Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-12-09
NATO and Reality

NAIO ana ke0IIty
Just as in 194S, when the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization first came
into being, the overshadowing reality Of
our world today is that Soviet policy con-
tinueS to be dark, dominance seeking
conspiracy that threatens the security,
peace and freedom Of all mankind.
The death of Stain has not changed
that. Although his successors have de-
glorifed him and paraded themselves for
a while as reasonable and congenial men
of good will, the events of recent months
and weeks-notably the Kremlin's incen-
diary intrigueS in the Middle East, and
especially its pitileSs repression In Hun
gary-have demonstrated only too clearly
that Communist Russia must still be
reckoned with as menace of the first
magnitude.
1t is against this background that
NATO's ministerial council, with Secre-
tary Of State Dulles participating, will
meet this week in Paris under conditions
of great stress and strain. The condi-
tons, whose seriousness ought not to be
minimized, have been brought about by
the Anglo-French misadventure against
Egypt. That undertakings out
against the urgent advice of our Govern
ment-quite obviously has severely dam
aged relations between the United States
on one hand and Britain and France on
the other.
AS result, NATO itself, with its
three keystone allies thus at odds, has
been badly shaken. And the situation
has been further aggravated by massive
amount of bitter anti-American criticism
from the British and French-a super
emotional and highly illogical brand of
attack blaming the United States, and
particularly Mr. Dulles, for things that
would not have happened if the Eden
and Mollet governments had needed our
country's counsel and refrained from en-
barking, behind our backs, on their fool
hardy military expedition against Colonel
NaSSer's Egypt.
Certainly, Mr. Dulles has not flown to
Paris to do personal penance on that
score, or to make apologies for the fact
that American policy-both within and
outside the United NationS-has from the
start been opposed to the Anglo French
Egyptian expedition. At the same time,
however, neither has he gone to the NATO
meeting to berate our two best, Oldest
and strongest allies for their hayward
ness in this matter. On the contrary, 1t
is practicable that he will make the most
earnest and statesmanlike effort, in an
admittedly difficult and delicate situation,
to reviyify the unity of the Western Big
Three and insure that the Atlantic alli-
ance will be as strong as the times
demand
AS matter Of fact, Of course, this
revivifying effort has already been
launched. Now that the British and
French are committed to a speedy with
drawal from Egypt, our Government has
set in motion number of measures, in
Guiding an emergency oil shipping pro-
gram, to soften the consequences of the
Suez debacle. Further, In the political
field, 1t is exerting pressure to persuade
the Nasser government to cooperate in
an expeditions clearance Of the canal,
and by its statements in connection with
the Baghdad pact 1t has made clear that
1t will not stand idly by If the Kremlin
attempts to stir up new trouble in the
Middle East.
All this encourages the hope that the
impending NATO meeting will go far to-
ward restoring the Atlantic alliance to
the unity and strength it had prior to the
Suez crisis. AS for suggestions that Mr.
Dulles may hesitate to work openly for
American solidarity with Britain and
France lest Colonel Nasser and other Arab
leaders be offended, 1t seems unbelievable
that our country will be inhibited by any
such considerations. Why should it be?
Why should those leaders have the slight
est sort of veto, direct or indirect, on
measures designed to bolster the security
of the West?
The West, after all, is still confronted
with what amounts to a major Soviet
threat despite evidences of great weak
nesses, and even crisis, within the Krem-
Inns satellite empire. In the circum-
stances, putting first things first, France,
Britain and the United States-beginning
with the new NATO get-together-must
do everything possible to bridge their
differences and inject fresh life and vigor
into the Atlantic alliance. To do less than
that would be to gamble with the survival
OF the free world.
l-l Hle