Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-15
8 Nations 10 Draft
Asia Defense Pact
At Baguio Sept. s
By jones {. Roper

~SUtSS - NSRs
The United States and seven
other countries will meet In the
Philippines September 8 to write
q collective defense treaty for
Southeast Asia and the South
west Pacific, 1t was announced
yesterday.
Secretary Of State Dulles. the
driving force behind the confer
South Asia Pact to Rely Mostly on
Moral Determination. Poss All
ence, will represent the United
States.
The meeting Is expected to
produce q treaty pledging each
member nation to regard any ag-
gression in the area as q threat
to its own security.
Attending, in addition to the
United States, will be Great
Britain. France. Australia, New
Zealand, Thailand. the Philip
pines and Pakistan.
Pakistan Cautious.
Pakistan announced that It
was not committed to join the
final treaty. But the other seven
nations appeared ready to sign
swiftly.
American officials expect the
conference to last only four or
five days. It will be held at the
pine studded resort town of
Baguio. which, in the days be-
fore air conditioning. was the
summer capital of the Philip
pines.
Secretary Dulles started the
drive for such a conference
March 20 when he said In a
radio-TV address that the al
lies must take united action"
to halt communism in South
east Asia. At that time. the
Eisenhower administration was
considering possible American
Intervention in the Indo-C Chinese
war. but finally recoiled from
the idea when not enough allies
volunteered to fight alongside
the, United States.
The defense arrangement for
Southeast Asia and the South
west Pacific is aimed at assur-
ing the United States some
allies If further trouble in the
area develops.
Four Decline Bid.
Secretary Dulles wanted more
than eight nations to attend
the treaty writing conference
With American encouragement.
Great Britain did some espe-
cially vigorous work among the
diplomats of India. Burma.
Ceylon and Indonesia. but all
finally decided to stay away
from the conference at this time.
Great Britain, however, still
hopes to link these countries
with the defense pact through
economic ties that would en-
courage prosperity and thus
help stall communism.
Plans to hold the conference
were announced simultaneously
in the capitals Of the eight ma
tons that will attend. The
Washington announcement said:
1.-THE Government of the
United States has agreed with
other like-minded governments
that the situation In Southeast
Asia calls for the establishment
Of a collective security arrange
ment. in accordance with the
purposes and principles Of the
charter Of the United Nations,
to strengthen the fabric of peace
in the general area Of Southeast
Asia and the Southwest Pacific.
Accordingly, the government
Of the Philippines having offered
facilities in Baguio, the Foreign
Ministers of the governments
concerned have agreed to meet
there on September to con-
slider measures to further their
common detectives in the area.
This meeting follows consulta-
lions between the United States
Government and other govern
ments over the past four
Incidental to the eight-power
conference will be a meeting of
the Philippines United States
which was set up June % as the
formal organ for consultations
on how to carry out the Philip
pine-American mutual defense
treaty. The council will meet
at Baguio September with Sec
Rotary Dulles and Philippine
Foreign Minister Carlos Garcia
attending.