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MILITARY AID RQRl
EUROPE URGED i
Security For
Stability :
Australian Associated. Press I
WASHINGTON, Wednesday. — "Deci- j
sive" American action to extend military aid J
to Europe was urged today by the Secretary
of Defence (Mr Forrestal), but he said that <
aid should at first be granted in "modest J
proportions."
Mr Forrcstal's statement was contained in his j
annual report to the President, in which he de- j
voted an entire section to "the question of the
military self-reliance of Western Europe." !
mi rwiii'Mtd uucutiuu. i w.v
Is n mutter which will have to1
be dealt with in decisive fashion !
by the United States in the I
coming months. i
"As In the case of the Mar-!
shall Plan, the will and energy!
of the Western European:
nations themselves are basic to
any decision made here. ,
"It does not follow that we,
have to embark immediately
upon a vast programme of mili
tary aid, but rather (hat wc
show by beginning such a pro-:
gramme in modest proportions
that we intend to follow:
through the notions involved in:
the European Recovery Act." j
I FOR RECOVERY
; I
! Mr Forrestal adds: "This is
I not, in my opinion, sqtiander-
| ing our substance. It is add
ing another stone In the
I structure of F.uropean recov-
j cry. >
! "A pie-requisite of world
(pence is world stability. An
'unstable world endangers our
security, because we arc no
longer isolated — if we ever
| were— in an age of aircraft, of
supersonic speed and of indi
cated developments in the field
of guided missiles nnd of sub
marines of trans - oceanic
range."
Mr Forrestal disclosed that he
had ordered "all possible ac
celeration" in the search for a
weapon that would defeat the
threat of Schnorkel-equipped,
high-speed submarines.
AIR DISPUTE
He wanted his powers
strengthened so that unification ;
of the armed forces could be
hastened. The main bone of:
contention was between the:
Army and Navy over air power, j
Mr Forrestal added: "Many 1
Air Force officers honestly i
believe that the carrier will !
have limited use in any war .
that we may fight in the
future, and therefore they
challenge the maintenance of
important carrier task forces.
"These misgivings are hon
estly held, as undoubtedly are
the Navy's, regarding the capa
bilities of the long-range
bomber."
Mr Forrestal said that he per
sonally thought that both would
be needed for the time being,
although "the time may come
when both will be obsolete
weapons."
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