Evening star., 1961-05-11
Warning From NATO

T1U CAlCA CAACC-udy IlSGIlIlS III OSlO,
the foreign ministers of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization have
taken hard look, and a generally glum
one, at all the dangerous issues now
bedevilling the free world on every
continent. Most of the trouble, of
course, stems directly from the unre-
mitting Communist drive for global
domination, and NATO has responded
accordingly, with an admirably reSolute
reaffirmation of its past pledges to
stand firm against the menace of Red
aggression throughout the globe.
Thus, in the formal communiuue
summing up their work in Oslo, the
ministerial conferees, emphasizing that
a strongly united Western alliance is
essential to peace and the survival of
liberty" have declared that the threat
from Moscow and Peiping can be dealt
with successfully If it is countered with
firmneSS wherever it shows itself In
the communicates words, NATO'S "col-
lective reSourceS-moral and material
are fully adequate to this task Con-
fident in their strength, in the will of
ideals they uphold, the Is Atlantic
nations dedicate themselves anew to
building a world free from the false
doctrine of continuing and inevitable
conflict"
Further, while proclaiming NATO'S
readiness to negotiate just settlements
Of outstanding international issues "a
20
Peiping). the Oslo communique has
this to say Aware of the intensified
efforts of the Communist bloc to foment
and to exploit conflicts and to extend
domination over an ever-increaSing
area, the ministers reaffirmed their
resolve to meet this challenge" These
words are generalized, but not general
lied is the communicates unequivocal
reStatement of the Atlantic alliances
1858 declaration making clear to the
Kremlin that NATO specifically the
Anglo French American occupying
powers) will fully defend West Berlin,
by military means If necessary, against
any Soviet or puppet East German
attempts to drag it behind the Iron
Curtain.
Actually, although places like Laos,
the Congo and Cuba have been involved
in the Oslo deliberations, it seems safe
to assume that the biggest subject at
the meeting has been West Berlin. This
is so because of the expectation that
Premier KhruShchev will act Soon-in
matter of weeks-to sign a separate
peace treaty" with captive East
Germany, and then have his puppets
there undertake to harass the free
BerlinerS and interfere with or deny
Observation-Disclosures rights in the
city, by blockade or other means. The
prospect Is an altogether ugly one full
Of the most explosive potentialitieS, and
NATO therefore has done we'll to
reaffirm, in clear and Somber terms,
that there will be no yielding on the
issue and that the Kremlin is gravely
mistaken II it thinks otherwise.
The world must hope that Mr..
KhruShchev will take this warning at
face value. For the simple fact is,
whether or not he cares to believe it,
that the United States and its key allies
are not fooling when they say they
intend to keep West Berlin free Ger
tainly, if the Kremlin chooses to move
against the city militarily, that will be
the caSus belli-the showdown that
could lead rapidly to the Third World
War If this is not understood in
Moscow, then Moscow is blind in the
extreme, and global catastrophe is
quite possible.