Evening star., 1953-05-15
Germany First
Took Europe's
Army Treaty
Adenuuer Obtoins
Upper House Backing
Under Compromise
BY the ASsoeiGtsd Press

BY the ASSoeiqtod Press
BONN, Germany. Nav 15.-
West German Chancellor Kon-
rad Adenauer won reluctant ap-
proval today from his Parlia-
ment's Upper House the
Bundestrat-for the European
army treaty. Germanv's law
makers thus became the first
legislative body to ratify the
treaty to set up a six-nation,
2-million-man Western defense
force.
The Bundesrat approved the
army treaty and it's related
allied-Bonn peace contract by a
compromise formula under
which the Upper Chamber ap-
proved two lesser sections of the
treaties and voiced no objections
to the two major sections.
The vote. which followed only
brief debate in a special session,
was % to Is.
Called Illegal Trick.
The twin treaties, under which
West Germany would rearm and
call up 100000 soldiers for West
ern defense, were approved in
their elrJirety by the popularity
elected lower house of Parlia-
ment on March Is by a margin
of more than so votes.
Today'S vote in the upper
house drew an immediate pro-
test from the anti-rearmament
opposition Socialists, who de-
nounced the vote as. an illegal
trick and vowed they would still
kill the treaties in the Federal
supreme court on constitutional
grounds.
The court had refused to rule
on the treaties until they were
ratified by Parliament and signed
by West German President Theo-
dor H0lsS.
Governor Agrees to Plan.
The Socialists contend that
West Germany's constitution pro-
hibits rearmament and the pacts
therefore need the two-thirds
parliamentary majority required
for a constitutional change. Mr..
Adenauer. who can not command
such a majority. insists the con-
stitution permits rearmament for
defense.
The Bundesrat. on April "a,
voted to postpone action on the
treaties. Subsequently Minister
President (governor) Reinhold
Maier of Baden Wuerttemberg,
who controls the decisive f1ve
votes in the upper chamber.
agreed to the part-ratification.
part mo opposition" action taken
today
Rejected Three Weeks Ago.
The army treaty also Is
awaiting ratification by the
parliaments of the other five ma
tions who have signed up to sup
ply troops-1taly. France, Bel
gium, the Netherlands and
Luxembourg.
(In Washington, Acting Sec
retary Of State Walter Bedell
Smith said the German action
will greatly encourage those
striving for increased strength
and unity of the Free World.
He emphasized hope that other
nations involved in the EDO
treaty may follow suit in the
near future0
Just three weeks ago the up
per house refused, by 20 votes to
18. to approve the treaties until
the Supreme Court has ruled on
their constitutionality.
Today's reversal was achieved
by what Mr.. Maier called
miracle formula" This was
that the House would approve
those two treaty provision which
concern financial support of Eu-
ropean army forces and Allied
defense troops stationed in Eu-
rope, and would not object to
remaining treaty sections.
Chancellor Adenauer has been
contending all the time that the
treaties do not require the full
approval of the BundeSrat, and
that this chamber can pass only
on the financial sections. 1t was
for this reason that the Chancel-
lor deliberately divided the
treaty laws to circumvent hav>
ing ratification blocked in the
upper chamber. where he lacks
q solid majority.