Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-01-22
Union and Europe

I1lUllouSu GileIe are LldIly SIcdt UUStdClcS
standing in the way of it, events them
selves argue logically and eloquently for
the economic and political Indignation of
Western Europe. In long-term sense,
such Indignation could speed up the even
tual formation of an all-European union.
In short-term sense, it would seem to be
an essential security measure against the
unremitting Soviet drive to create an
aggressive eastern federation of satellite
states and to proceed from there toward
dominance of the entire continent.
In his testimony before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, John Foster
Dulles has placed particular emphasis on
the short-term consideration. Speaking as
a Republican foreign policy adviser and
as one of our key delegates to the United
Nations, he has warned that the unity of
Western Europe is vital" and that unless
1t is achieved the men of the Kremlin will
have reason to be confident of their ability
to liquidate our free friends abroad, one
by one. On the other hand, if there is real
progress toward union, the Soviet struggle
for dominance Twill be lost and efforts to
prolong it will be abandoned"
Accordingly, Mr.. Dulles has advocated
that legislation on the European Recovery
Program include the following as a prime
objective: That the participating nations,
by developing closer political ties and by
seeking monetary and customs union,
work Systematically together toward the
goal of eventual federation. In addition,
he has urged that they draw up a mutual
defense pact within the framework of the
United NationS-a regional pact similar to
our own inter- American agreement His
views in these respects are much the same
as those offered day earlier by Bernard
M. Baruch. In Mr.. Baruch's words, the
major aim of the ERP is the creation of
stability in Europe, and this requires that
Europeans cooperate on trade barriers,
money matters and common protection
against aggression. For "only as they
become bundle of sticks, unbreakable in
unity, can security and peace be theirs.
Should they remain so many individual,
scattered sticks they invite being broken
one by one" ~ ~ .
1t may be said that a union of this kind
would serYe merely TO deepen the CONT
mental division and pave the way for war
with the Moscow-led eastern bloc. But the
alternative is for independent countries of
the west to continue going their separate
ways, thus srnaking themselves easy VIC
tins, each in turn, Of the Kremlin's direct
or indirect aggression. Given strong
measure of unity among them, however,
their population of more than 250,000,000
and their immense industrial and military
potential could constitute power mighty
enough to make the Soviet Union pull in
it's horns. AS far as the immediate future
is concerned, certainly, some such solid
front is needed to check the expansionist
aims of Red totalitarianism.
But men like Mr.. Dulles and Mr.. Baruch
have more than short-term purposes in
mind. What they advocate is aimed at
attaining the ultimate ideal of uniting the
whole continent They agree with Winston
Churchill, Prime Minister Attlee and
numerous other authorities at home and
abroad that divided Europe must even
tualy federate or perish Accordingly in
urging that a beginning be made now in
the west, they are thinking not merely of
serving immediate security needs but also
of encouraging all Europeans-on both
sides of the iron curtain-to seek a far
saner and happier time by moving, how
ever slowly, toward a kind of United
States of their own. They can have no
true peace otherwise-nor can the rest of
the world.