Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-12
Fourth in a Series

as he faces the most critical
Legislative battle of the German
rearmament program, the Chan
Icellor's political grip is slipping
In the last few months a series
of events has undermined DR.
Adenauer's seemingly impreg-
nable position and raised serious
doubts about the future Of his
government.
Out Of Character
The first of, these is the reac-
ton that has developed to the
Chancellor's direct negotia-
lions" with the Russians in Mos
COW last fall. Given the climate
of German opinion at the time,
lit may be true that DR.. Aden-
auer had no choice in accepting
the Russian offer Of German
prisoners in exchange for estab-
Fishing diplomatic alton S.
Nevertheless, this sort of dicker-
ling with the Kremlin seemed en-
Itirely out of character for the
|fiercely pro-Western Chancellor
And as time went on-as many
prisoners failed to appear and
Russian diplomatic intentions
became clearer-more and more
Germans have reached the con-
Iclusion that DR.. Adenauer was
badly outsmarted in the deal.
The failure of the Geneva con-
ference marked a resounding de-
feat for the Chancellor's foreign
policy, even though he was not
personally responsible for the re-
suit. AS the outstanding cham
pion of German Identification
through close alliance with the
West, DR.. Adenauer is now left
without even the promise Of an
other conference later on as a leg
to stand on. This. in town. has
opened the way for the third
major calamity to overtake the
chancellor: The collapse Of the
Government coalition.
The last episode, as most
people see it, started with an at
tempt by the chancellor to reas-
sert his undisputed authority over
the Government. 1t has ended in
a humiliating defeat for DR..
Adenauer and cut a deep wedge
in. the political alliance which
has given Germany a strong,
stable government since the war
Dispute Long Simmering
The dispute between the Chan
cellor and Thomas Dehler. leader
of the Free Democratic Party,
had been simmering for a long
time. BY nature, DR.. Dehler is
not the most cooperative of
allies. A loquacious man of
rather vague liberal tendencies,
he never writes his speeches and
claims that he usually has no
idea what he plans to say when
he gets up to speak.
The results are often startling
After a series of statements on
the possibility of dealing with
Moscow on German reunification,
DR.. Adenauer warned the FDP
leader bluntly to toe his foreign
policy line if heSwished to stay
in the coalition. Just as personal
relations between the two men
reached their lowest point, DR..
Adenauer suddenly produced a
series of proposed changes in the
West German election law
changes which would wolE auto
matically against the Free Demo-
Gratis and in favor of DR.. Adena-
uer's own Christian Democrats.
To DR.. Dehler and a number
of other people, this looked like
pretty rough treatment. After a
period of bitter debate in which
the FDP found itself lined up
with the Socialists and the
Refugee Party in opposition to
the bill, DR.. Adenauer backed
down. AS finally passed this
February the new election law
differs in no essential point from
the system which applied in the
elections of 1949 and 1858. After
all the unnecessary fuss. spokes-
men for Dr.. Adenauer and DR..
Dehler announced with as much
grace as possible that all was
forgiven and the coalition saved.
Fertile Ground Elsewhere
Unfortunately. however, the
matter didn't stop there. The
seeds of political discomfort sown
lat Bonn landed on fertile ground