Evening star., 1950-04-01
Events Are Mounting
From Emergency TO
Crisis in Berlin
Senators Should Recall
Course of History Does
Not Stop for Them
By Dorothy Thompson

Not Stop for Them
By Dorothy Thompson
The Senators who are staging Sc
appalling and Irresponsible show
in Washington should pause tt
remember that the course of his
tory does not stop in their behalf
While it is becoming almost i'm.
possible for the State Department
even to think, let alone to speak
and act, events are mounting from
emergency to crisis in Berlin
Never were deliberation, firmness
and unity more necessary. Never
were recriminations over past pol.
tcies less relevant. The issue Il
not what should we have done?'
but what should we do now?"
The tactics which we must meet
from the end of May onward, car
be foreseen. Nothing need take
us by surprise. Our Government
therefore. instead of being de.
flected to justify itself to the
American people, should be con-
centrated on forestalling another
defeat, and everyone who contrib.
utes to disrupting that concentra-
ton will be contributing to defeat
Steps To Be Taken.
In view of the clearly foresee-
able. we should, I think, do the
following:
l. - Strengthen the United
States garrison in Berlin and
move planes, now in Britain, to
West Germany.
2.-Stockpile food and raw ma
terials in West Berlin, in prepara-
tion for a siege.
3.-Overcome French objections
to representation of West Berlin
in the Bonn government.
4.-Publicly declare the pending
new blockade of Berlin, whether
attempted by Soviet or East Ger
man forces, as precisely what it
would be: An act of war, against
Western occupation troops and a
disarmed people under American
British and French protection
Remind the Russians that all their
non-aggression treaties have de-
fined blockade as aggression.
5.-Together with Britain and
France, support Chancellor Ade-
nauer's call for an alderman
election to a constituent assembly
to frame a new German consti-
tuition. Insist that the election be
under U. N. supervision and bring
this matter before the U. N. as
Sembly.
6.-Declare that operations by
any German armed forces set ur
with the aid and consent of ar
occupying power will be aggres-
sion; that the forces are not fo,
German protection but subjec.
ton; and that their existence i.
preach OF agreement. Declare thai
no armed forces can be accepted
as German" as long as the coun.
try is divided and without sover.
eign control; and that no forces
armed by an occupation power
ever have been, or could be, forces
OF anything but that power.
Peace Offensive, Too.
Having taken the f1rmest pos
slble stand, open peace offen-
sive. as follows:
1.-Declare Western policy to
be the permanent naturalization
Of Germany. under full guarantees
Of protection. East and West.
2.-Offer the Soviet Union q
pact of military aid against any
aggression upon the U. S. S. R
arising from German soil, includ-
ing attacks by armed bands, ir
return for similar pact from the
Soviet Union against any similar
aggressions arising on German sol
against states of the Atlantic Pac1
or neutrals.
3.-Offer a united Germany s
pact guaranteeing military aid ir
case of an attack from any source
whatsoever, and invite the U. S. S
r. to do the same, thus protecting
Germany against attack by any
nations, East or West.
4.-Suggest the conclusion of 6
peace containing one single clause
the permanent, protected neutral.
ization of Germany, to follow a!
soon as the country has beer
united under representative gov.
ernment, and as soon as the in.
terlocking pacts, designed to pro.
tect all in behalf of all, have beer
consummated.
This is not total diplomacy
Diplomacy cannot be total. 1
can only be specific, operating il
regard to in-between areas, nevel
with the object of freezing exist.
ing fronts or winning a cold war
but with view to obtaining paci.
f1cation by appeals to mutual in
terest.
The policy here suggested may
not be the right policy. But it i.
at least coherent, for a recogniz.
able objective-the elimination o1
Germany as a bone of contention
1t might fail. But the incoher.
ence and cross-purposes of the
present Western default of policy
will certainly fail.
And in Washington, a time o1
silence in which to think seem.
indicated.
(Released by the Bell Syndicate, Inc)