Evening star., 1949-11-06

|tWS UIOWU
city, once the capital Of the proud
rgest city In Europe, should be .
could happen to the rest Of this
not bury the hatchet. forget old
and organize themselves for the
military thinking is still Of high
caliber. They are silent when told
by their American friends that de-
fense Of the West is not conceiv-
able without the inclusion Of the
~ 100000 Germans who, II left
as defenseless as they are today.
may have no choice but submit to
and possibly later join-the in
vader from the East.
French Generals Silent
French military men. like our
own. realize that II the Russians
start an attack, say within .
year. We would be as helpless a.
we are today insofar as the de-
fense Of Western Europe Is con.
cerped. French generals COM
mand little attention In their
own country, hence they prefer
to keep silent and to submit to
the whims of the politicians who
run France.
These men have an inferiority
complex, feeling that in spite Of
the glamour which surrounded
some Of them during the occupa-
ton Of France and the invasion
of Western Europe they are still
regarded as losers by their own
people. They would like to see a
German force - surrounded by
adequate restrictions and super
vision-come into being to de-
fend the Elbe and the Rhine. But
they had better not mention such
thoughts publicly or even to their
civilian chiefs, if they want to
keep their jobs. Such heresies
are not tolerated by French poll
ticians.
Americans here are far more
blunt about the situation. They
appreciate the fact that they can
do nothing to change. A new re-
lationship between French and
Germans must come directly from
the peoples of both countries and
their political leaders. 1t must
come from a full realization by
both countries that present con-
ditions are far different from
those of the past and that France
and Germany must cooperate
rather than continue a senseless
and disastrous political and eco
nomic rivalry.
From the practical point Of
view. and thinking only in terms
OF a prospective war with the
Russians, many Americans would
rather rely on German than on
French fighting ability against the
Soviet armies. Ever since the de-
feat Of Napoleon the French have
assumed a defensive attitude. Ma
poleon III was defeated by Ger
many's Won Moltke because Ma
poleon preferred to sit in his
frontier fortresses and wait for
the enemy rather than to seek
him out in his own territory.
The same defensive mentality
prevailed in France before World
War I, when the French general
staff relied more on the Toul-
Verdun line of Notifications rath-
er than on the ability Of French
forces to fight an offensive war.
In World War II history repeated
itself. The Maginot Line, while
excellent and almost impregnable,
put the French in a defensive
frame Of mind. When they came
to defend it they failed.
It is this defensive spirit which
worries many American military
men. They admit that the new
French troops, such as those that
they saw in recent war games in
the French occupation zone in
Germany, look far better than
those Of Is months ago. But
what they saw actually was tho
cream Of the French Army, and
there is very little cream available
now.
The Russians have far more
ground forces, planes and tanks
than Hitler's army ever dreamed
Of having. In the event of war
1t will be necessary to muster all
available forces for the defense Of
Western Europe. To put all our
eggs In one basket might be tragic
and might increase gravely the
burden we have assumed Of de-
Tending the continent.
Time to Collaborate
It is exclusively from this point
LOT view that so many responsible
Americans would like to see the
French German relationship so
improved that the French would
suggest the organization Of Ger
man defensive force.
The new German government Is
in frame Of mind right now to
write q new page In its history by
collaborating closely with its
neighbors on this side Of the
Rhine. The most bitter anti
French element-the Prussians-
are still under the Russian boot.
The Germans In the Western re-
public are well disciplined and
would welcome any measure Of
collaboration by the present weak
government at Bonn.
They will do exactly what they
are told by their leaders. who anx-
iously await some real indication
OF good viii and friendship from
Paris. There Is no doubt in the
minds Of anybody who has been
in this country for even q few
weeks that the rank and file OF
Germans would welcome chance
To get even with the RllsSianS.