Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-11-30
No Shock to Adenouer

= President EiSenhower's statement on
the Anderson Dillon mission to West
Germany dispels one widely circulated
myth, namely, that the American re-
quest for monetary aid in supporting
United States troops in West Germany
came as shock and surprise to the
Bonn government. Both in substance
and in presentation, Mr.. Eisenhower
said, the American PROPOSAL was sub
mitted not only in accordance with his
instructions and after full inter-depart-
mental coordination here but chad
been made known in advance to the
government Of the Federal Republic of
Germany"
+ Even the public record confirms the
fact that West German officials were
put on notice long before the Anderson
Dillon mission arrived in Bonn 10 days
ago that this proposal was in the max
ing. and with strong administration
feelings behind it. Reporting on Inter
national Monetary Fund meetings here
N late September, for example, Business
Week magazine wrote that American
Qfacials concentrated their fire on West
Germany, prolific dollar Garner" in
making it clear that the time had ar
rived for other able nations to pick up
larger share Of Western defense costs.
In October, Star Columnist Sylvia Porter
wrote that Secretary of Treasury Ander-
son had discussed the matter with Ger
man Economic Minister Erhard and
BundeSbank President Blessing, both of
whom were here for the INF meetings,
and had mentioned the more than $3.50
million annual cost of keeping American
troops In West Germany as one Of the
bills they could afford to pick up. These
German representatives suggested that
only Chancellor Adenauer could deal
with this question. It was as a result of
this suggestion that the date In Bonn
was made, with full preparation and
knowledge on both sides as to what
would be discussed
There is, of course, good reason why
West Germany should be singled out
first to help ease our unfavorable bal
ance-of-payments position. We have
poured vast amounts of money into
West German postwar recovery, and the
results have been spectacular. While
we have been running an annual deficit
in recent years, West Germany has been
recording a surplus Of nearly compare
BILE proportions. The Bonn republics
gold reserves now stand at about SIS
billion, up nearly 40 per cent in little
more than the past year. The sugges-
ton that West Germany should assume
$500 million Of the cost Of maintaining
our troops there would constitute
permanent" relief to u.s. Furthermore,
it does not carry the threat of starting
chain reaction such as might result from
imposing curbs on American tourist ex-
penditures, on investment Of American
capital abroad or on commercial trade.
At the same time, there are under
standable reasons for German reluc-
lance on this issue. One is that paying
the cost of American troops smackS Of
paying for Occupation" even though
in defense of West Germany itself.
Another is that the Adenauer admins
tration undoubtedly would like to keep
everything as is during an election cam
paign that does not end until next
September 1t is, in other words, because
of West Germany's own reasons-and
not because it was taken unawareS or
because of lack of preparation or be-
cause of the manner of Mr.. AnderSon's
presentation-tha Bonn has answered
as it did. Bonn was fully ready for the
proposal, as evident by its counter offers.
Suggestions to the contrary imply an
awkwardness here and an unawareness
in Bonn that are not evidenced by