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OFFER OF FIFTY
YEAR PACT
No Soviet Reply
to Britain
"The Age" Speciol Correspondent
LONDON, March 6.
In a speech in which he did .some straight, talking
about Russia, the First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr. A.
V Alexander) reminded the House of Commons that,.
Russia had not responded to the conciliatory gesture of
the Foreign Minister (Mr. Bevin) in. offering the Soviet:
a 50-year pact. — , >
Mr. Bevin. he said, had not ;
only supported the 22 years
Anglo-Soviet treaty to the hilt,
but had urged the extension of
that treaty for another 30 years.
"Bv some strange accident,"
said Mr. Alexander, "the cen
sored press of the U.S.S.R. has
not yet Informed its people of
this." .
Mr. Alexander, who was wind
ing up a two-day debate on
Britain's post-war defence mea
sures, recalled Mr. Bevin s . asser
tion that as far as he knew there
was no reason why Britain should
ever go to war against Russia.
That, he believed, was common
opinion in the House.
But, he went on to say bluntly:
"When7 we talk about the need
for agreement with U.S.S.R.—,
and we all agree about that be
ing essential — we are entitled to
say that agreements can be made
really effective only if - they are
really two-way agreements, as
sented to freely by both sides."
: It must, , he added, involve a
full exchange of views, and ad- I
justments of points of view. He
hoped it would not be suggested-
that ln that adjustment it must
always mean capitulation of the
Social Democrats,- by which - he
meant those . who live in- a. free
democracy on, ;the .Wetsern
model. . ..
Mr. Alexander, who declared
the Government might have been
too optimistic :ln carrying ; on .de
mobilisation at - a rate which
would leave Britain :with only
110.000 in the armed forces at
the end of this year; was, re
plying to a speech by Mr. Zlllia-
cus : (Labor), who had criticised
Mr. Bevin and the Government's
foreign policy, -
Describing it as: "a most unfor-.
tunate speech," - Mr. Alexander-
said: :'I don't like an attack
from behind on the Government,'
as if we were selling the whole
of the principles of the. party."-
Mr. Zilliacus /had said Britain
should not- be . gluttonous about
the fruits of victory, but the Tact
was Britain did not want an
Inch of territory. Could that be
said by other Powers ? asked Mr.
Alexander. .
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