Evening star., 1963-03-27
BY ENDRE MARION
Associated Press staff Writer

Associated Press Staff Writer
Updersecretary Of State
George w. Ball goes to London
today to try to convince the
British that large-diameter
steel pipes are strategically inn
portant commodities which
should not be shipped to Russia.
The British presumably will
disagree.
Mr.. Ball was told the same
thing last Monday when he
summoned David Ormsby Gore,
the British Ambassador, to
discuss the controversial pipe
issue.
Mr.. Balls mission probably
will arouse the ire of Soviet
Premier Khrushchev. The Rus
sian leader already has ac-
cused the United States of
having exercised crude pres
sure" upon its allies persuading
them to refuse Soviet pipe
orders.
BY doing so, Mr.. Khrushchev
said in a Moscow elections
speech last month, the United
States was interfering in Soviet
relations with third countries
and this, he said, was "a mani
festation Of the senseless policy
Of cold war"
The controversy started when
the Russians planned a 2,500-
mile pipeline to deliver Soviet
oil to European satellites and,
perhaps, across the Iron Cur
tain to Western Europe.
Production Limited
To realize this dream the
Soviets needed 40-inch pipes.
These were the factors in
volved:
/. Only a few industrialized
countries-the United States,
Britain, West Germany, Italy,
Sweden and Japan-produce
such large pipes.
2. The Russians did not man
ufacture such pipes until now,
preferring TO order them abroad.
Yesterday Moscow announced
that the Chelyabinsk steel plant
turned out its first 40-inch
pipe.
8. Originally, large-diameter
pipes were on the embargo list
of the 15-nation co-ordinating
committee on export controls.
The list contains strategic
items over which the partici-
pating governments exercise
control of exports to the Com
munist bloc.
4. In 1854 the pipes we're re-
moved from the embargo list
and transferred to the so-called
watch list Of non-embargoed
items.
5. Finally. when various lists !
we're dropped in 1858 and only
the embargo-list remained,
pipes became free of export
controls or surveillance.
Reds Start Shopping
The Russians, Of course,
knew about this development
and began to shop in the West
for pipes.
Last November. the council of
the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization recommended that
Its members refuse Soviet orders
for pipes. The British voted for
the resolution.
State Department experts are
reluctant to say whether the
NATO resolution would bind
Its members. This, they stress,
is a question Of Interpretation.
The experts concede, how
ever, that the United States
Government Is in a different |
position from Britain. While
this country requires licenses
for every export to the Com
munist bloc. the British claim |
they have no authority to stop
exports. unless the commodity |
is on the embargo list.
The Italians and West Ger
mans complied with the NATO
recommendation - admittedly
after some prodding from
washington. Bonn was not too
happy: West German industry
lost contracts on 163, 900 tons of
pipe which steel mills in the
Ruhr were supposed to manu-
facture from crude steel sup
piled by the Russians. The
West Germans also had an op-
ton for another 10000 tons.
Fear British Gain
West Germany's concern is
that Britain will get the busi-
ness Bonn had TO abandon. The
British reply that the orders
placed in West Germany are
twice the British capacity.
Moreover, they say. the West
Germans have delivered con-
siderable quantities Of pipes
already, while Britain is ex-
pecting to get the first order
now.
Sweden. not a member OF