Department of State Memorandum of the Press and Radio News Conference

(NOT FOR THE PRESS) (FOR DEPARTMENTAL USE ONLY) DEPARTMENT OF STATE NO. 1 MEMORANDUM OF THE PRESS AND RADIO NEWS CONFERENCE, FRIDAY, JANUARY 4. 1952 INDIA (Economic Aid) Secretary Acheson at his press and radio news conference this afternoon was asked to comment on the report that the United States was preparing to give India $54 million in economic aid. He replied that we had a group in India discussing the situation. He added that the amounts they were discussing were in the neighborhood of the figure mentioned. Mr. Acheson explained that the whole arrange- ments had not been concluded yet; therefore, this was all he could say at the present time. HUNGARY (Four Fliers and Plane) When asked if the United States was taking any measures to re- cover from Hungary the airplane that the four fliers were on, Secre- tary Acheson answered that we had the whole situation of the four fliers and the plane under very careful study. He went on to say that we had a man who had been interviewing the fliers. He noted that we had the whole matter under urgent study, but said he could not tell the correspondents what further steps we would take. TRUMAN-CHURCHILL TALKS When asked if he were prepared to plunge into discussion of what would be discussed with Mr. Churchill and Mr. Eden, Secretary Acheson replied in the negative, saying that matters of that sort would be stated by Mr. Churchill and Mr. Truman when they meet. JAPAN (Stalin's Greetings to Japanese) Secretary Acheson, when asked to comment on Stalin's holiday greetings to the Japanese, said that in matters of this sort it was an important thing to put actions along side the words and see what you thought the greetings really were in 1952. Mr. Acheson noted that the Russian record in deeds from the end of the war had not been such as to lead one to believe that Stalin really had in action any genial or holiday or New Year's message for the Japanese. The Secretary pointed out that the Russians had been insisting on the trial of the Emperor as a war criminal; that they had insisted on refusing to disclose the whereabouts of or to return a large number of Japanese prisoners of war; that they continued to seize Japanese fishing vessels whenever they could; that they had taken a very obstructive and harsh attitude in the Occupation Council. He went on t say that in San Francisco he did not feel the Russians gave what he would call full cooperation in bringing about a really fine treaty of reconciliation with Japan. Mr. Acheson noted that they still. held some islands which we felt under no true definition could possibly be put within the definition of the Kuriles. He again said the words of Stalin's message had. to be judged against Russian actions. IRAN (United States Aid) A correspondent, referring to dispatches from Teheran saying that the Iranian Government had ob jected thus far to the usual terms which 12