Evening star., 1951-11-23
"A Foreign Policy for Americans
Tuft Is skeptico Of U. S. Ability to Defend Europe
He Terms Pact With Britain More important
By Senator Robert A. Toft
CHAPTER 8.

CHAPTER 8.
The special problems Of Europe
and it's Importance to the cause OF
freedom throughout the world
force us to act there more Wig
orously and make some excep-
tions to the general rules Of policy.
Our cultural background springs
from Europe, and many of our
basic principles Of liberty and
justice were derived from Euro
pean nations. American language
and ideas. American institutions
and American methods of thought
are largely derived from Europe
Our principles of government and
our institutions are certainly more
like those of Europe than like
those of any other parts Of the
world.
We recognize a common inter-
est in promoting the prosperity
of the entire world. through in
creasing our interchange of prod
ucts, by encouraging trade and
commerce. The overwhelming
majority of the American people
have the kindliest feelings for the
people of Western Europe and
certainly desire our relations to
remain on the most friendly basis
Great Productive Area.
1t is also true that outside of the
United States the greatest produc-
tive ability of the world is CEN
tered in Europe, and the indus
trial capacity of Western Europe
if added nnimpaired to Russian
capacity. would make Russia a
more dangerous threat to the
United States than it is today.
To some extent this argument
may be overdone. Let us look at
the actual situation which would
exist in case of war.
These European nations have
asked us to go to war against
Russia if Russia attacks them. We
have agreed to do so. That means
that if Russia does attack there
will be a full-scale war, and it is
likely that war will be fought to
the end. During that war the
industrial potential of Western
Europe can hardly be organized
in time to be of great military
value to the Russians. Industrial
plants would be destroyed by
bombing. The whole economy of
these countries would be COM
upset, as it was in World
War II.
Slow to ReOrganize.
The ability of Russia to restore
European industry when it has
once been disorganized cannot
compare with out ability, and yet
it took four years after the war
and billions of our dollars to re-
store Europe to its industrial po-
tential.
There is one other point that
would like to bring out. We speak
Of Western Europe as If it were
a single country. 1t is nothing of
the kind. and the efforts to make
it such have completely failed up
to this time.
I believe that an alliance with
England and a defense of the
Isle are far more impor-
tant than an alliance with any
continental nation and offer a
greater hope Of success.
With British alliance there can
be little doubt of our complete
control Of sea and air throughout
the world. The British may be
hard to get on with and we may
have many differences with them,
but I believe that both of us are
determined to reconcile those diff
'erences.
Italy Problem Different.
The problem of Italy is almost
separate from that of the
rest Of Europe. Italy can only
be defended as a separate project,
and some modification Of the Ital-
ian treaty is required If there is to
be any defense of Italy at all.
Germany, of course. is in a spe-
cial situation. The Russian zone
extends far across Ger
many. at one point to within 80
miles of the Rhine. The best
opinion considers the de-
tense Of Germany impossible short
Of the Rhine, which would put
most o. Germany again under
Russian control. Naturally enough,
the Germans are not much inter-
ested in establishing an army, if
war could lead only to their being
another battle-ground between
powerful nations.
France is the only other large
country, and its problems again
are almost completely individual.
Certainly France cannot be de-
Tended by us unless it shows a
great interest in a strong army
Of its own.
Unification Plans Fail.
It has been American policy to
try to unity Western Europe. eco
nomically and politically, but that
policy certainly has not been sue
cessful up to this time, and I am
afraid it is contrary to human ma
ture and geography. There is
even resembling a customs
union, and only a slight relaxa-
ton Of trade restrictions. The
Benelux Union. which was sup
posed to set an example, has never
become effective, because of the
inability of reconciling the eco
nomic condition of Holland with
that Of Belgium. The Schuman
plan is encouraging. but Great
Britain, the most important in
dustrial nation in Western Europe
has refused to join.
The nIipcfionc WA boya - ~~~l