Evening star., 1952-12-26
THE EVENING STAR
Adenauer Appeals
For Strong Man as
US. Boss in Germany
BY the AssoeIoted Press


BONN, Germany, Dec 26.-West
German Chancellor Konra d
Adenauer has urgently appealed
to President-elect Eisenhower to
appoint a strong man" as new
United States high commissioner
to Germany as soon as possible.
allied sources reported today.
They said he asked that the
Job be given to a forceful figure
who could give a much-needed
boost to tagging plans for German
rearmament and West European
unification.
Adenauer's request is regarded
as actually a distress signal. He
needs to get ratification of West
Germany's treaties of alliance with
the West. And he thinks France
and other partners Of the six
nation European army project
need jogging from the United
States to get on with the job.
DonnelIy Is Retiring.
The Chancellor is reported to
have sent dierct request to Gen.
Eisenhower. and an appeal in
directly through two men who have
served as United States high COM
miSsioners-John j. McCloy and
Walter L. Donnelly. Mr.. Donnelly
retires as high commissioner De-
cember 81.
There is wide speculation here
as to who might get the tough
post.
Among those mentioned in dip
lomatic circles and in the German
press are: William H. Draper, jr.,
President Truman's special Am
bassador to Europe and chief of
the Mutual Security Agency for
the Continent; Robert D. Murphy,
present United States Ambassador
to Japan and a career diplomat,
and George F. Kennan, former
United States Ambassador to
Russia.
Both Mr.. Draper and Mr.. Muir
ply served on the staff of Gen.
Lucius D. Clay when Gen. Clay
was United States military gov
ernor of Germany. Mr.. Draper
was Gen. Clay's chief economic
adviser and helped put the coun-
try back on its feet. Mr.. Murphy
was the generals political adviser.
Mr.. Kennan worked in Germany
before the war and is an expert
on East-West problems that
form big part of the job here.
Parliamentary Delays.
AS Mr.. Adenauer and other
German and American officials
here see it. Gen, Eisenhower holds
the key to the solution of the
European army and alliance
treaty problems-slowed down by
parliamentary delays and intra-
European pickering.
Time is critical for Mr.. Adenauer.
This protaganist of West German
rearmament and integration with
the West will be II on January
5. He will be embarking on criti-
cal year of his political life when
his whole program may succeed or
fail. Though harty and alert. he
faces major political battles. in
cluding a national election cam
paign.
He still must fight for final
parliamentary approval of the
pacts he negotiated with the West
the peace contract with the
United States, Britain and France,
and the European army pact
under which West Germany would
raise a half million soldiers for
common defense against Com
munist aggression.
Legality Questioned.
Not only must Mr.. Adenauer
steer the pacts through the third
and final reading in the Bundestag
dover house of ParliamenD but
he has become embroiled in a
battle over their constitutionality
especially over German rearma-
ment.
There is nothing in the federal
constitution specifically forbidding
rearmament: neither is there any
mandate for it. If the federal
supreme court rules that change
in the constitution is necessary
the pacts would then require a
two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Mr.. Adenauer cannot command
such margin in the present legis-
lature against the powerful op-
position of the Socialists.