Evening star., 1954-10-22
The Realities of Paris


effectuating the complex of agreements
bearing upon the forthcoming relationship
Of West Germany with the North Atlantic
West European powers made substantial and
encouraging progress during the first two
crowded days of the Paris Conference. AS
this is written, however it is facing its
greatest test today in head-on French
West German encounter over the trouble
some Saar issue and the fate Of the entire
meeting appears to be hanging in that
balance.
Accomplishments thus far are: (1)
Agreement on ending the British French
American military occupation of West
Germany and restoration Of nearly COM
plete sovereignty to the Federal Republic;
(2) agreement on the structure of West
ern European Union, built upon an expanded
Brussels pact alliance as a framework for
West German rearmament within the
NATO.
The first of these understandings i'm
plements Section I of the Act of London,
statement of policy by the Big Three
favoring an end of "the occupation regime
as soon as possible" and association of the
Federal Republic with these powers "on a
footing of equality" It is, in effect,
substitute for the two-year- Bonn peace
contract, never fully ratified For the time
being, at least, it would take the place of
a formal peace treaty which must wait
upon German unif1cation and Soviet
agreement.
It was with the latter problems in mind,
incidentally, that the Big Three retain in
the Paris agreement the legal right-rather
than the privilege-to station Allied troops
in West Germany and in Berlin in event
of new crises arising out of the uniflcation
problem or Soviet aggression. This is the
major reservation, apparently, in the degree
OF sovereignty now being proposed for the
Federal Republic. News accounts credit
Chancellor Adenauer, who had asked earlier
for complete sovereignty, with making this
important concession in order to clear the
way for the agreement.
On the Western European Union there
was speedy agreement among the seven
powers directly involved, and again with
heartening display of willingness to COM
promise. BY terms of the understanding,
West Germany and Italy will join Britain,
France and the three Benelux countries
within the treaty structure The United
States and Canada will stand by as limited
pol VAACAo dA1O SudA d11UOl pOWSIO. 0CVCA al
protocols to the basic Brussels treaty were
accepted by the signatory powers and it
was in these that willingness to compro-
mise original positions again was reflected.
For example, the list of heavy weapons
which West Germany will be forbidden to
produce is shorter than first suggested by
France. Also, Premier Mendes-France did
not insist on an Immediate decision on his
request for centralized arms pool, but
did ask that special study group report
on the problem to the new Brussels Council
On the basis of the progress thus far,
there now appears to be no obstacle to
agreement-expected today-on admitting
West Germany into the NATO. If this and
the Saar problem are resolved today, the
formal signing of all the conference docu-
ments will take place as planned tomorrow.
There would then remain, of course, the re-
quirement of parliamentary ratifications-
step which has brought disappointment
before but which might be approached in
this case with reasonable degree of op-
tinism.