Evening star., 1948-12-19

hing a balance of military power on
extremity of shooting war is Franco
Spain. Though its anti-Communist
record is the most untarnished in
Europe, Spain is still regarded as an
outlaw by the Socialists and Labor.
ties of France and England.
Started at Mexico City
The idea of an Atlantic alliance
marks the conveyance of two
streams of events which during the
last four years have flowed on both
sides of the ocean. The original
spring was the Act Of Chapultepec.
adopted at Mexico City April 4, 1914,
which pledged the American re-
publics to joint defense against all
attacks upon the territorial or po-
litical independence of any Western
Hemisphere nation.
With vigorous support from Latin
America, Senator Vandenberg made
sure that such regional organiza-
tions as that envisaged at Mexico
City would become legal under the
Charter of the United Nations,
which was signed by so countries ut
San Francisco on June rs, 1914.
Article 50 provided that Nothing In
the present Charter precludes the
existence Of regional arrangements
or agencies for dealing with such
matters relating to the maintenance
Of international peace and security
as are appropriate for regional ac-
tion." The Security Council was
instructed to encourage regional
organizations in the settlement Of
local disputes.
BY authority of the United Ma
tions Charter, the Western Hemi-
sphere conference at Rio Janeiro on
September 2, 1947, implemented the
Act of Chapultepec by ratifying q
treaty of mutual defense in the
event of aggression by any nation
outside the Americas. The pact was
signed by the foreign ministers Of
10 American republics.
The governments-in-exile of Bel
GUM, the Netherlands and Luxern-
bourg signed an agreement in Lon.
don on September S, 1914, laying the
foundation for a customs union.
Ratifications were exchanged on Oc-
tober "a, 1947, and the tariff sched-
ules went into effect last January !.
Twofold Response
Though the purpose of Benelux
was exclusively economic, an idea
emerged that it could be used as
the starting point for political
and perhaps military federation on
the model of the Rio Janeiro ''re-
gional arrangement" of 1947. Great
Britain and France associated them.
selves with the original three coun-
tries to form the Western European
Union. One of its first acts was to
acknowledge its utter helplessness
without support from the United
! States.
! American response was twofold.
On one hand, the State Department
followed the procedure it had EN-.
ployed with the Marshall Plan, and
required the applicant governments
to supply schedules, pared to the
bone. Of their essential defense
needs, and to submit estimates Of
what they would be able to do in
their own behalf. They were reas-
sured, on the other hand, by the
Vandenberg resolution which was
adopted by the Senate last June II
and which Is being utilized by the
State Department as authority for
current negotiations, though it has
not yet been passed by the House
Of Representatives The resolution
affirmed that the American Govern
ment should particularly pursue"
the following detectives:
Progressive development of re-
gional and other collective arrange
ments for individual and collective
self-defense.
Association of the United States,
by constitutional process, with such
regional and other collective ar
rangements as are based on con-
tinuous and effective self-help, and
as affect its national security.
Conflict Between Treaties
Contributing to the maintenance
of peace by making clear its deter
mination to. exercise its right Of
individual or collective self-defense."
There remains to be ironed out
what seems at first glance to be a
conflict between the provisions Of
the Brussels and Rio de Janeiro
treaties. The fromer commits the
signatories without further ado to
give to any member subjected to
aggression "all military and other
air and assistance in their power"
According to the latter, prompt con-
sultations are named as the first
step, and each of the contracting
parties shall determine the imme-
diate measures which it may in
dividually adopt" But the gulf may
not be so wide as it appears. The
Rio pact stipulated without CON-
promise that IAN armed attack by
any state against an American state
shall be considered as an attack
against all the American states"
Yet the proposed federation is
offered in sincerity as insurance for
peace. The last war left military
vacuum in Western Europe and in
the United States, for that matter.
Such a void is abhorred by politics
as we'll as nature. 1t constitutes a
temptation to aggressors.
The United States is asked to de-
stroy that temptation by filling UP
the vacuum with arms