Evening star., 1950-09-17


by the end Of the week.
Demanding one of the gravest
decisions in Atlantic alliance his
tory was Mr.. Acheson's proposal
to include United States and Ger
man troops In a unified battle
force for the defense of Western
Europe. Mr.. Acheson said the
United States is ready to take this
revolutionary step on its own for
eign policy and assign troops to a
European force, provided the other
nations take other steps neces-
Sary to assure an adequate de-
Tense.
Considerable progress was made
in planning for a combined Eu-
ropean defense force, but it re-
mained doubtful when. If ever
German units would form part of it
Futher attempts will be made
this week-and. doubtless. there
after-to reach agreement on the
Bonn republics role in the de-
fense Of Europe.
Secretary Of State Acheson Il
arguing the case for a limited arm.
ing Of Western Germany. He laid
his case first before British For
eign Secretary Bevin and French
Foreign Minister Schuman in q
series Of talks Tuesday and We'd
nesday in New York. Thereafter
he discussed the problem also with
the foreign ministers of the nine
other governments which have ad-
hered to the North Atlantic treaty
Some Industry Favored
Washington believes that West
ern Germany should increase its
production of steel and other
heavy-industry items. should be
allowed to manufacture such
"non-explosive" war materiel as
trucks and uniforms and should
be enabled to form fully armed
land. sea and air forces up to
and including divisions and pos
sibly even corps under German
comand and that the Western
Germans should be allowed and
helped to start doing all these
things now.
The Western European Allies
also favor increases in Western
German steel and other heavy
industrial production. They fur
ther seem generally to agree that
Bonn should be allowed to manu-
facture "non-explosive" military
equipment. There is agreement
within the North Atlantic COM
munity that Western Germany
should take part in the new Euro
pean defense effort at least in
these respects.
Here, however, agreement ends
and disagreement begins. For the
European Allies oppose the forma-
ton, at least during the 'predicta-
BILE future, of German armed
forces on a scale anywhere near
as great as that favored by the
United States.
The most likely compromise, at
weeks end. seemed to be an
agreement that the members of
the North Atlantic pact would
first considerably increase their
own forces. and then reconsider
the possibility of forming German
units-the size of these units to
be determined. Such a postpone =
ment would amount to an evasion
of the issue. There is no time
for evaSions, in the official Amer
lean view, but this appears to be
the most Washington can hope to
accomplish for the time being.
France and Britain seem will
ing to approve increase in the
police forces of the Bonn repub-
lie, for the ostensible purpose of
strengthening the internal Sc
curity of the three Western zones
of the Reich, but this was as far
as they professed themselves
willing to go in arming the Ger
mans now.
The United States is prepared
to consider the possibility of
strengthening the Bonn police, if
this seems desirable. However,
Washington is convinced that the
police and military problems are
quite distinct, and that Western
Germany should be allowed lin
tied armed forces regardless of
and in addition to whatever may
be done to strengthen its police.
Must Close Gap
All the foreign ministers agree
that the basic problem which con-
fronts them is that of closing
What Winston Churchill has called
the "hideous gap" between West
ern Europe's defense needs and
its defense capabilities. Where
the ministers disagree is in their
views as to how the gap is to be
closed.
Churchill estimates that the So
vietS could unleash 80 divisions
against the West, Is of them
armored, without even mobilizing.
twenty-five to 27 Red Army divi-
sions are now stationed in East
ern Germany, Is of which are
armored. One hundred seventy to
200 more divisions are standing
by under arms in European Rus
sia.
In Eastern Germany, the Soviets
have built up a force of ''Bereit-
schaften," or Alert Units, which
now numbers $4,000 to 10000 and
which apparently is to be in
creased to a total of at least 100,-
900 by next spring. In theory,
the Bereitschaften are supposed
to constitute a constabulary. In
fact, they are an army. They are
being trained at Is camps and at
Red Army maneuver grounds.