Evening star., 1952-05-14
Bonn and the Bullying Reds

The Kremlin and its East German puppets
are now at their ugliest best in seeking to dis
suade Chancellor Adenauer and his Bonn gov
ernment from taking final action on the peace
contract with France, Britain and the United
States The day for signing that contract-which
is designed to make West Germany an almost
sovereign nation-is fast approaching So the
heat is on. with Moscow's stooges all but declar-
ing shooting war in advance of the event.
Thus, within recent days, there has been an
obviously systematic outpouring of threatful Red
propaganda. To begin with, in special message
to Generalissimo Stain, the Communist East
German regime has announced plans to build up
an army without further delay in order to "de-
fend" the Soviet zone of occupation from Anglo
French American "aggression" In reply the top
Red dictator has indicated that he is very pleased
by the Developments fact leaving little room
for doubt that the Russians are ready to carry
through with a rapid expansion of the special
"police" units they have already organized and
armed in their part of Germany.
simultaneously with this, Otto Grotewohl,
Walter Ulbricht and other leading Communists
in East Germany have been making lot Of loud
noises full of grim warnings about dire events
around the corner. Ulbricht for example, has
been ostentatiously ominous in declaring that
"the day the peace contract is signed West Berlin
gesting that the men of the Kremlin on that day
will subject the city to repetition of their in
famous 1949 blockade. Similarly, the Reds have
been talking more and more about how there may
be German Korea and about how personal
physical vengeance will be visited upon all the
officials of Bonn-including members of Parlia-
ment-who dare to sign or support the impend-
ing agreement with France Britain and the
United States.
The Soviet Union for its own part, has been
anything but silent in this bullying business.
Through its completely controlled press-whict
merely parrots what it is ordered to parrot-the
Kremlin has once again insisted that its plan for
German unihcation be accepted without further
delay by the Western Big Three. At the same
time, aware that the Big Three-as they have
just declared in their latest note on the issue
will never agree to the present form of that plan
the Russians have cut loose with an editorial
barrage warning that Bonn, if it signs the peace
contract may "submerge Germany in the mael-
Strom of a new war;"
Clearly enough, all this is calculated to
frighten Bonn-and perhaps Paris, London and
Washington as well-into postponing action on
the peace contract and the related plan to make
West Germany a military participant in the de-
tense of free Europe. The thing may or may not
be mere bluf1ng maneuver in war of nerves.
It may or may not be the prelude to actual physi-
cal or military violence. Whatever it is or may
be, however, Chancellor Adenauer and his gov
ernment, in an official information bulletin have
responded to it very well with these words:
Neither threats nor terror from the East will
prevent our federal republic from going with the
West on the path to unity in peace and freedom"
Here are words that express the kind of
resolutenes that every free nation should display
now. The time has come to make clear to the
men of the Kremlin that If they want show
down-on the German issue or any other issue
they can have it. They should be told in un-
mistakable terms that force will be met with
force.