Evening star., 1950-10-24
Facing the Red Threot in Germony-VIII
Reoring of Germany Strikes Snogs in Fotheond Itself

French leaders propose. Germans
are keenly conscious that the
weakness of Allied ground forces
has placed Germany in a good
ltrading position if it plays it's
cards skillfully. 1t is also facing
an internal situation that prom
ises political trouble.
Opposition In Germany.
Many Germans take dim view
OF rearming. These run all the
way from the Communists, whose
opposition is for obvious reasons,
to DR.. Martin Niemoller, the bel
ligerently independent West Ger
man Protestant president, and DR..
Otto Sibelius, Protestant bishop
of Berlin.
A week ago. DR.. Gustav Heine-
mann resigned from one of the
most powerful posts in DR.. Aden-
auer's cabinet, minister of the in
terror, which has charge of all
German police. With DR.. Niemol-
Ter and DR.. Sibelius, he called
freedom" rally here, at which all
three demanded neutrality" and
opposed remilitarization. DR.. Me
moller told 5000 Frankfurters who
gathered in the barnlike exhibi-
tion hall on the local fair grounds,
that I'VE must not start fighting
for freedom in terms of 10 divi-
sions. one part of Germany against
the other" and there can be no
Improvement in any kind of war"
This rally outdrew a previous
Communist rally called on virtu-
ally the same issues by almost 4
to l. DR.. Heinemann said he had
left the Bonn government because
DR.. Adenauer's fixed directives"
on remilitarization have passed
the limits of what I'm able to be
co-responsible for"
Allied Propaganda Effective.
There is no question that many
Germans are reluctant to rearm.
Allied propaganda of the last five
years, all keyed to the theme that
Germans should never again think
IN terms of war, has been most
effective. Destroyed cities and
thousands of families still living
IN bombed-out Easements testify
to the futility of war and the
vulnerability of Germany.
At the same time most Germans
seem to expect the United States
to protect them from the Rus
slams. No move since the war has
struck such instant fire of ap-
proval in Germany as the recent
Allied promise to defend West
Berlin against aggression. That
went, OF course, for Western Ger
many as we'll.
But the American pattern of
which this pledge was a prelimi-
nary segment assumes that Ger
mans would be fighting for Ger
many as well. The purpose was
10 prevent aggression by a clear
cut warning. DR.. Adenauer is
ready to carry out the German
part Of this deal, assuming a
formula can ultimately be worked
out that will be satisfactory to the
French.
But there is another point on
which the German cabinet itself
would balk at using German
troops. That would be a decision
by the North Atlantic Command
10 defend Western Europe on the
line of the Rhine, instead of the
present dividing line with the So
Wet Zone, the Elbe.
Line of Freedom or Slavery.
These two rivers, only a few
hundred miles apart in the North
German plain. spell the difference,
In case Of Soviet invasion, between
freedom or slavery, not merely to
nearly all the German republic
but to Denmark and much of Hol-
land as we'll.
The Rhine, of course. is al
shorter line, defendable with less
troops. Currently, the Allies do
not have the troops to hold long
even at that point. To stand atI
the Elbe would obviously require
a substantial German force. To-
get the German force, an assur-
ance that the attempt will be
made is probably indispensable.
German leaders, in private con-
versation, tacitly make stand
at-the-Elbe condition prerequisite
to German participation in the
anti-Soviet pattern. They insist
that an invading Red army be
met before, not after, virtually
all Germany had been overrun.
They have somewhat the same
reaction to defense of Western
Europe at the Rhine as the French
have when it is suggested a stand
be made at the Pyrenees to pro-
tect bases in Spain. Such a con-
ception may work out all right
on the military maps. they assert.
but it ignores the human realities.
Germans close to DR.. Adenauer