Evening star., 1953-07-26
Pressure for European Defense Ratification Contnut
New West Moves Show
Plun Isn't Dead Yet
By EorI n. Voss
By EorI H. Voss

Three events of the past two
weeks have dented, although not
pierced, the wall of gloom that has
grown up around hopes for ratifi-
cation of the European Defense
Community treaty.
This pact, it will be remembered,
would set up a six-nation army to
serve as one important component
of the North Atlantic Treaty Orga-
nization's armed forces. West Ger
man troops would join those of
France, Italy, Belgium, the Neither
lands and Luxembourg.
Recently, the combination of un-
dying French fear of Germany, and
the West European yearning to re-
lax and enjoy the Russian peace
offensive has been read as the be-
ginning of the end for EDO. The
East German riots also shifted at
tention away from it, and toward
German reunif1catlon
Two weeks ago, however, the Big
Three foreign ministers moved to
keep hope for EDO alive. They
included an expression of continu-
ing confidence in EDO as an i'm
portant step toward full European
unity. But many looked Oh this
statement as a mere formality, a
sort of consolation prize for Secre-
tary of State John Foster Dulles,
who has pushed the program SO
hard.
Boost From Moscow
Last Thursday the Kremlin gave
EDO an incidental boost by reject
ing Big Three proposals for q late
September conference on reuniting
Germany. This reinforced the view
that Russia Is inSincere in its talk
about unification. If Europe now
could be convinced that the Soviet
Union has no intention of letting
East Germany rejoin the Bonn re-
public. there would be little left to
do but get on with EDO.
The third event was Thursdays
Dutch lower house action ratifying
the edo treaty. The upper house of
the Netherlands legislature also
must approve the pact. and is ex-
pected to act after the summer
recess.
But these optimistic notes are on
the light side when weighed against
the heavy obstacles which still lie
ahead. So far the only parliament
to complete action on EDO is Ger
many'S. Even there the treaty
does not have clear sailing. The
Supreme Court has yet to decide
whether the whole thing is legal.
French Obstacles
The French, who invented EDO
as a device to relegate Germany to
a sort of Junior partnership in Euro
pean defense and unification pro-
grams, must clear up three matters
before their Parliament will act.
Two points are minor: The British
must pledge closer support to the
EDO and all the Signatories must
approve French amendments to the
edo treaty.
The major stumbling block is the
dispute with Germany over the sta
tus of the Saar. Both countries
claim the coal-rich tract. Neither
side shows much enthusiasm for the
obvious compromise of making the
Saar a sort of District of Columbia
for the projected United States of
Europe.
In Belgium the tendency is to
follow Frances lead. 1t is under
standable then, that the present
mood in that country is indecisive.
Luxembourg, for its part. rarely
acts until Belgium does.
In Italy, prospects are not 81 good
as they were before the June elec-
tions. But despite De Gasperi's
shaky majority, the Italians are still
expected to go along.
Thus, one year and two months
after the EDO treaty was signed in
Paris, all the major obstacles except
the Bonn Parliament still remain.
Not even the optimists hope all ma
tions will approve the pact before
next summer.
The Alternatives
If EDO were to be rejected
by some one of the five parliamentS,
or otherwise were to be scrapped.
what are the alternatives? Amer
ican public opinion has been so
heavily sold on EDO that it has
come to be regarded as almost in
dispenSable. Assistant Secretary of
Defense Frank C. Nash recently
ventured the opinion, however, that
edo had been oversold. Europe
will not stand or fall with EDO.
For one thing, there already have
been real strides toward European
unity. None of these will be lost
if EDO fails. The coal and steel
community is going concern. 1t
has already made the possibility of
future German military move
against Western Europe extremely
improbable. And European economic
recovery, accomplished with Amer
lean help, is also partly attributable
to cooperative efforts of the West
European countries.
There are at least two feasible
alternatives to EDO:
o Direct German entry into NATO,
as full-fedged member. This was
the original proposal, but it was
modified at Frances insistence to
reduce the possibility of Germany
some day running away with the de-
fensive alliance either by dominat-
ing it or by making something ag-
gressive out of it.
. Political unification first, with
military unif1cation to follow. This,
of course, would involve an indefi-
mite delaV in unifyinp defenSeS while