibited all sales
of rubber to China for the rest
of this year and there were indi-
Ications that the British intend
to clamp down on other shipments
to the Chinese. too.
3. The Senate voted to stop all
American economic aid to any
nation that ships war materiel to
Russia or any of its satellites. in
Guiding China. The House is
expected to take similar action.
This new evidence of the tough
mood which prevails in Congress
will probably induce other nations
to exercise closer controls over
their trade with the Soviet bloc
than they have been doing thus
far. even if the Senate bill never
becomes law.
Will Impair Economy
Reinforcing restrictions already
in effect, these measures will ap.
Ipreciably impair China's war.
making capacity, in time, and viii
have a serious effect on the coun.
Itry's whole economy. The Unitec
States has been waging virtually
lall-out economic warfare against
Peiping ever since the Chinest
Iintervened in the Korean conf1ict
at the end of last year. So have
Canada. Australia and New Zea.
land. Other nations have beer
applying partial embargoes.
The 1S members of the Organ.
ization for European Economic
Co-operation pledged themselves
last December to ship no war ma
terrell to China and to limit ship
ments of other strategic and crit.
Iical commodities to quantities
Sufficient only for normal, peace.
time civilian needs. These re.
lstrictions are effectively deny
ing" weapons, ammunition and "a
wide range of industrial items Of
possible military value" to Peip.
ing, an official said here yesterday
Thus, almost no petroleum
products are reaching China from
the free world, according to of.
f1cials here, and the Chinese are
also suffering from an acute
shortage Of cotton. Peiping is
accordingly, being forced to rely
more and more on the Soviets anc
their satellites for many strategic
commodities, many of which are
scarce in all Communist countrie.
and all of which are difficult te
transport to the places in China
where they are needed.
There is much dissatisfaction
in Washington, however. both
with the present policies of mos
of the other free nations and with
the measures which they propose
to take in future. The partial
embargoes now in effect against
China are inadequate, officials
here think. and so are the further
measures now being planned.
One Of the difficulties involved
in attempts to deny strategic ma
terials to China is a lack of any
thing like complete and reliable
information on what commodities
the Chinese are receiving now
and from what sources. The Chi
nese keep these data secret. In
formation from other sources is
fragmentary at best and often OBJ
scure and misleading.
in Error
Gen. Douglas Macarthur has
shown how easy it is to fall into
error on these matters.
He testified here that $40 mil
lion worth of strategic materials
reached China through Hong
Kong during a single three-week
period in February and March OF
this year. These shipments in
cluded petroleum, he testified. The
general said that he was citing
these facts from a report by the
American Consul General in Hong
Kong.
There are at least three major
flaws in this testimony, however
1t has since transpired:
! /. Macarthur himself testifiec
subsequently that his figure Gov
cred non-strategic as well as
strategic material. He did not say
how much of the total shipments
were Of the latter category.
2. Walter p. McConaughey, the
American Consul General in Hong
Kong-author of the report Mac
Arthur said he had cited-has
denied that any petroleum passed
through the crown colony on its
way to China during February
and March.
3. The $40 million worth of
commodities which Macarthur
testified went to China did not
Jail go to China by any means.
Considerable proportions of the
total went to Macao and Formosa
and Macarthur himself has
been fighting a bitter campaign
to obtain supplies for Formosa
More is being done to restrict
sales Of strategic commodities to
the Chinese than has been revealed
up to now. For example, the OEEC
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