Evening star., 1954-09-16
Mr.. Dulles on Manila

In his transcribed broadcast last night,
the tireless Mr.. Dulles-our far ranging Sec
retary Of State, who was in Manila only
few days ago, but who is now suddenly in
Europe-gave brief but effective answer
to the Kremlin's long -winded statement
railing against the new eight-nation South
east Asia Collective Defense Treaty.
AS just issued by the Soviet Foreign
Ministry, the statement is essentially the
same as any one of the countless diatribes
that Moscow's propagandists have put out
in connection with the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization. That is to say, pre-
cisely as in the case of NATO, the Kremlin's
version of the Manila pact-a version COM
pounded of gross distortions and monu-
mental lies, an upside-down version like
something from George Orwell's "1984"-is
this: That the whole enterprise creates an
aggressive military bloc";; that it is an in
strument of "colonialiSm";; that its opera
tions viii be subject to complete dictation by
the United States; that its participants are
being used as tools by American villains
bent upon unleashing new world war, and
that it can only increase international ten
sion and endanger the peace.
In response to this completely untruth-
full propaganda, Mr.. Dulles has emphasized
that the sole purpose of the new treaty
which emissions larger membership and
special economic corporations to pro-
vide for united resistance to armed attack
and political Subversion." And he has made
clear that the Soviet Union-whose views
on the matter are echoed by Red China
has no right of any kind to complain against
that, no right whatever to object to sit
uation in which Thailand, Pakistan, the
Philippines Australia New Zealand, France,
Britain and the United States have joined
together in a mutual defense undertaking
designed to protect their own and the free
worlds vital interests in Southeast Asia and
the Southwest Pacific. AS he has put 1t, "The
Manila pact is directed against no govern
ment, against no nation and against no
people. The fact that the Communists find
that Objectionable is tragically revealing of
their ambitions"
Those ambitions, of course, despite the
Kremlin'S effort to disguise them with prop
aganda, have been clear for long time
What they reflect, above everything else, Is
a burning desire to dismantle the free
worlds defenses- particularly in Europe
and Asia. Hence Moscow's constant striv-
ing to drive wedges between the United
States and all like-minded nations; hence
its ceaseless barrage Of lies to befuddle and
poison the international atmosphere, and
hence its unremitting campaign against
NATO and relatively modest projects like
the Manila compact. Meanwhile, grinly
intent upon winning mastery over the whole
of mankind, the Soviet Union-together
with its co-conSpirators in Red China and
Observation-Disclosures by far the greatest
aggregation of armed land power on the
face of the globe.
In view of such considerations as these,
Mr. Dulles interpolated reply last night to
the Soviet Foreign Ministry's attack on the
eight-nation Manila pact may be regarded
as model of restraint and understatement.
AS for the attack itself, the best way to
answer it is with concrete and resolute ac-
ton designed to insure that the pact's OBJ
jectives will be attained.