NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY


feeling that the Government has not sufficiently considered alternative
solutions, has not sufficiently consulted with leaders of Congress and
the public, and has not published adequate information for independ-
ent judgment.
C. Current Support for Past Measures
  Some indication of the probable public reaction to stronger measures
for preventing Communist expansion can be gained from analysis
of the relative support accorded past measures:
  1. More approval is given to diplomatic moves and declarations
against Communist expansion      than to economic and military
programs.
  2. There is a current demand for a positive U.S. policy to stop
Communist expansion in Asia; but large-scale economic and military
programs for Europe are receiving much greater support than com-
parable measures for Asia. Relatively little discussion has been given
to the disposition of the $75,000,000 for military aid in the China area.
  3. Economic aid has greater approval than arms aid-both in the
case of Europe and in that of Asia.
  4. The North Atlantic Pact enjoys overwhelming public support.
But at the' present time actual federation of the U.S. and Western
Europe is positively favored by only a few editors and 1 out of 5
Americans.
  D. If new proposals to combat Communist expansion involve higher
taxes and a more unbalanced budget, Americans may be expected to
give special scrutiny to the reasons setting forth the need for them.
But there is support for next year's ERP budget and any sums re-
garded by the public as needed for the defense of the United States.
                                          F[RANCJs] -1. IR[uSSELL]


700.00/3-750
Memorandum    of Conversation, by the ,Assistant' Secretary:of State
for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (fcHhee)1

CONFIDENTIAL                             CAPE TOWN, March 7,1950.
  In an after dinner conversation of about an hour and a half, General
Smuts2. presented his views on Africa and the world scene which may
be summarized as follows:'

  :Assistant- Secretary McGhee attended the American Consular Conference
of
United States diplomatic and consular officers held in Lourenco Marques,
Mozambique, from February 27 to March 2. McGhee transmitted this memo-
randum of conversation to Secretary Acheson in a letter from Cape Town dated
March 7.
  Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts, Prime Minister Iof the Union of South
Africa, 1939-1948.


187-