Evening star., 1950-05-12
frances Historic Offer


Although much eaiser to propose than to
put into effect Frances offer to pool Its coal and
steel resources with those Of Germany Is de-
velopment whose potentialities for the good Of
Europe and the world can hardly be exaggerated.
The plan is one of the most dramatic and con-
structive advanced since the end Of the war
five years ago. Certainly, II 1t can be agreed
upon and translated into an efficiently operating
reality, it will not merely go far toward drawing
the French and the Germans into lasting union
of friendship but will also do much to speed
up the political and economic integration Of
the other free European nations.
In broad outline, what the French proposal
calls for is treaty that would do the following:
ID Set up high Franco-German authority to
govern and unity the two countries production
and marketing of coal and steel; (2) abolish
all coal-and-s steel customs duties between them;
90 prohibit railway freight rates that favor
one or the other party; "a provide that the
Joint output be sold at prices jointly agreed upon
(5) equalize the earnings and living conditions
of the workers involved in each country: 90 de-
velop a program aimed at improving the pro.
ductivity of France and Germany and establish
ing partnership between them for their further
economic progress; and CD keep the door open
for the rest Of Europe-including even the part
to cooperate in promoting q continent-wide
integration Of economies.
All this constitutes merely sketchy sum-
nation of what the French government has
in mind, but it is enough to indicate how far
reaching the proposal is in its potentialities To
begin with, since coal and steel are the basic
essentials Of all modern economies, the plan II
put into effect, would lay the foundations Of q
real Franco-German partnership under which
both countries, in addition to advancing eco
nomically together by means Of Joint production
and marketing, would be able to establish power
full checks and guarantees against the possibility
of new war between them. Further, since
other European nations would have standing
invitation to become members Of the pooling
authority, strong new impetus would be given
to the movement for the economic and political
federation Of Europe-a movement which the
United States has been trying to encourage and
expedite in connection with the Marshall Plan.
Of course, since Germany Is partiioned and
since the lands behind the Iron Curtain are not
free to cooperate with the West, the French
offer can result in no overnight miracles But
If certain hostile interests within France itself
will go along with the idea, and II proper safe
guards can be set up against possible abuses that
would make 1t injurious to other nations, such
an immense amount Of good can flow from it
that it may take its place in history as one of
the most enlightened acts Of craftsmanship in
modern times. At any rate, Chancellor Aden-
auer's West German government at Bonn, besides
deciding to join the Council of Europe, has
reacted so enthusiastically to the proposal that
there seems ample reason to feel that an IRON
and-steel union can really be worked out between
the two countries.
It need hardly be added that if such union
were put into effective operation, 1t would do
much more than promote q permanent and
mutually enriching peace between France and
Germany. It would also act as powerful prod
to such countries as the Benelux trio, and per-
haps even Britain, to join in the pooling authority
and move faster toward the integration of West
ern Europe as a whole. The significance Of all
this speaks pretty much for itself. If it material
ICES, even in a slow step-by-step process, 1t is
bound to result in vast strengthening of the
free world vis-a-vis Russia in the International
balance of power-which is not the least Of the
reasons why the proposal has received the warm
approval Of Secretary Of State Acheson.