Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-11
Denmark Pulls Out
OF Active NAT0 Role;
Cuts Defense Budget

IuN UelenSe DuugeI
coPENHAdEN, Aug. IL
(NANA) Denmark has yirtu-
ally withdrawn from active par
ticipation in the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization, leaving 8
gap In the Vests defensive wall
from Western Germany to Nor
way on the northern flank. Mil
itary experts estimate the Danes
would be overrun from the east
within 48 hours.
The government decision, In
defiance of advice from its own
defense chiefs as well as tine
NATO commander, Gen. Alfred
NJ. Gruenther, to reduce the
CONSUMPTION period confirms the
Danes as the first nation to be-
come a passive NATO member.
simultaneously the government
this summer has cut It's defense
budget by 81 million, or 3 per
cent.
When Parliament meets IN
September the administration
has been promised support in
its plan to reduce the draft from
10 to Is months from the ma
tons radicals. It is also certain
Of Communist backing.
Resist Offers Of Troops.
Offers to station NATO troops
or airmen in Denmark have been
declined-even firmly resisted.
The Danes have even opposed
the preparation. at no cost to
themselves. Of airfields for the
reception, in an emergency, Of
NATO help.
While the Danes have often
expressed irritation that their
country Is described as NATO's
weakest link, in reality theirs is
o missing link.
Public opinion polls have
shown that only about half Of
the Danes favor continued NATO
allegiance. Although it was the
members Of the Social Demo-
cratic Party who, when efforts
to bring the Swedes into q Scan
dinavian defense outside NATO
broke down, allied this nation
to NATO. their hearts were
never In It. The vast majority
Of their political followers would
not support an active NATO
policy.
Gets Lot Of Aid.
While Denmark Is the country
which had received proportions
ately most United States defense
aid. she has always spent pro-
portionately less Of her own
money on defense than any
other NATO member. Prime
Minister Hans Hedtoft has adj
mitted that mo Social Demo-
crat aims at unreasonable ex-
penditure or dispositions within
the framework of the. Atlantic;
Pact" yet his party maintains
the incontestable right of Dem
mark to receive aid from her all
lies"
While Denmark is geograph-
ically in a position to bottle, up
Soviet naval forces in the Baltic,
to defend the country is a mat
ter Of the greatest strategic COM
plexity. Recognizing this, the
Allied Supreme Headquarters has
told the Danes that they are only
expected to hold up an aggressor
for a few days unit help can
reach them. Denmark has
merely to take the first shock
of an attack.
On paper. the Danes have Its
10000 men under arms. In view
Of this and of the probability
that reserves would never 60
into action since their service
period until the end of last year
was mere 10 months and there
have been no call-ups for re-
training. it is hardly surprising
that military experts believe that
Denmark would be occupied in
less than 48 hours-even If at
tackled with only the weapons of
the last war.
May Center on Jutland.
For the moment the greatest
worry Of Defense Minister Ras-
mus Hansen concerns the nature
Of the strategic readjustments"
which a NATO spokesman has
warned will have to be made If
Denmark insists on an even
smaller and less well-trained
army. The minister is fully aware