Evening star., 1950-10-22
|12Nationstolay
Defense Plans
Here This Week
Program Moy Cover
German Help in
Protecting Europe
By John A. Giles

A historic and revolutionary IL
nation master plan for the defense
of Western Europe with possible
German help and an overall
American commander will be map
ped at meetings here this week.
Against the background Of
fresh Russian turbulence, the land.
sea and air contributions of IL Of
the IL North Atlantic Nreaty ma
tions to an overall international
defense force will be spelled out
at meetings of the organization
military committee on Tuesday and
II it's defense committee on Satur-
day. Iceland, one of the sigma
tories, does not have any military
forces.
The meetings will take place in
the Departmental Auditorium at
Fourteenth street and Constitu-
ton avenue NV, where the treaty
itself-which reversed the no-en-
tangling- alliances policy which
this country had followed since
President Washington laid it
down-was signed on April 4. 1949.
Germany Is Toughest Problem.
The thorniest problem facing
the military and defense leaders
is that of rearming Western Ger
many. The United States in
formed the meeting of the treaty
nations foreign ministers in New
York last month that it would
take part in the international force
if the total effort was adequate
to the task of defending Europe
against Communist aggression, but
the American position was that
this country could not see how
such a force could be adequate
without German participation.
France, wary of any plan to
build up German armed might in
the light of experiences in two
World Wars, opposed such a move.
The United States has en-
phasized from the first that it's
proposal ruled out any revival of
a German national army and
German general staff. The Ger
man force created for the defense
OF Western Europe would be only
a part of the international army.
i These safeguards, it is hoped
4 here, will overcome French on.
! position.
Britain Supports Idea.
/ Britain has subscribed to the
I idea of the German component of
the international force, hut with
: less enthusiasm than the United
States.
The guessing here has been that
the international force to defend
Western Europe would be up to
80 divisions. This still is consid-
erably below the ITS divisions that
Russia is said to have ready to
go, 80 of them in Eastern Ger
many and Soviet satellite states.
Superior fire power is one of tho
things that would be counted on
to offset the numerical superiority.
During the last week the top
British. French and American
officers have been drawing up the
master plan for submission to the
two committees. These officers
British Marshall Lord Tedder,
French 1t. Gen. Paul Ely and Gen.
Bradley, chairman of the United
States Joint Chiefs of Staff-com-
prise the treaty organization's
standing military group. They
may have done their work so we'll
that their military committee, Of
which Gen. Bradley is chairman,
will require only one days meet
ing. The latter group will pass
the plan on the defense commit
tee, headed by Defense Secretary
Marshall.
U. s. Promises Reinforcements,
Defense Department officials
said the representatives will
make such agreements as they
feel assured their nations will SUBJ
scribe to-the detailed implement
tatlon OF such agreements must be
carried out by the respective gov
ernments."
President Truman already has
promised substantial increases" in
the strength of United States
troops in Europe. Indications are
that between five and 10 Ameri-
can divisions will be stationed in
Western Europe, compared with
Continued on Page AS, Col. ~