Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-14
Disarmament
|CIues Are Seen
lin u. ). Views
BY EARL H. VOSS

Despite official United States
rejection of the inspection-shy
Soviet Unions call for unilateral
disarmament steps ito establish
mutual trust" the Kremlin had
treason today to wonder if Ameri-
can policy was not moving slowly
in that direction.
Two important disclosures yes
terday indicated as much.
First, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman Admiral Radford an
nounced it is possible that
United States military manpower
Requirements "can ultimately be
lower" There were reports that
cuts of 100000 to 100000 men
10 to 81 per cent-were already
being considered in the Defense
Department.
Second, Presidential Assistant
Harold E. Stassen disclosed the
administration is considering
what further initiative the United
States might take" in the dis
armament field. He spoke, he
said, "in accordance with the
wishes of the President"
Aerial Inspection UppermOSt
Gov. Stassen emphasized, how
ever, that aerial inspection re-
mains the touchstone of Ameri-
can disarmament policy.
Since Soviet Deputy Foreign
Minister Andrea Gromyko scath-
ingly rejected the Presidents
open-sky inspection plan only
last Thursday. prospects for a
comprehensive Soviet-W S t
agreement in what Mr.. Stassen
calls this crucial year" did not
appear bright.
The United States still feels
there are "impelling" reasons to
continue negotiations, however,
the Presidents disarmament adj
wiser said.
The Soviet'S apparent &C
ceptance" of the Vests Us mil
lion men force levels was at least
lone more small step toward
closing the gap between the
Soviet Union and the United
States in reaching an arma-
ment's reduction and control
agreement" Mr.. Stassen told a
news conference yesterday.
The Administrators grounds
for hope of eventual disarma-
ment agreement, Mr.. Stassen
said, are that "a reduction in
the present level of ornaments
would be in the interest of both
the United States and the Soviet
Union and other nations Of the
world"
Lack of Understanding
The Soviet Union still has two
major misrepresentation about
United States disarmament pol
icy. Mr.. StasSen said.
First. the Communists think
the open-sky plan is a front for
espionage activities.
Second, the Reds believe the
United States cannot afford to
diSarm-that the economy has
been propped up by the arms
program.
In fact" Mr.. Stassen said,
both sides have ample infor-
nation to use if they were fight
ing a war to bring about great
devastation. But neither saide
has the kind of reliable, contin-
uous information needed to in
sure lasting peace"
Disarmament would permit
the United States to divert CAPT.
tai investments for defense into
other fields like expansion of
the school system, and develop
ment Of electronic air safety
systems, he said. so there would
be no serious falloff in eco
nomic activity in this country.
If sound agreement were
reached it would be to the bene-
fit Of the United States econ
omy." he said. I'VE also know
! it would be of benefit to the
Soviet economy" he added, men,
tionlng Soviet ambitions to de-
velop Siberia.
State Department officials,
meanwhile, were bewildered by
reports that the Pentagon might
be considering unilateral man.
power cuts of from 10 to 81 per
cent down to 2.5 million or pos
sibly 2 million men.
Admiral Radford said yeSter-
day the cuts might be possible
because of the introduction of
new weapons.
II large manpower cuts are
later officially advocated by the
Defense Department, this would
be a sharp reversal from the
Pentagon position of last spring
At that time defense officials
including Admiral Radford-
fought bitterly in the National
Security Council against the pro-
posal of disarmament officials
that the United States propose
a 2.5 million men ceiling in
armed forces for the Soviet
Union and America in approach
ing London negotiations. Mill
tary leaders finally accepted the
idea, but only as part of a broad
disarmament plan enviSaging
similar cuts by the Soviet Union
State Department officials re-
called with some heat that they
first learned of the Pentagon
study on the effects of a 100000
man cut from newspaper reports
of the recent Quantico (VaJ
meeting Of top military leaders.
This disclosed IAN appalling
lack Of consideration of the eff