Evening star., 1953-09-06
West Germany Votes

Virtually every postwar election in West
ern Europe has had significance in terms OF the
gigantic struggle which has been going on
between the Communist and. non-C Communist
parts of the world. So it is that today's voting
In West Germany has significant meaning
that extends far beyond the borders of the
Federal Republic
1t is not, in this case, that the Communists
are making threatful bid for power in terms
OF electing their candidates to the Bundestag
They hold only handful of seats in the
present Parliament and there is little prospect
of any substantial increase in this group. But
as has been the case virtually since the day the
shooting stopped in 1945, Germany is prime
target and front-line battle-ground for the
broader global conflict Germany divides the
East and the West in Europe When and il
Germany is reunited it is almost certain again
to hold the balance of power on divided
continent if not indeed in a divided world
Today's contest in West Germany is pri-
mar1ly one between the Christian Democratic
Union, headed by Chancellor Adenauer and the
Social Democrats, led by Erich Ollenhauer The
German election system does not favor splinter
parties although factions of the more extreme
right and left will be in the field, and some
OF these minority parties have contributed
valuable parliamentary strength to coalition
support of Dr. Adenauer. In briefest terms, the
difference between Adenauer and Ollenhauer
on international affairs is simply the difference
between the strongly pro-Western policy of the
former and the stubbornly nationalist, if not
outright neutralist, policy of the latter. In the
background is agreement on one overriding OBJ
jective, the reunifcation of East and West
Germany. -
Both Washington and Moscow, whether
wisely or effectively have intervened in the
campaign now ended with their greatest en-
phaSiS on this very issue of reunification. From
the American side, in July, President Eisen-
hover wrote Chancellor Adenauer that 'free
elections and the formation of a free all
German government" are essential to solution
of German problems. The Bonn government
was given jurisdiction over distribution of
American food for East Germans, Russia was
asked to remove travel barriers between East
and West Germany, and Big Four conference
on free alderman elections and eventual
unification plus peace treaty was proposed
after todayS elections. On Friday came Secre-
tary Dulles unexpected and much-debated open
Endorsement of DR.. Adenauer. Meanwhile,
Moscow repeated its previously revealed formula
for the drafting of peace treaty, withdrawal
of foreign troops and the formation of an
alderman government through bilateral ne
gotiations between East and West Germany
but without advance alderman elections. To
build up the pro-Communist East German
government, Moscow announced several "con-
cesSions"-an exchange of ambassadors, end of
reparations, reduction of occupation costs and
a return of properties and war prisoners
calculated to strengthen the facade of SOW
ereignty
There are other factors which may have
bearing upon the German decision today.
The Bonn government made its commitment
months ago to the European Defense Com
munity only to watch helplessly and with
growing disilluson while succession of French
governments has found one pretext after
another for delaying ratification of the treaty,
and while the Italian electorate finally shunted
the pro-Western DR.. De Gasperi out of power.
Nationalist movements from the extreme right
have shown increased strength in both Italy
and West Germany in recent months and the
German Reich Party, including several former
prominent Nazs, has been one of the most
vigorous splinter groups in the current cam
paign With the domestic Communist menace
small, the most disturbing threats in the Fed
eral Republic today are those of neutraliSm and
nationalism in an anti-Western sense.
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