Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1952-02-08
OPERATION UNITY
By FARMHAM DUDGEON

Editors note: This is one of
a series Of articles prepared by
the Editor Of Western news
paper Union while on a report
ing trip through Europe and
the Near East.)
In the current build-up of strength
against Russia, two major consider
atoms project themselves into the
thinking of the NATO leaders who
are charged with the awful respon-
sibility of meeting this threat to the
peace of the free world. They are:
~ Are supplies from tbe ar
senal .ubieb is the United States
reaching The "f,ont fast enough?
(2) Ars The free Earopeans
fanetionins to the full extent Of
fbei, abilities in terms of "seit-
belp" in building up their de-
fenses9
Finding the answers to. these
vital questions is not an easy job.
In the limited time our group Of
observers had been granted for our
survey, we had to rely for the an
swers on briefings by U. S. military
and diplomatic personnel stationed
in the countries through which we
Travelled, and on the official govern
ment viewpoint of the nations we
visited. We got the latter view
point from their top-fight officials.
Progress Being Made
Sitting through the evidence pre-
scented by these sources, and sup
plementing it with our many off-the-
record conversations with foreign
ncwspapermen and just plain Mr..
Foreign Citizen, we came up with
the general feeling that, "all things
considered" there is much positive
progress being made toward the
overall detectives.
Without attempting to evaluate
the current U. S. domestic contro-
versy on the adequateness of mil
itary supply schedules, there is no
secret about the fact that our lead
ers in Europe and the Near East
would like to get materials at a
faster clip.
However, on this point our mill
taEy leaders are realistic. They
are doing the best they can with
what they have and can get. A year
ago there were probably six fully
and properly equipped "free-coun-
try" divisions in Europe. Today
there are between three and four
times that many.
Considering the situation in Korea,
the long period of time required to
switch production lines from trac-
tors and plows to tanks and planes,
and balancing these factors against
the ability of certain of our allies
to absorb mechanical war a e
equipment, these leaders are in
clined to describe the rate of incom-
ing supplies as being adequate in
tone"
There seems to be no single item
which is needed more desperately
than the others. Everything needed
to fight modern war is in demand:
tanks, planes, communication equip
ment, etc. But the record of de-
liveries already made by United
States under the Mutual Defense AS.
sistance Program is impressive.
To attempt generalization on the
strength and vigor of effort of the
countries which we visited would be
foolhardy, yet you come away from
the continent with the net impress
sion that the effort being put forth
is far better than might be ex-
pected.
Production Is Up
Industrial production is consider
ably better than it was in the period
Immediately before World War II.
Best figures indicate that produc-
ton is about 100 per cent of 1888
Military forces are growing in those
countries not restricted by treaty
regulations.