Evening star., 1949-11-26
Agreement With Bonn

To cope with the grave problems caused
by the countrys partition and the absence
of peace treaty, France. Britain and the
United States now have arrived at an
agreement with Chancellor Adenauer's
Bonn government to do two main things:
Cd While guarding against resurgent mill
tarism, to strengthen the West German
Federal Republic and (O to bring it into
closer and more cooperative relation
ship with the rest OF the free world,
particularly non-Soviet Europe.
Based on the decisions reached at the
recent Paris conference Of the Anglo
French-American foreign ministers, the
agreement falls far short OF perfection,
but it at least promises to effect some i'm
provement In the situation that has ex-
listed up to now. Thus. 1t opens the way
for greater and more active participation
by Bonn in a number of international
organizations. including the Ruhr Control
Authority. 1t also encourages the Aden
auer government to establish consular and
commercial relations with friendly coun-
tries Above all-and this is of special
economic importance-it permits the West
ern Germans to build an unlimited number
of certain types of ean-going merchant
ships, and it removes from the disman-
tling lists eighteen plants manufacturing
steel and synthetic oil and rubber.
For its own part, in exchange for these
moderate concessions, Bonn has pledged
itself to determined effort to eradicate
Nazisnl prevent the return of totalitarian-
tope re-
creation of armed forces OF any kind. The
latter promise-which is aimed primarily
at offsetting Frances understandable but
not necessarily sound fears of German
military revival-seems strangely unreal
istic in the light of reports that the Krem.
lin is taking steps to convert Eastern Ger
manys native police set-up into an army
of $4,000 to be commanded by Soviet
Marshal Ivan S. Konev. Certainly II that
is what the Russians are doing, then there
is every reason to question the wisdom
of the Anglo French American decision to
commit the Adenauer government to total
disarmament.
Whatever may be its shortcomings, how
ever, the agreement with Bonn undoubt-
edly is much better than no agreement ut
all. Taken as whole, 1t constitutes
move in the right direction-toward en-
hancing the prestige of the West German
Republic and bolstering 1t, psycholosically,
politically and economically, vis-a-vis the
puppet state created by the Kremlin In
Eastern Germany. AS far as the people
of the country are concerned-on both
sides of the Iron Curtain-it can have the
salutary effect of reducing the potential
danger of Communist propaganda designed
to appeal to the intense nationalism OF the
Germans and to tempt them with some
sort OF deal under which they would be-
come ostensib1y unified and rid Of the oc-
cupation, but which actually would leave
them wide open to eventual Soviet domin-
ance.
This tug-o-war between the Kremlin and
the Western Allies over the German future
is the most significant struggle of its kind
now going on. It's outcome will have a
vital bearing on free Europe's ability to
remain free, on democracy's place In the
world balance of power and on the Vests
current effort to prevent war by making 1t
too hazardous for the Soviet Union to
attempt new European aggressions. The
threat involved in all this ought not to be
minimized. The Russians are out to win
in Germany by hook or by crook, and in
countering them, we are almost certain to
hnd that measures beyond those Of the
Bonn agreement will be needed,