Evening star., 1954-09-22
Mendes-Fronce at Strosbourq

It Is not surprising that British and
American diplomatic circles are reported to
be quite unenthusiastic over the address
that French Premier Mendes-France has
delivered to the European Consultative AS
Sembly at Strasbourg. For he has spoken
too vaguely and too uninspirationally to en-
courage very much hope that his govern
ment will have effective proposals to offer
at next weeks nine-power London confer
ence on the question Of granting sovereignty
to the West Germans and rearming them
within the framework of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization.
The conference, in which Secretary Of
State Dulles will participate, has been called
by Britain in an urgent effort to make the
best OF the bad situation caused by the
French National Assembly's rejection OF the
European Defense Community. The obiec-
tive Of the gathering will be to work out
some reasonably adequate EDO substitute
one that will establish West Germany as
sovereign state and enable 1t, as quickly as
possible, and with Frances assent, to be
armed sufficiently as NATO member to
make a substantial and much-needed con-
tribution to the common defense Of free
Europe.
At Strasbourg as elsewhere, Mr.. Mendes-
France has affirmed that he is in agreement
with this objective, but he does not appear
to be in hurry to attain it. At any rate,
his none -too-clear plan-as outlined to the
European Consultative .Assembly-seems to
be a slow-moving and complex one whose
first step would consist Of expanding the
five-nation 1948 Brussels mutual-defense
pact britain, France and the Benelux
countries) to include Italy and West Ger
many. The next step would set up super
visory achinery-involving small "dose
Of supranationality Ak certain controls
on the armed forces and arms production
of all the pact'S members. And finally, with
the British tied into the continental secu-
rity system more intimately than at present,
action would be taken-on some future date
left altogether indefinite by the French Pre-
nier-to rearm the free Germans and admit
them into NATO.
In number of respects, this formula
Is similar to British Foreign Secretary
Eden's proposed substitute for the EDO. But
Mr.. Eden-not to mention Mr.. Dulles or
other participants in the Forthcoming Lon
don conferences likely to be against at
least three of the ideas that MIR. Mendes-
France has suggested. The first Of these Is
that having to do with establishing special
arns-control machinery outside the Attain
tic alliance. The second is the one that
would oblige Britain to make new and
deeper European commitments, surrender
ing measure of sovereignty in the process.
And the third is the apparent slow-motion
French timetable for rearming West Ger
many within NATO.
All things considered, therefore, what
the French Premier has said at Strasbourg
can hardly be described as promising, and
so the Atlantic community must hope that
he will say something much better at. Lon
don-something more specific and affirm
ative, something definitely committing
France to an interallied program capable Of
offsetting the worst effects Of the EDO
wreckage. Otherwise, If this issue continues
in deadlock, the Mendes-France govern
ment will be heavily responsible before his
tory for situation in which NATO could be
mortally hurt, with grave consequences for
the entire free world.