Evening star., 1953-09-29
Assurances for Russia

Assurances for Russia
II the men of the Kremlin mean what they
say when they talk about wanting to coexist
peacefully with the free world, they will re-
pond with something more statesmanlike than
a ridiculing "no" to the Vests concerted new
effort to persuade them that they have nothing
to fear from the projected European Defense
Community.
Even though it does not exist as yet the
EDC-in which Belgium, the Netherlands Lux
embourg, Italy, West Germany and France
are supposed to merge their armed forces into
a single army operating within the Atlantic
alliance-has long been under heavy attack
from Moscow. In effect as the SovietS purport
to see it, it is nothing but conspiratorial en-
terprise being organized to revive German
militarism for aggressive war against Russia and
the other peoples democraceS" behind the
Iron Curtain
Despite the falsity of this view, there is
perhaps chance that the men of the Kremlin
sincerely believe in it, and that is why the West
is once again trying to convince them to the
contrary The effort to that end began fort
night ago when Secretary of State Dulles, in
his excellent conciliatory address to the United
Nations General Assembly, made the following
statement: "The Russian people, like the French
people. have not forgotten what their nation
suffered from Hitlerite Germany. /. They
expect, and they are entitled to, assurances
against repetition of such events. And that is
also the ardent wish of the German people
themselves. That is, indeed the large purpose
of the European Defense Community. 1t will
merge German military strength into the struc-
ture of a non-aggreSSive European community
No single member of the community will have
the national military strength to serve national
ambitions That is result which the Soviet
leaders should welcome if they honestly want
peace"
Mr.. Dulles Interpretation has been en-
dorsed and enlarged upon in the Assembly by
spokesmen for the other Western powers, not
ably France. Thus, in addition to sounding out
the Kremlin on the possibility of diplomatic
negotiations to end war in Indo-China, France
speaking through Deputy Foreign Minister
Schumann-has argued Cd that it shares with
Russia, because of what both have suffered
from nilitariStic Germany, "the fear of inva-
sion and the obSessive longing for security"
(2) that the European Defense Community will
serve to reduce this fear and help to satisfy this
longing not only for the French but for the
Russians as we'll; and 90 that the Soviet Union,
if it reconciles itself to the EDO, will find the
West ready to join with it in seeking "a system
of supplementary guarantees of mutual safety,
including "a guarantee against the modification
by force of existing boundaries"
The French, presumably after consultation
with our own Government and Britain'S thus
have elaborated bit on Mr.. Dulles reference
to assurances" for Russia Although the whole
idea needs to be spelled out in much greater
detail, what the Western allies seem to have in
mind is modernized version of the 1925 Lo-
carno Agreement-an atomic age version made
up of criss-cross of anti-aggresSion guarantees
designed to meet the security needs of both the
Soviets and free Europe after a settlement of
vital continental issues, particularly Germany's
unihcation.
If Europe and the world at large are ever
to enjoy true peace some such system will
have to be worked out as part of great new
pattern of collective security. But no offer of
Western assurances" however firm and sweep
ing, will get anywhere unless and until the men
of the Kremlin come to see more profit in CO.
operating than in continuing to pursue their
lone-wolf policy of subversion and aggression.