Milford chronicle., 1961-05-05

TO REVITALIZE NATO

Though the North Atlantic Treaty Or
ganiZation now has a new secretary gen
eral it is too early to say whether the
recent pattern of retrogreSsion which has
plagued it will be arrested. As the new
administrative head of NATO, Dick Silk
kers herculean job will be to reverse that
trend.
Born out of Western response to the
Russian blockade of Berlin in 1913, from
its inception the European shield has been
under heavy attack from the Soviet Union.
This attack has become hard to deal with
because Khrushchev has been shrewd
enough to avoid extreme measures which
might draw the alliance tightly against
Russia. 80
But while the external assault was ex-
pected, dissension and disintereSt within
NATO itself have been hard to combat.
DeGaule's gradual withdrawal of French
political and military support has been
severe threat. The French president has
gone as far with this as to suggest an
lo-French-U.S. alliance completely out
side NATO. But in the eyes of the retiring
secretary general, Paul-Henri Spaak, it
was the United States indifference of re-
cent months which was mainly to blame.
1t has been rumored that it was Sparks
failure to rouse Washington into the re-
invigoration of NATO that accounted for
his leaving. Admittedly, the Kennedy adj
ministration has taken dim view of the
colonial policies of some NATO allies, but
there is little reason to say this indicates
a loss of faith. Feelings are still strong
in this country that without the Atlantic
alliance the common Western front against
European Communist expansion would fall
apart Secretary General Striker may safe
ly begin his work on that premise.
5000
THE GOLD DRAIN
The decline in our gold reserves which
has taken place over the recent years, is
an urgent domestic problem. There is no
single or simple solution. But the gov
eminent could help alleviate the situation
if proposed bill for established us tour
list information offices abroad is approved
and if it made entrance requirements for
foreign travellers more inviting.
One reason for the gold drain is for
eign spending by u. S. tourists. Dollars,
in other words, are turned into pounds,
francs, Ira, marks, and other currencies.
On the other hand, spending in this
country by tourists from abroad is far
smaller. That could not be helped when
Europe was economically PROSTATE due to
the war. But now there has been remark
. able recovery in nation after nation. Spend
ing powers of their peoples have scared
Governments have relaxed currency and
other restrictions. So legions of people now
have the means and the opportunity to
travel beyond the borders of their own
countries, with a minimum of red tape
And the Jet age, which has squeezed
space and time into tiny capsule, making
it possible to go almost anywhere in the
world in a matter of hours, has brought
on a revolution of its own.
We are the only nation of any con-
sequence that lacks a tourist service. All
the other Western countries, including
some very small ones, maintain offices a.
round the world where interested people
can obtain needed information-and where
the urge to travel and see new sights is
stimulated. There is no doubt that an Am
erican service of this nature would bring
great numbers Of foreign visitors to our
shores. Then that part of our gold losses
attributable to lack of tourists would be
substantially reduced and things would
look healthier at Fort Knox.