Evening star., 1954-09-15
Eden Reaches Paris
To Sell Substitute
For ScuttIed edo
BY the Associo,ed Press

Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden
fresh from unity talks in
Brussels. Bonn and Rome
tackled Paris today in behalf of
the Churchill governments new
plan to enlist West German
troops in the defense of Western
Europe.
Mr.. Eden expressed confidence
In a statement that he and
tFrench Premier Pierre Mendes-
France. who met him on his ar
Trivial in a mist at LIE Bourget
I Airf1eld. will find a solution to
&e problems of European de-
Nse they are facing. Those
4. enns were raised by the
de, 1apf the European Defense
Con lihnity tEDC9 treaty last
month at the hands of French
National Assembly.
Asked if all the countries he
had visited were agreed on the
entrance Of West Germany into
the North Atlantic Treaty Or
ganization. Mr.. Eden replied: |:
Il think that what I have said
is enough"
He said he had found agree
ment everywhere and he was
certain he would find agreement
in France, too.
Premier Meets Him at Plane
Mr.. Eden chatted smilingly
with Mr.. Mendes- France as they
walked from the airport station
to their cars. Mr.. Eden's gray
hair lowered inches over the
black hair of Mr.. Mendas-
France, who was hatleSS.
The Foreign Secretary headed
first to the British Embassy and
then. within a few minutes, to
the French Foreign Ministry to
;hegin his talks with Mr.. Mendes-
France. 1#
. Since his departure from Ton
.don Saturday, Mr.. Eden has won
squick and hopeful support for
shis plan from the leaders of
:West Germany. Italy and the
sBenelux trio - Belgium, the
Netherlands and Luxembourg.
France today remained the
only question mark.
AS a replacement for EDC's
.one-uniform, six-nation, Euro
i pean army, the British propose
ito link rearmed West Germany
:and Italy to the Brussels Mu-
:tual Defense Pact signed in 1948
sby Britain. France and the three
Benelux nations.
France Is Big Problems.
The expanded alliance pre-
.sumably would operate under the
North Atlantic Treaty Organiza-
tion, which has taken over the
:military phases of the Brussels
pact. The big problem appeared
ito be whether France-whose
Parliament voted more than two
years ago against admitting Ger
many into NATO-now would
accept such an arrangement.
! Some French officials think
fhelr Premier will agree to West
German membership in NATO if
nle gets certain pledges from
Britain and the United States,
hsxWell as from the Germans.
With many Frenchmen fearful
that an independent West Ger
man army might try to get East
Germany back from the Reds by
force, Mr.. Mendes-France re-
portedly wants promises from
the United States and Britain to:
l. Keep their forces in Ger
many;
2. Bar German manufacture of
major weapons-jet aircraft, at
omic arms, the bigger guns and
the like;
3. Back a system Of manpower
ceilings that would hold the Ger
man forces to something like the
French level.
Parliament Open Question
Whether such guarantees
would satisfy the French parlia-
ment is something nobody can
predict.
Sources in London said that if
Mr.. Mendes France accepts
the British plan, even only par
TALLY, Mr.. Eden intends to call a
conference in London around the
end of the month to work out
details of the new alliance. It
would be attended by the seven
prospective allies, plus the United
States and Canada.