Evening star., 1950-05-07


slavia.
Unfortunately this does not ap-
pear possible, regardless of what
the top military StrategiStS say or
do, There is an old emotional
fear OF the Germans in France
which makes 1t impossible TO in
corporate the 47,000 900 Western
Germans in the concert Of West
ern Europe.
French Are Adamant
The very great majority Of
French, BelgianS and Dutch think
in terms of the past. of the days
when the Germans were the ag-
gressors and invaders. instead Of
thinking in terms Of the present
and what could be done to fore
stall an even more cruel and dew
aStating invasion.
A distinguished French writer.
Bertrand de Jouvenel. who has
the reputation Of looking at situa-
tions realistically, writes that the
foolish French fear of Germany Is
so strong that the French au-
thoritieS have destroyed inStalla-
tions in their occupation zone
which could have been put to ex-
cellent use.
! Because Of the apprehension
that the German hydra might
once again lift its head, the
French authorities recently de-
molished $4,000 tons of ammuni-
ton, $4,000 blockhouses, 1000
miles Of underground telephone
| lines and 13 underground fac
tories. Although 1t was the officers
corps in Germany which tried to
get rid Of Hitler. especially in the
1914 putsch. these men are con-
sidered the scum of the earth and
are treated as pariahS.
No less than three divisions of
such trained men could be or
ganized if the French government
were not afraid that 1t would be
overthrown If it complied with the
requests of all the Allied generals,
who do not conceal their worry
about the desperately weak forces
OF the Western Allies If they are
drawn into a shooting war in the
next two years.
A similar situation exists with
respect to Spain, whose manpower
at the present moment exceeds
400, 900 regular soldiers and which
has a military potential of 2
million men who either have seen
action in the civil war or have
been trained as soldiers in recent
years. The politicians do not like
Franco.
Hard on Strategists
Modern statesmen, who are
faced with the most gigantic task
any one ever faced in history, do
not dare to oppose the pseudo
liberals. the ideologists and those
who suffer with acute intellectual
indigestion. They prefer to re-
main in their present precarious
position, in which the Russians
could topple their armies in less
than fortnight, rather than per-
NIT the Spaniards to join in COM
mon defense against the threat
from the East
Our own military men are un-'
comfortable. They realize the
situation. Without saying so in
public they are fully aware that
we will have to bolster the de-.
fenses Of continental Europe with
American forces. If the threat Of
invasion becomes more real than
it is today.
The task of American military
StrategiSts is not enviable. Mona
Of our military leaders in the
past had more difficult problem
than do the Chiefs Of Staff Of
our three armed services today.
We have definite commitments
across the Atlantic. across the
Pacific and. for the first time
in modern history. in the United
States itself.
We have been asked to
strengthen the forces we have in
Europe-some 250,000 men, but
less than three combat divisions
in order to make resistance TO
an eventual Russian onslaught
possible. We must defend Japan
against possible Soviet attack. In
Japan We have four skeleton di-
visions, about enough to police
those islands, but totally made
quate to prevent outbreaks in that
country and at the same time op-
pose Russian air and amphibious
attack from China and Siberia.
And last. but not least, we must
keep an adequate number Of
troops for the defense of Alaska,
and probably Greenland and Ice
land
To meet these definite commit
ments we have, at present, nine
ground divisions, some 10000
planes and an excellent-but still
numerically weak-Navy since the
notwithstanding to Admiral
Sherman. Chief of Naval Opera
tionS-have organized a subma-
rine force which must be reckoned
with. We have a stockpile Of
atomic bombs, but apparently no.
where near enough long range
bomber planes to continue to de-
liver that missile TO the Russians.
The diplomats admit that the
situation is not good. but there
is no need for real anxiety, be-
cause the Russians will not dare"
convert the cold war into a shoot
ing war. There are many who
remember that Europe's states
men said the same thing about
Hitler during the two years pre-
ceding the outbreak OF World
War II.