Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-03
CONSTANTINE BROWN
Dulles Pushes Economic Political Plan
As Allies Fail Us on MILITARY WoF

Under the friendly but per-
sistent pressure from our
Western European allies. ad-
ministration leaders are seri-
ously considering a revision of
our position of strength"
policy and its replacement by
something milder. The in
dication of such a change is
being read by European and
Soviet observers in President
EisenhoWer's speech before the
recent convention of the
American Society of News
paper Editors in Washington.
The Chief Executive pointed
out that war had become
an "anachronism" and pro-
nounced himself in favor of a
healthy development in world
trade.
The Presidents indications
we're transformed into some
thing more specific when Sec
rotary Dulles, before going to
Paris to attend the meeting
Of the NATO foreign ministers.
intimated that he was ready to
remove the military signboard
from that organization and
consider placing the accent on
economic and political CO.
operation between the Atlantic
powers. This latter thought is
nothing but a camouf1age of
the failure of making the
NATO a strong military wall.
After seven years Of hard work
and heavy expenditure, the
administration has reached
the conclusion that outside
the American and British
forces there are no troops of
any consequence between the
Elbe and the Rhine-the main
target of the USSR should
her leaders decide to become
aggressive once more.
There is no question that the
success Of the Russian leader
ship in handling the Western
diplomats has had an impact
on most Of our allies. More or
less accurate figures showing
the so-called enormous military
potential of the Soviet arms
and particularly their uncon-
ventional weapons-have inn
pressed the free nations. More
over, two consecutive major
wars in 40 years. to which must
be added the dissolution of the
great French and British en-
pires. have more than dented
the French and British willing
ness to face another showdown
with a dictatorship more fero-
cious than those they have
resisted in the past.
The Western German Re-
public, restored to an unprec-
edented prosperity, today is
interested mainly in unity with
the East German Republic,
which is controlled by Moscow.
Since the summit conference"
last year at Geneva, the free
Germans have come to realize
that their Western allies were
incapable Of fulfilling their
goal and are convinced that
only through direct negotia-
tons with Moscow can divided
Germany be reunited. The
Muscovites have made it amply
clear that they are willing to
talk over this matter only if
the Bonn Republic abandons
in fact, though not in form,
the military association with
NATO
The smaller members of the
NATO see in that military
coalition even fewer benefits
for themselves than France
and Britain. 1t was not a
spur-of- the-moment decision
when Iceland decided to request
the removal Of eric a n
troops from the air bases
which had been granted freely
as a part of the defensive
system Of the free world.
Small countries, such as Den
mark and Norway, similarly
want no part in this military
coalition. In the event of
another world conflict. their
people believe, they would have
to suffer more than in the last
war without much chance of
ever recovering again.
The Greeks are more in
terested in the Cyprus issue