U.S. is Urged to Seek United Nations’ Examination of Arms Race in Near East

A request by the United States for examination of the Near East arms race by the United Nations Security Council, or by a special meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, was demanded today by Rep. Jacob K. Javits in the House. The speech highlighted a half-hour special order of business in which divorce of American policy from British Near East politics was urged.

Rep. Javits charged that the arms race has “at least the tacit approval of our State Department.” He asserted that Secretary of State Dean Acheson’s stand indicates that up to now we have been “following British policy and using British arguments to justify it.” The British policy, Rep. Javits said, “is apparently founded on trying to maintain in the Near East British power, prestige, and superiority.” He demanded activation of a positive American policy which takes note of the realities of the situation.

The Congressman also called for a specific request by the United States of Great Britain to halt further shipments of munitions to the Arab states until the balanced strategic requirements of the area are determined. He advocated the establishment of a Near East development commission, as provided by Senate and House resolutions of last year, and the implementation of President Truman’s Point Four program.

“The United States should insist that Britain cooperate in urging the signing of peace treaties between Israel and the Arab states,” Rep. Javits requested. He also asked that the United Nations consider the Jerusalem situation in view of the impracticability of internationalizing Jerusalem. “The ineffectiveness of Arab forces in the Arab-Israel war, and the lack of participation, to put it most favorably, of Arab forces in World War II, makes any present expectations of their effective resistance to Communist aggression unjustified,” he stated.