Evening star., 1962-05-03
NewNATO
Approach
Reported

(AP)-The United States was
reported today to be willing
to share control of its nuclear
warheads in Western Europe
with a politically strong Euro
pean union that includes Brit
ain. a.
The United States position
was described as Q new ap-
proach to the years-old dis
cussion Of giving the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization
an independent nuclear strike
force.
Qualified Western sources
disclosed the new United States
ideas as defense ministers. of
the 15-nation Atlantic Alliance
opened NATO's annual spring
meeting.
The defense ministers meet
ing lasted less than an hour
and q half.
20 Projects Discussed =.
Sources here said they dis
cussed 20 weapons research and
development projects recon-
mended by the NATO perna-
nent council.
One involved Standardization
Of weapons. Another was q
proposal that NATO indorse q
projected new British Jet that
can take off and land almost
vertically.
There was no immediate In
dication what decisionS-if any
were reached.
Foreign ministers viii open
a three-day review Of the allied
defense position tomorrow.
Trigger Fingers Question
During the past 10 months
numerous proposals for q su-
Ipranational nuclear strike force
for the Atlantic Alliance have
been put before NATO planners.
But none have been able To
solve the key question: "How
many fingers on the trigger?"
Only two fingers are enc
visioned in the concept Of
American partnership with the
!. European political union that
Is the ultimate aim 0l the six
nation European Common Mar.
Iket. A qualified Western source
reported that Washington now
was using nuclear armament as
an inducement to the six ma.
tions--all NATO members--to
set on with their political nego-
tiations and to include Britain.
In the view Of some Ameri-
cans. an American offer to
share nuclear control with a
European authority would
achieve these ends:
!. Encourage West Germany
and France to let Britain into
the Common Market and speed
formation Of q political author.
ity to manage the Common
Markets foreign and defense
policies. Britain has started
negotiations to join the highly
successful econuniic union and
professed q desire to partici.
pate in its concurrent political
discussions. France and West
Germany want 70 keep Britain
out Of the political discussions
until the economic negotia-
tions are complete. The po-
litical talks have begged dewn
because Of Dutch and BELGIAN
refusal to proceed without
British participation.
Gesture to Germans
2. Satisfy the West German
desire for nuclear armament
and forestall the French drive
for q separate national nucIear
strike force.
3. Give smaller states q voice
in ruclear decisions within the
NATO framework.
4. Make European political
union more attractive In terms
Of power politics, which might
overcome British reservations
to such union.
5. More or less preserve the
status quo Of Western nuclear
know-how since Britain, and
France to q lesser extent, al-
ready are members Of the
Nuclear Club.
The prevalent view had been
that the NATO meeting wotld
not undertake a full-scale re-
view Of the nuclear force issue,
but would take UP other nu.
clear proposals in q secret re-
port submitted by q. NATO SUBJ
committee made up Of the
United States, Britain and
West Germany. The report
covers such items as granting
'nuclear stockpiies and giving
NATO's non-nuclear powers 4
greater voice in nuclear policy.
But WeGk German, T1ala1nn