Evening star., 1955-02-23
The Objective at Bangkok

The eight-nation conference beginning
today at Bangkok, Thailand, will be con-
cerned primarily with working out specific
and concrete measures designed to make an
effective operating reality out of the South
east Asia Collective Defense Treaty. At the
moment, the treaty-signed at Manila last
September and since ratified by all the par
ticipating powers-adds up to little more
than paper project, but it promises to do
great deal, if properly implemented, to deter
Communist military aggression and political
and economic subverSion in that Strategi-
cally crucial part of the world.
To that end, the eight signatories-
Thailand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Aus
tralia, New Zealand, France, Britain and the
United StateS-are intent upon having the
Bangkok meeting result in a firm program
of cooperation in the economic and political
fields as we'll as in the military. Thus,
joined together in what has come to be
called the Southeast Asia Treaty Organiza-
ton (SEATO), they can be expected to agree
on series of steps that should go far toward
bolstering their common security by effec-
tuating their mutual commitments in way
that ought to give pause to the Peiping-
Moscow axis.
These commitments-al although they ex-
clude Formosa and such nonparticipating
countries as India and Indonesia-cover
Southeast Asia in general, including Cam
bodia, Laos and free Wet Nam. Among
other things, they bind the eight signatory
powers to do the following: CD To "main-
tain and develop their individual and COL
lective capacity to resist armed attack"
and prevent or counter subversion; (2) to
strengthen their free institutions and CO.
operate economically; and (3) to act to-
gether, in accordance with their constitu-
tional process, to meet "the common danger"
If any one of them is hit by aggression or II
such aggression is committed against
"state or territory which the parties by
unanimous agreement may hereafter desig-
nate'-a provision sweeping enough to en-
brace very great area.
Peiping, with Moscow echoing it, has, of
course virulently inveighed against all this
as an evil undertaking calculated to serve
the ends of American "imperialists" and
"warmongers." But this completely fraud
ulent line of propaganda merely reflects
Communist recognition of the fact that
SEATO-like the North Atlantic Treaty Or
ganization (NATO)-has been called into
being in an effort to restrain the Reds from
embarking on new adventures that could
lead to a major armed conflict. Such adven-
lures may still be attempted-possibly even
during the current conference.-the the
Bangkok project, in its potentials at least,
can do much to head them off.
In any event, the objective Of this con-
ference is clear. AS Secretary of State Dulles
has said in Bangkok "Our purpose here is
peace and freedom" and there is ample
ground for his confidence that I'VE shall find
ways to make that purpose one that will
prevail" For SEATO-even though its pres
ent structure is weak and primitive COM
pared to NATO's-unquestion can be
built up into formidable deterrent force
against aggression if all the signatory pow
ers invest in it the will and vigor needed to
make it such force. Certainly, given That,
Peiping and Moscow will have reason to
think twice before striking in Southeast
Asia.