Evening star., 1950-08-20

Standing group" of American,
British and French officers who
constitute the nucleus of a PLAN
ming staff for the North Atlantic
organization.
Second, the deputies will weigh
a program for putting idle con-
tinental European production IA
cilities to work turning out most
urgently needed arms and equip
ment. The deputies at their last
meeting asked that such a pro-
gram be drawn up by the stand
ing group" and by the two other
permanent organs of the North
Atlantic organization, the Military
Production and Supply Board and
the Defense Finance and Economic
Committeeman it is expected to
be ready by Tuesday.
Third. the deputies will con-
slider ways and means of expand
ing the standing group of PLAN
ners and forming it into a really
unified staff. Up to now, the
group has functioned as a COM
mittee of representatives of the
separate American, British and
French chiefs of staff and has had
no real existence as an entity in
its own right.
The North Atlantic Council.
consisting of the Foreign Secre-
taries of all the signatory powers.
will meet in New York on about
September Is to press the in
tegration of the United States.
Canada and free Europe by what
ever other further high-policy
measures desirable at that time.
Secretary of State Acheson.
British Foreign Secretary Bevin
and French Foreign Minister
Schuman will meet in New York
two or three days in advance of
the full council to work out pre-
liminary agreements among them
selves.
Evaluation of Efforts
A semifnal draft has been COM
pleted of constitution" for the
"supranational authority" which
would operate the coal and steel
industries of the free countries
of continental Europe under the
Schuman plan-as well as those
of any other nations which wish
to join.
This draft is now being studied
by the six governments whose
delegates worked it out recently
in Paris. The delegates will re-
convene August 81 for what 1t is
hoped will be the final stages Of
negotiating an agreement on the
charter. The best judgment here
is that the Schuman plan will
probably be adopted in substan-
TALLY its present form.
The Committee of Minister'S"
the upper chamber" of the Coun-
Gil of Europe, adjourned August
8 and will not sit again until
October, when it is due to re-
assemble in Rome. The Consulta-
tive Assembly has continued its
deliberations in Strasbourg, how.
ever.
Two criteria are being employed
here in attempts to evaluate all
these attempts of the free world
to strengthen and unite it's forces.
Use of one criterion yields an
optimistic judgment; use of the
other produces deep despond.
Judged in the light of the diff
culties involved in efforts to in
tegrate the policies and per-
formances of sovereign and
disparate states. the progress made
last week, like that made in re-
cent months and years, is i'm
pressive.
Weaknesses Revealed
The obstacles in the way of
integration are enormous. Any
progress at all is a formidable
achievement, looked at from this
point of view.
Judged in the light of the need
for greater strength and unity.
however, the progress to date is
appallingly inadequate.
The Korean conflict has re-
vealed the almost terrifying weak
ness of the free world in terms
of effective military force in
stantly available, and none of the
measures adopted this week or
this month or during the past
two or three years comes near
the strength and unity
required for confronting the So
Wet Communist danger, and
do all these measures
combined do so.
The collective U. N. security
force now being assembled for the
Korean conflict may prove of de-
ciSive value in the end, and it
may create a precedent useful in
future breaches of the peace, but
the effort to create this force
SOA404oCo 4OA V1AC nlOoG pd1G illus
far of exhortations by the United
States and the U. N. Security
Council, on the one hand, and, on
the part of most OF the members
on the other hand, agreements in
principle that the force is a
splendid idea and that they will
do anything to help that they ul-
decide they can.
Progress in strengthening and
unifying the North Atlantic treaty
also consists largely
thus far of agreements in prin-
ciple.
The signatories have agreed to
regard an attack on any one of
their number as an attack on
them all. and to 60 to the aid
of the victim of the aggression
by whatever means, including
force, each member chooses
to employ.
They have agreed that they
ought to create balanced, COL