Evening star., 1947-04-15
N Red Treaty Plan
By NewboId Noyes, Jr.
Stor Stoff Correspondent


-Four treaty to keep Germany dis
armed.
The bitterest ingredient in that
medicine would put centralized
German state in control of monopo.
lies which in the past have financed
the Reich's war machine. It is sure
to stick fast in American throat.
here. So is provision setting ur
four-power control of the Ruhr.
Mr.. Molotov said nothing which
indicated acceptance of the idea OF
putting plenipotentiaries to work OF
a demilitarization treaty.
Treaty Needs Change of Name.
AS American delegates are inter.
preting his words this morning
they add up to this: Before Russis
will agree to further action on thil
treaty, the Western powers mus
agree it will be rewritten so as tt
include the Russian answer to sons
Of the thoughts of the other prob.
lens on which the conference il
Stymied.
Mr.. Molotov began by insisting
that his new draft of the proposed
treaty was designed only to make
it possible to achieve the aims sci
forth in the preamble of the Amer
ican draft.
He ended, however, by admitting
the proposed Russian amendments
were so substantial that it would be
a good idea to change the treaty's
name.
The treaty Russia proposes reads
in fact. good deal more like a
peace treaty for Germany than like
the disarmament and demilitariza
ton pact it is supposed to be-
The springboard of Mr.. Molotov's
argument is that the military dis
arning of Germany cannot in itselt
assure that Germany will not wage
another aggressive war. Also essen
tial, he said. is the Wiping out oil
Naziism and the building of dem
ocmratic" Reich.
Proposes Two Articles.
To this end, he proposed the addi-
ton of two important articles to the
treaty, as well as numerous textuaI
ch hanges In existing proposed
articles.
His key change appears in the
Russian draft as Article Three This
article would provide among other
things thaA on the liquidation OF
German trusts, cartels and syndi-
Gates, and the banking monopolies
which control them, enterprises be-
longing to them shall be transferred
to the German. state"
Thus, in ii words inserted in the
middle OF a proposed demilitariza-
tlon treaty. Mr.. Molotov strikes his
hardest blow to date at the west
ern idea of decentralized federal
state setup for Germany. the state
itself is to become the super monopo-
list, controlling not simply one. but
all monopolies.
Joker in MoIotov Deck.
This is the principal joker in Mr..
Molotovs deck of cards. There are
others, however.
That same article 3 would pro-
vide, for instance, that a special
four-poWer system of control should
be established over the Ruhr indus
trial region. The American and
British delegations have been I'M
compromising in their opposition to
special four power control of the
Ruhr, at least during the occupa-
ton.
Article 4 in the Russian draft
provides for the enforcement of
Germany'S denazification, democrat
ization and land reform programs.
These, of course, are points on
which the Council has been work
ing at this conference, with good
prospects of success.
The working out of satisfactory
directives along these lines, however,
has required. and still requires,
hours of meticulous negotiations III
the Council and in committees.
If the wording of the Russian
draft article could be taken at face
value, it would be difficult to quarrel
with the sentiments expressed. But
Russian words cannot be taken at
face value on such subjects as
Naziism and democracy.
We have had plenty of time to
learn the formula. Naziism is
fascism. Fascism is anything with
which Russia disagrees. And de-
mocracy, of course-as Russian
Foreign Minister Vyshinsky
put it so clearly at his press con-
ference SATURDAYS the opposite OF
fasciSm.
The otherwise unexceptionable
ideas on democracy and Naziism
which Mr.. Molotov wants to write
into the denilitariZation treaty are
hopelessly entangled in this formula.
20-Year Occupation Sought.
Russia also would like to specify
in the treaty that the Allies will
not consider the question of end
ing their occupation of Germany
until they are satisfed-presumably
as Northumberland Germany has
been demilitarized and democra-
tized and has paid all her repara
tions. If Russia were to have her
way about reparations this would
mean occupation for at least 20
years.
It was Senator Vandenberg who,
In l945, first proposed four-power
pact to keep Germany disarmed
Former Secretary of State Byrnes
formalized this proposal in London
that autumn.
The idea waS-and still iS--to
wipe out fear of renewal of Ger
man aggression. For this fear, I'M
less the Russians are kidding us,
Is one reason why it has been so
hard to settle the main issues of
the peace.
The slim hope that such a treaty
might finally be agreed on here
rested on the thought that this is
sue could be separated from basic
issues of the German settlement on
which the conference has been
stalled. That slim hope, unless I
am mistaken, is now gone. For what
Mr.. Molotov has done is to tie the
iemilitarization treaty in with the
rest of the conferences big basic
problems. =