Evening star., 1950-09-19
Council TO Press Again
For Accord on United
Europe Defense Army
By Gornett D. Horner
Stor Staff Correspondent

NEW YORK, Sept. 19.-The
North Atlantic Council will have
another try within two weeks at
completing what Secretary of
State Acheson regards as inev-
liable agreement for a United
Western Europe defense force to
include West German soldiers.
Council members warmly well
comed'' the community army idea
in a communtque winding up
three days of secret debate last
night. But they put off firm
decisions. Their communique side
stepped entirely the touchy-for-
France issue of German arma-
ment.
Mr.. Acheson, as chairman of
the Council of Foreign Ministers
of the IL North Atlantic treaty
Allies, will call the group into
session again here during the next
two weekS-probably in week or
10 days. He expects full accord,
in principle, to be reached then
His optimism is shared by some,
but not by all concerned.
In effect, the Council admitted
in its communique last night that
it had bitten off more. than it
could chew in attempting to settle
in just three days the matters
of far-reaching importance" con-
fronting it.
Communique Disappointing.
On the surface, the communi-
que was anti-climactic and disap-
pointing. 1t hardly reflected the
tremendous area of agreement
that actually developed.
Mr.. AcheSon, who stressed to
the. Council repeatedly the urgent
need for prompt decisions to take
the revolutionary steps the United
States considers necessary to build
up a defense force in Europe
strong enough to deter a Soviet
attack, was not disappointed.
He believes amazing progress
was made under the circum-
stances. conceding that his pro-
posals took the Atlantic Allies by
surprise and that they need a
little more time to digest them.
Prodded by a firm conviction
that obvious Soviet approval of
the North Korean Communist in
vasion of South Korea showed that
the Kremlin was prepared to risk
starting a global war, Mr.. Ache
son obtained from President Tru-
man only on Saturday afternoon,
September 9, approval for drastic
changes in American policy to help
shore up Allied defenses in Europe.
Proposal Made to Big 3.
The Presidents decisions enabled
Mr.. Acheson to propose to his Big
Three colleagues-British Foreign
Secretary Bevin and French For
eign Minister Schuman-on Sep
tember II, and the full 12-nation
North Atlantic Council, on Sep
tember Is, that:
/. The Atlantic Allies integrates
all their armed forces available for
defense of free Europe into one
combined force, under single top
commander at the head of COM
bined staff-and do this right
away.
2. West German units be armed
as a part of this united force,
under Allied top command, and
with proper safeguards against
creation of a national German
army or rebirth of nationalistic
militarism in Germany.
3. For its part, when these
things were agreed on in a way
to assure a total force adequate
to the task, the United States
would commit substantially in
creased forces of it's own to the
combined force.
The Allies foreign ministers
were pleasingly shocked at the
American proposals. 1t was a
novel thing to get such specific
action ideas from the United
States in peacetime. They all
quickly indorsed the concept of
united defense force. They all
accepted the necessity of West
German participation.
Two Stumbling Blocks.
But two stumbling blocks to
quick agreement in a form that
would be binding on governments
arose:
l. The lack of time to line up
political support in France made
1t impossible for Mr.. Schuman to
join in an immediate decision to
arm German military units. He
did not shut the door to eventual
agreement, but insisted now was
not the time.
2. Norway and Denmark found
there was some question that they
could commit parts of their armed
forces to a unified command with
out changing their constitutions.
These difficulties were not
spelled out in the communique
It said the council was "deter-
mined to proceed with the neces-
sary measures" to strengthen col
lective defense" and added:
1.-The discussions dealt with
matters of far-reaching impor-
tance and related principally to
the creation, in the shortest pos
sible time, of an integrated mill
tary force adequate for the de-
fense of freedom in Europe, and
to the related questions of the
character of participation in the
force, it's military organization
and matters of supply, finance
and raw materials.
Proposal Warmly Welcomed"
1.-The proposal for such a force