Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-26
.Hump|1reyRa ps
Presidents PIan
On Arms Check
BY J. A. OLEARY

special Senate subcommittee on
disarmament expressed fear to-
day the Eisenhower administra-
ton is pinning too much hope on
the value of an aerial inspection
plan instead of developing an
overall program for reducing
ornaments.
Senator Humphrey, Democrat
of Minnesota. said he is afraid
administration officials have be-
come "bewitched" by the phrase
aerial inspection
He was commenting on testi-
mony in which Harold E. StaSsenI
yesterday praised the Eisenhower
proposal that Russia and the
United States agree to exchange
military blueprints and permit
mutual aerial inspection as in /
surance against a surprise attack.
Wilson and Dulles Due
The hearings are in recess for
about 10 days. when the sub
committee expects to call De-
Tense Secretary Wilson and Sec
!retary of State Dulles.
! Mr.. Stassen agreed that the
Eisenhower inspection plan Isl
only intended to be a first step.
but predicted it would unlock
the gateway to International
agreement for the regulation of.
Iarmed forces and armament"
Senator Humphrey suggested
that 1t might be more to the.
advantage of the United States
to start talking first about re-
ducing conventional ponsI
and forces, which the Russians
have in larger numbers, instead
of dealing first with nuclearI
weapons in which the United.
States is believed to hold an adj
vantage.
The Senator sought to make
the point that small peripheral'
wars might be started with con-
ventional weapons that would
lead to about war.
You certainly wouldn't have
reduction Of ornaments first and
inspection afterward?" inquired
Mr.. StasSen. who is special as.
sistant to the President on dis
armament.
Differences of Opinion"
There are honest differences
OF opinion on that" replied SEN
ator Humphrey.
The Senator also wanted to
know how aerial Photography
could differentiate between
planes that were out on a train.
ing flight or bent on attack.
Mr.. Stassen said the plan
/ would not be limited to aerial
photography, but also contem-
plates an exchange of military
blueprint information. He said
the theory behind the Essen
hover program is that the de-
structive force of H-bombs is so
great that no nation would risk
an attack unless it could have
such an element of surprise as
to prevent counter attack. He
thought the inspection plan
would provide safeguard against
this element Of surprise.
+ Mr.. Stassen also expressed the
opinion that such an inspection
agreement between the United
States and Japan in l94l would
have prevented the surprise at
tack on Pearl Harbor
! Japan Outside Zone
! Senator Humphrey said the
American Navy had aerial re-
connaissance in the Pacific at the
time of the Pearl Harbor attack
But Mr., Stassen pointed out that
1t was not inspection of Japan
where the attacking forces orig.
mated.
Subcommittee members seemed
discouraged by Mr.. Stassen's
testimony that there are no de-
lection devices that would reveal
the existence of buried stockpiles
of atomic weapons.
i This prompted Senator Pas
tore. Democrat of Rhode Island,
to observe that this means the
United States cannot hope to
achieve an effective agreement
until such time as we can trust
the Russians or develop a tech
nology for discovering stock
piles" Mr.. Stassen assured SEN
ator Pastore that this country is
devoting adequate funds to re-
search to overcome this difficulty