Evening star., 1950-09-17

StIOIlS NcIu1du AuOId1 NAAA ANAIAA4
also argues.
But instead of so to 10 di-
visions, the West now has the
equivalent of only II full-strength
divisions in Europe, Churchill es-
Inmates, and some put the num-
ber of divisions as low as seven.
The members of the North At
lantic community have large num-
bers of men in uniform, but many
of these troops are not trained.
equipped, organized or deployed
for fighting. The United States,
for example. has 10000 men in
Germany. A large proportion Of
them, however, are selling candy
bars in PX's, driving officers chill
dren back and forth to school
every day and performing other
doubtless useful but strictly non.
combatant functions.
Lesson of Korea
AS for the Bonn republic itself,
it is probably even less prepared
to fight today than the Republic
Of Korea was on June Is, and per-
haps even less.
Until recently, the Western
world-rightly or wrongly-re-
garded this "hideous gap" with
relative equanimity. The Krem-
lin would not resort to open war;
fare in the pursuit of its policy
objectives. and would not allow
it's satellites to do so, the West be-
lieved. Moscow would rely on
propaganda, political and eco
nomic warfare, Subversion, Sabo-
tage or, at worst, Small-scale
guerrilla raids, it was argued.
Two recent developments have
shattered this comfortable state
Of mind:
First and by all odds foremost,
the Communist aggression in Korea
has shown that the Soviets and
their satellites cannot be counted
upon to stop short of open war.
Second, the Kremlin has begun to
build up an army of Bereit-
schaften in Eastern Germany
which, if not matched by in
creased forces in the West, clearly
soon will be strong enough in its
own right to attack the Bonn
republic with excellent prospects
of success.
Not a single free country in
Europe is strong enough to defend
itself against the Communists
assorted hordes." Not even all
of free Europe combined is strong
enough to fight off the Reds. In
deed, many Europeans are SO
thoroughly convinced that this ID
the case that they probably would
not so much as make a determined
effort to defend themselves in
case Of a large-scale Communist
attack, in the best judgment here.
Five Arguments
Two principal-and divergent
answers are put forward to the
question of how the "hideous gap''
is to be closed. Generally speak.
ing, Western Europe wants the
United States to close it. Britain
and most of the continental pow
ers do not want Western Germany
to be armed for the purpose Of
helping to do so. Washington
is prepared to do a large part Of
the task of closing the gap. 1t
believes, however, that the Ger
mans can and should be armed
to a limited extent so that they
can help, too.
In time, the North Atlantic
treaty powers might we'll be able
to mobilize and deploy forces
strong, enough to hold off a Red
assault on Western Europe, Off
cials here say. This is hardly the
ideal solution of the problem, how
ever, they think. They advance
five reasons in favor of enlsting
German manpower in the pro-
posed European defense force:
l. If the Germans are not
armed, very large American and
Western European forces would
have to be stationed in Germany
to hold the western part of the
Reich, and this would be bad,
both for the troops themselves and
for the Germans. The troops
would tend to deteriorate, as all
oreign-occupying armies do, and
the Germans would resent the
presence of North Atlantic forces
more and more bitterly with the
passage of time, particularly if the
Germans were kept disarmed. In
the end, this situation would de-
teriorate to point at which COM
munism would be helped in Ger
many, not hindered.
2. The military effort which the
North Atlantic powers must now
make will impose the severest
strains and burdens on them.
These strains and burdens cannot
be justified if there is any safe
and desirable method of moderat-
ing them. Limited arming of
Western Germany constitutes such
a method.
3. The Western Germans have
an obligation to do their share in
defending themselves and the rest
of free Europe.
Five Major Dangers
4. The Bonn republic has a
right, as we'll as an obligation,
to help in Europe's defense.
5. The West should encourage
and help the Germans to recover
their national unity and sovereign
ty, by safe stages, both because it
is in the Vests own interest that
the Germans do so and because
the Germans are going to make
every effort to do so whether the
West likes it or not. Limited
arming of the Bonn republic is
a desirable step in this process.