Evening star., 1961-03-01

might be. I do not know who
else Africa could be for.
Missile Issue
@. Mr.. President, the chair
man, Mr.. Sheppard, who is
chairman of the House Appro-
priations Committee, Subcom-
mittee on Military Construc-
ton, stated that the Air Force
missile base program, any way
you look at it, is in a terrible
mess, although he conceded
there was some slight improve
ment in recent months.
! Would you care to comment.
or will this Forthcoming report
that you mentioned before
will you comment on that?
! A. Well, it is-there are a
great many difficulties. 1t Is
an extremely elaborate system
to construct. A good many of
the cost estimates were under
estimated at the time. There
are elaborate communications
facilities that have to be de-
veloped, and 1t iS-we are pro-
ceeding altogether satiSfacto-
rily.
I think the congressional in
vestigation was most helpful.
I think the Department of De-
fense will benefit from it, and
we will attempt to improve the
program.
Arms Stand Queried
@. Mr.. President. the Rus
slams seem to have taken the
| position that Mr.. McCloy's re-
marks the other day about the
general and complete disarma-
ment proposal of Mr.. Khru-
Shchev was q slogan, in Nc
Cloy's words.
The Russians seem to take
the position from this that
your administration Is new
rejected this Soviet concept OF
disarmament. Is that a fact,
or what is your attitude about
that?
A. Well. I think Mr.. McCloy
was pointing out that we have
to. in addition to trying to
work for disarmament. you also
have to work for a mechanism
which will permit an orderly
settlement Of disputes between
nations, settlements which.
under present conditions, might
be settled by military action,
but which in some future date,
If the goal Of disarmament was
achieved. would have to be
settled by another means.
Study Incomplete
| New, / think it would be pre-
mature to make any judg-
mentS on what progress can be
made in the field Of disarma-
ment. 1t is going to be some
time before we have completed
our study Of what the American
position will be on disarma-
ment.
| We are proceeding immedi-
ately ahead, of course, on
nuclear testing. But I did not
read into Mr.. McCloy's state
ment any broad position, any
broad administration policy, be-
cause we have not reached that
policy OH disarmament.
(The White House said that
in the first sentence Of the
preceding paragraph. the
President meant to say that
I'VE are continuing discus
sion on a nuclear test ban.O
@. Do you accept, sir, the
view that disarmament Is really
not a legitimate word for what
we are trying to do, that really
it is arms control that the West,
including the United States, is
after or should be after?
A. Well, we want to proceed
with arms control, leading to
disarmament. but, of course,
this complete disarmament in
four years is a goal which has
been talked about for a great
many years.
am somewhat familiar with
the conversations which took
place in Geneva under much
less strained conditions from
1928 to 1929, and 1933-1934. 1t
is extremely difficult to reach
satisfactory agreements on dis
armament.
Hopeful on Tests
At that time the world was
not divided as sharply as 1t is
today, and yet rather limited
progress was made. So this is
an extremely difficult matter.
I think the first area, of course,
is in nuclear testing. That, I
think. I am hopeful, we can
reach an agreement on.
But we also are going to be
concerning ourselves with our
position on disarmament. II
hope by this summer we will
have completed that analysis.
What progress can be made will
depend upon the good will on
both sides and their willingness
to accept realistic expectancies.
@. Mr.. President, recently
documents were made public
indicating that the theological
split between Red China and
Russia is perhaps greater than
many people have thought. Do
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