Evening star., 1954-04-16
Britoin's Pledge to the EDC

Britain has now taken Impressive action to
encourage and expedite French ratification of
the European Defense Community treaty. It has
done so by formally committing itself to con-
tribute directly, in both military and political
sense, to the EDCs projected internationalized
army. AS result, there is a better chance
today although the issue is still matter of
touch and go-that the Laniel government will
succeed in persuading a majority Of the Ma
tional Assembly in Paris to cast an affirmative
vote for the enterprise.
AS explained by Foreign Secretary Eden,
the major features of the new commitment are
that it pledges Britain % to place full ar
mored division, together with air units, under
the top EDO command within the framework
of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; co
to name permanent representatives to the De-
fense Commuritys councils; 90 to consult
with those councils on any questions having to
do with possible changes in the size and compo-
sition of British forces now stationed on the
European continent; and az to maintain ade-
quate military strength over there as long as
Western security is threatened and the NATO
alliance remains in force-a period of indefinite
but long duration.
Although this commitment falls short of
full membership in the EDO, it provides for
very close association between the British and
the six nations that have signed the treaty to
merge their forces into the single supranational
army that is supposed to be organized as key
part of the NATO setup-the six being France,
West Germany Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands
and Luxembourg. In effect, in pledging itself
to such an association, Britain has pretty well
satisfied the official French desire to have it
participate in the project to an extent calcu-
lated to create an added guarantee against the
ifxy hot torcy
might eventually be reborn inside the European
Defense Community.
OF course, wholly apart from those who are
violently opposed to the EDO in any FORM there
are many Frenchmen who still believe that
Britain should link itself to the enterprise as
full-fiedged member. MIR. Eden, however, has
made clear that his country has given the
"best" pledge that it can. That is to say, it
continues to adhere to the belief that its COM
plete and unqualified participation in the pro-
posed internationalized army would be imprac-
ticable at least at this stage, because of the
United Kingdoms non-continental position as
an insular power and its unique relationships
with the world-encrcling Commonwealth Of
Nations-a position that makes it shy away
from joining unreservedly in the European De-
fenSe Community.
This attitude is altogether understandable,
and the British have done WELL in spite of it, to
commit themselves to the extent that they
have. Accordingly, in view of that commitment
and the fact that it has now been backed up
with firm related assurances from President
Eisenhower, there is little reason for further
French wavering. The National Assembly is
expected to debate the ISSUE late next month,
and if hard-headed thinking prevails, rather
than emotionalism, ratification should be
sured. Otherwise, in the event of negative
vote, all our allied defense planning will be
seriously shaken-so much SO that the United
States, as Secretary Dulles has warned, will have
to undertake IAN agonizing reappraisal" Of its
role in free Europe.