UN General Assembly
1954

96. It is my belief that the negotiations now in progress on the problem of Western European security will contribute to a lasting improvement of relations not only between Germany and France, but also between the Western and the Eastern worlds. Three things seem to me essential in this connexion. The solution arrived at must be one which can command the active support of the parliaments in all the countries directly concerned. It must be so conceived as to provide, on a non-discriminatory basis, adequate guarantees against the resurgence of German militarism, and it must not preclude the possibility of uniting Germany by peaceful methods on the basis of genuinely free elections. 97. It is my hope that recent developments in Asia and coming developments in Europe will create a better atmosphere for the work of the Disarmament Commission. So far, progress has been distressingly slow. Positions have been frozen. Old ideas of national sovereignty have dominated the discussions on effective international control, which is essential for the carrying-out of any disarmament programme, however limited in scope.