Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-05-20
To Fortify the Free World

The free world will achieve another historic
gain in strength and unity if all countries con-
cerned take prompt action to effectuate the
agreements worked out in London by the twelve
Foreign Ministers making up the Council of the
North Atlantic Treaty. The agreements, of
course are not going to accomplish any over
night miracles, but If they are carried out with
speed and vigor-and with a firm common
resolve to make them as successful as possible
they undoubtedly can do much to give the West
heavy balance of-poWer advantage over the
dominance seeking Soviet Union.
Although they cover wide range of i'm
portant subjects including steps to be taken in
connection with the end of the Marshall Plan
in 1852 the agreementS-both the statements of
principle and the specific decisions-all have
one basic purpose. Politically, economically and
mllitarily, that purpose is to prevent another
gobal war by joining the free nations in great
effort to establish decent and enduring peace,
not merely for themselves but for the whole
world. 1t is only because the Kremlin has been
Systematically sabotaging attempts to organize
such peace that the Atlantic nations have been
obliged to give added impetus in London to the
program aimed at co-ordinating their power
EARNED and otherwise) to insure their mutual
safety against every threat of aggression or
subversion, direct or indirect"
OF all the published agreements reached
with that end in view the most significant is that
in which the Foreign Ministers of the Atlantic
Council-the Pact's chief organ-have decided
to create a permanent executive committee of
deputies The deputies, who are supposed to be
men of exceptional talent, are to be appointed
as soon as possible, and one of them Is to be
selected as chairman. Under the chairman (the
job is expected to go to some outstanding Ameri-
CAM the committee will function on ful-tme
basis. Its duties will include those of ID carrying
out policies agreed upon by the twelve govern
ments, CD conducting continuous study of the
political, economic and military inter-relation-
ships of the various plans connected with the
defense of the West and 90 drafting recommen-
dationS regarding steps designed to make those
plans genuinely effective.
On its face, the creation of such committee
may seem to represent little more than an organ
national change In sense, that is all it u.s.
but it is extremely important because it will give
to the machinery of the Atlantic Pact the con-
slant co-ordinating direction that has been
lacking up to now. The Foreign Ministers form
ing the Pact's Council have not been free to
meet nearly often enough to do the kind of job
that needs to be done. But their prospective
group of able deputies, sitting in full-time session
in London and headed by hard-drivng and
distinguished chairman, should be able to do it.
Operating IN close cooperation Win the military
planning staff, it can play role of inestimable
value in marshaling the Vests resources in a
way that will sober the Kremlin without seriously
straining the economy of any of the signatories
AS matters stand today, the Western nations,
wholly apart from the factor of moral strength
have far greater material resources than those
available to the Kremlin. In skilled manpower
and in such vital things as steel production
(Which is almost five times the total now being
turned out by the Russians), the Atlantic Com
munity is overwhelmingly superior to the Red
empire. The Soviet threat thus is deadly only
to the extent that we and our friends abroad
invite one-by -one aggression through failure to
pool and coordinate our power. If we do other
wise, however, if we act in keeping with the
London agreements and grow steadily in unity,
that threat in due course is likely to wther away
before the massed might of a free world much
too formidable to be challenged