Evening star., 1950-08-27

impossible to add single squad
to that small contingent. We ex-
pect to have at least five divisions
trained by the end Of November.
But these are earmarked for the
Far East and will have to be
sent there, unless the Korean
war should end successfully for us
by fall. If this happens the pres
ent immediate threat to Western
Europe will have disappeared.
such a possibility is being dis
counted, however, by most mill
tary men.
Ihere is manpower available
in Europe today if the State De-
partment can be induced to
cnange its policies and to press
the Pentagon's arguments force
fully on the British and French
governments. The manpower ex-
ISIS in Spain and in Germany,
The former has indicated very
clearly that it is anxious to help
arrest the Soviet menace.
Spain now has 100000 men
80 divisions arms and at
least as many trained reserves.
They are good soldiers, headed by
q competent officers corps. But the
Spaniards lack aviation, modern
communications, anti-aircraft ar
t1llery and the means to put their
industries on a 80 per cent war
production basis.
II the President Of the United
States, on the advice of the State
Department, we're to give the
green light and start sending that
country part of the war material
it so badly needs, military observ-
ers say that at least 10000 Span
iards could be organized into a
modern fighting force in less than
six months.
Elastic Frontiers
The entire Spanish active and
reserve force Of about a million
men could be put on a war footing
within a year. Their participation
in the defense of the West, when
our greatest need is ground forces,
might make the difference be-
tween victory and defeat.
It is true that Generalissimo
Franco at one time or another
has stated that Spain does not in
tend to send any of its men across
the Pyrenees. This was correct
when he made the statement. But
as a soldier he is aware that in q
struggle for survival strategy may
require the creation of military
frontiers" well outside national
boundaries.
In the fall of 1899, when most
people did not have any idea that
we would fight another world war
throughout the world, President
Roosevelt stated that our frontiers
were on the Rhine. Our troops in
Europe now are beyond that his
toric German river. The same
thing applies to Spain. The Py-
renees are the physical border,
but the actual strategic boundary
of that country may be extended
well beyond. even to the Rhine.
Economically Spain is in bad
shade. But resistance to Russia's
ambitions to conquer everything
in its path is more popular in
Spain than anywhere else in
Europe. There are 2,275, 400 regis
tered members of the Communist
Party in the II countries forming
the Atlantic alliance. There are
none in Spain, where communism
has been outlawed, and there are
probably fewer than $4,000 con-
cealed Communists among the 27
million inhabitants.
Frances regime Is no less popu-
lar in Spain than is the Salazar
dictatorship in, Portugal, which
we included in the Atlantic pact.
But the Spanish people, regard
less of whether they are against
Franco or not, hate communism
and will not hesitate to sacrifice
themselves in a battle against
Kremlin imperialism.
A similar situation, though less
clear, exists in Western Germany,
which. like Spain, can offer sub
stantial assistance to the defense
OF the West. Across the Rhine
there are available some 100000
to 100000 men capable of carry
ing arms. Most of them are for
mer members of Hitler'S army,
although they fought the last war
as Germans and not Nazis. Many
of them are former prisoners of
war who learned first hand what
the Russians are.
French Change Minds
They could be induced to fight
the Russians if they were given
the assurance that they would
not be used merely as cannon
fodder, as Communist propa-
ganda tells them. In the past
French governments have OBJ
jected to the idea of arming the
Germans to aid our common de-
fense. Frances military men
recognized the military truth that
strategically it is of the utmost
to have available be-
tween the Elbe and the Rhine a
force which is capable Of
making real effort in case of a
Russian attack.
Last November the French gen.
erai staff in Paris slightly changed
it's position. 1t stated In informal
conversations with the American
and British staffs that it would
have no objection to creation of
a German military force, provided
that the high command, from
divisions up, was in the hands Of
Allied officers.
The Germans were not in
terested. Moreover, they believed
that the revised" French attitude
toward the German fighting man
was unacceptable, since they
SnnSed that Fronna would onroSA