Evening star., 1954-09-17
Dorothy Thompson
Dorothy Thonpson-
France additionally |soIotionist
no coalition Can Endure Unless Secured by Force
Or Sustained by Mutual Interest Between Eauols

Robert D. Murphy. Under
secretary of State. has begun
a tour of West European
capitals in the wake of that
of Anthony Eden. the British
Foreign Secretary. The OBJ
ject, like that of Mr.. Eden, is
to ascertain how to establish
West Germany's position IN
the Western coalition, now
that the French National AS
sembly has defeated the Euro
pean Defense Community.
1t is already obvious that the
British and American govern
ments do not entirely see eye
to eye on political objectives.
The United States is backing
full sovereignty for the Bonn
Republic, including the right
to rearm, in return for it's ad-
herence to the Western alli-
ance.
The British, as indicated by
a communique correcting one
put out by Bonn, wish to keep
restrictions on German soyer-
eighty, even though EDO,
which proposed a supra
national military organization
that would have restricted the
sovereignty in military matters
OF all its participants, no
longer exists.
Great Britain refused to Join
EDO from the beginning, a fact
which furnished the main
argument for it's eventual re-
lection by France. France
argued that in a SUPRA
national army composed,
baSically, of French and Ger
man forces without the Brit
ish, the Germans would be
dominant.
But behind the rejection by
both was the unwillingness of
either to limit its own free
dom OF action. i.e., its sover-
eighty.
For we may question whether
the French attitude is deter
mined only by fear of Ger
many. In 1910, when France
was facing immediate defeat
by Germany, Winston Church.
Ill, backed by a British coali-
ton cabinet, proposed full po-
litical union of Britain and
France, including common cit
lzenship. The offer came when
German power was at it's
height, in control of Europe
from the borders of Russia to
the gates of Paris. But the
government of France refused,
and France split into two fac
tlons. the Vichyites, accepting
defeat and a rump France COVE
erned by collaborators with
Germany, and the Gaullists.
continuing the war from the
British Isles, but with a French
national army.
Then France argued, no
doubt, that in a British French
union Britain would be DOM
1nant. French governments al
ways find arguments for re-
jecting measures restricting
their own full national con-
troll. When Italy, beset by
overpopulation and unemploy-
proposed free exchange
OF French and italian labor
and France was suffering a
labor shortage-France re-
fused on the ground that the
proposal would eventually re-
suit in Italianizing Southern
France. There the opposition
was apparently biological.
When little Belgium, with
one of the few sound curren-
cies in Europe. proposed a cur
rency union. France rejected
that. The Belgian franc was
700 good!
In short, a fundamentally
Solationist attitude is the
perennial stand of the govern
nents Of France, regardless
If the partnerships offered or
The circumstances besetting
her. France would apparently
'ather go to her grave singing
he Marsellaise than march to
my other tune. Since she
allied under Napoleon to con-
luer Europe. France has not
'een European-minded.
However, one may make an
'ther observation: No coali-
ion, military or political, has |