Evening star., 1954-09-10
BuIwork for the Far East

BuIW0Tk TOR the f0r East
The security and peace Of the free world
should be well served by the history making
Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty
that has just been signed at Manila. For
the treaty, as sponsored by the United
States, creates an additional deterrent to
new war-breeding adventures by the Pei
ping Moscow axis, and In that SenSe-in It's
potentials-it promises to play major pac-
flying and stabilizing role in what is now
one Of the tensest and most restive regions
Of the globe.
At the moment, Of course, this far
reaching undertaking, because it has yet to
be ratified and converted into an operating
alliance, is little more than paper project,
but still one with unqueStionabIe potency in
it. That is why the Communists are in
Weighing against 1t, just as they have long
been inveighing against the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization, upon which it is closely
patterned (eyen verbally in many respects,
though not in all. AS for It's prime objec-
tive, there Is no difference between it and
NATO'S.
Thus, in effect, the Manila pact-whose
grouping of nations probably will come to
be known as the Southeast Asia Treaty Or
ganization (SEATO)-is aimed chiefly at
discouraging Red China and the Soviet Un-
ion from seeking new conquests in that part
of the world. Accordingly the eight sigma
tories-Thailand Pakistan, the Philippines,
Australia, New Zealand, France, Britain and
the United States-have been at pains in
the pact's preamble to declare publicly and
formally their sense of unity, so that any
potential aggressor will appreciate" that
they "stand together" in their readiness to
defend themselves and their vital inter
estS in the area covered by their mutual
commitments.
These commitments include the follow
ing: Cd The eight powers, separately and
Jointly, by means of continuous self-help
and mutual aid will maintain and develop
their individual and collective capacity to
resist armed attack" and prevent or counter
subversion; .(2) they will strengthen their
free institutions and cooperate econon1i-
cally; and (3) If any Of them is militarily
attacked, or If such aggression is carried out
in the treaty area" against "state or ter
ritory which the parties by unanimous
agreement may hereafter designate" every
member of the-alliance will regard the de-
velopment as threat to its own peace and
safety and "will in that event act to meet
constitutional processes"
The treaty area" as defined In the
pact, covers Southeast Asia in general. Ex-
cluded-in addition to countries like India
and Indonesia, which have held themselves
aloof from Manila-are Formosa and similar
Pacific points north of 81 degrees 80 min
utes north latitude" However, the eight
SignatorieS have left the club door wide
open by providing that other states in the
region may be invited by unanimous agree
ment to join SEATO. Further, in protocol,
they have designated Cambodia, Laos and
free Wet Nam not only as places eligible for
participation in SEATO's economic opera
tionS but also-and this seems to be COM
mitment of high importance ce-as places that
cannot be militarily attacked without set
ting in motion the pact's provision for meet
ing the common danger"
It is true enough, as need hardly be
added that this new Far Eastern mutual
security arrangement amounts at present
merely to statement of intent that can
not be equated, as practical matter, with
the NATO alliance and its current political,
economic and military effectiveness. Never
theless-like the Atlantic community, which
was also only paper project few years
ago, but which is today suff1ciently formi-
dable to give pause to the Kremlin- n-SEATO
obviously can be built up and expanded into
truly impressive bulwark against Red
aggression in Asia and the distant Pacific
In sum, assuming that the eight sigma
tory powers display the resolution and vigor
needed to make 1t genuinely effective, the
Manila treaty can serve as powerful force
on the side of freedom and peace in the
Far East Cynics may scoff at it and belittle
it. but the angry Peiping- Moscow reaction
to 1t speaks volumes in its favor Secretary
of State Dulles is to be congratulated for
what he has done to make it possible.
In Defense of Informers
Assistant Attorney General Warren Oh
ney III has made some appropriate COM
ments respecting the role Of confidential In
formants in Federal law enforcement In
recent talk before the Michigan Association
of Prosecuting Attorneys, Mr.. Olney de-
clared that former Communists and others
who, in good faith, help the Government to
unmask and Illustrate the Red conspiracy
deserve praise, not censure, from fellow cit
izens. Without such help, he said, the coun-
teroSpioro oa toSk of the Federal Eureau of