Evening star., 1953-12-24
Eisenhower Supports Dulles
In Prodding France on EDC
White House Statement Quickly Follows
Election Of Rene Coty as President

erclSe considerable 1nf1uence
both through personal prestige
and guiding the formation OF
new governments task he will
tackle for the first time immedi-
ately after he takes Office jan
uary II.
President Eisenhower sent this
message of congratulation to the
new president:
please accept my congratula-
tions upon your election to the
presidency of the French Re-
public. I am confident that
during your term in Office
France, true to her tradition
will provide inspiration and
leadership to our common efforts
to advance the cause of peace
well-being and human dignity
for the peoples of the world
United States officials thought
the presidential balloting went or
so long as to harm Frances pres
tige as a world power. They
were glad when it ended, but
fearful that the deep political
divisions demonstrated by q
week of balloting will mean Sc
rious trouble in the organiza-
ton of a new government to sue
ceed that of Premier Joseph
Laniel. Mr.. Laniel will resign
when Mr.. Coty takes over from
President Vincent Auriol.
The United States has beer
pressing for Is months to wir
French acceptance of EDO. Re-
Gently the campaign clearly has
taken a new turn:
Prodded by Dulles.
In Paris early last week, Sec
retary Dulles told the North At
lantic Treaty Organization coun-
Gil that EDO would have to be
set up-that West German forces
would have to be rearmed under
it-or that the United States
would be forced to reappraise its
policies.
On Tuesday. the secretary de-
voted nearly all of an address
to the National Press Club here
to arguments for EDO and grave
words about a weakening of
Europe's defenses unless it was
approved. He said alternatives
were feeble" but sketched them
as ranging from creation of a
West German national army
(Which France has bitterly op-
poseq to withdrawal of Ameri-
can troops from Germany if
German forces cannot partici-
pate in their own defense.
Yesterday, Gen. Eisenhower
threw the weight of his prestige
behind the pressure campaign
his foreign policy chief has been
waging. Following is the text
OF the Presidents statement:
Eisenhower's Statement.
"At today's meeting of the
National Security Council, the
President received with satisfac-
tion the report on NATO made
by Mr.. Dulles, Mr.. Humphrey
Treasury Secretary: Mr.. Wilson,
Defense Secretary. and Mr.. Stas-
sen, foreign operations admins
traitor. who attended the min
iSterial council meeting in Paris.
They reported that NATO is
functioning efficiently, and is
continuing to develop the
strength and cohesion needed to
provide security on a long-term
collective basis.
"The President was informed
concerning the prospects OF
bringing into being the European
Defense, Community, a matter
which has long been of deep
concern to him. He considers
this the only practical proposal
for ending permanently the re-
current strife between France
and Germany. provoked twice
in our generation by German
militarism. and of creating a
solid core at the center of the
NATO structure.
THE President shares the
view which has been expressed
to the Council by Secretary
Dulles, that failure soon to con-
summate the EDO would con-
front the United States with the
necessity of reappraising its
basic policies as regards Europe
"The President also was in
formed of the operations of the
European coal and steel COM
munity, which has already
brought together, in limited
unity, the six nations which are
prospective members of the
European defense and political
communities.
He was encouraged that the
coal and steel community is
now in effective operation and
reaff1rms his hope that ways
might be found to enable the
United States to assist, on a
loan basis. in modernizing and
developing the natural resources
within the Jurisdiction of this
community. in accordance with
his letter of June Is to the
Senate Foreign Relations Com
mlttee and the House Foreign
Affairs Committee"