Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-12-16
BY CROSBY S. MOVES

Foreign Correspondent Of The Star
PARIS, Dec. 16.-Muted as
? debate may be, unresolved mill
tary problems weigh heavily on
the North Atlantic Treaty Or
ganization's Council Of Minist-
= ers meeting.
The American delegation,
headed by Secretary of State
Rusk and Defense Secretary
Mcnamara. is making a famili-
ar pitch here-emphasizing
once again the importance the
United States attaches to
building NATO's conventional
forces at least to the level Of 80
divisions as agreed two years
ago.
Prospects Of this. however,
have never seemed DINNER.
Europeans have q distressing
way of replying to Mr.. McNa-
. mara's arguments by quoting
Mr.. Mcnamara. And this year
the Secretary has provided
them with an unusual stock of
verbal ammunition.
A Haunting Speech
Most Americans who have
anything to do with NATO
heartily wish Mr.. Mcnamara
had not made his famous
speech to the Economic Club Of
New York last month. Before
he leaves Paris the Secretary
himself may have second
thoughts about implications OF
his rosy estimate Of the Vests
military posture.
1t is hard to assert one day
that NATO has more men I'M
der arms than the Soviet block
that Russia has less than
half the total number of divi-
sions everybody thought 1t had,
that the West enjoys over
whelming nuclear superiority
and then a few days later de-
mand greater efforts from our
allies.
What makes good listening
at the New York Economic
Club makes good listening in
Europe, too. The implications,
9 however, are somewhat differ
!; ent. And the cautious qualifica-
lions with which Mr.. McNa-
mara followed his new esti-
mates Of Communist capabili-
ties had little effect.
In the Event of Attack
e To compncate the problem
still further Premier Khru-
shchev himself once again has
come along with a well-timed
assist. Announcement in Mos
COW of his "peace-loving step"
in further reducing Russian
armed forces may be greeted
with certain skepticism here.
But 1t certainly will not REIN
force the American plea for
5 greater efforts on the part OF
our NATO partners.
: American officials here pro-
8 fess to be baffled by the Euro
pean attitude on this problem
of NATO force goals. They
complain that in the past our
( allies dragged their heels with
s the excuse Russian convention
al forces were so overwhelm-
ingly large that it was hopeless
4 for NATO to try to match
them. Now they are arguing, In
precisely opposite sense, that
NATO is strong enough" al
ready.
This understandable exas-
peration Of the American team,
however, rather misses the
point. Behind the argument
over NATO force goals is far
Z more serious one over the ques-
ton of how these forces would
!, be used IN case of an attack on
the NATO area.
European military experts
point out that the goal Of 80
divisions was based on q firm
understanding that at least
tactical nuclear weapons would
have to be used in event Of any
large scale attack. Rightly or
wrongly, they suspect Mr.. Nc
s Namara is inclined to think
and talk in terms Of conven-
z tional defense Of Western Eu-
rope. And this tendency ILLS
most European strategistS with
real alarm.
In this argument, too. Euro
peans are quick to quote Mr..
Mcnamara to support their
own case. A recent meeting Of
the Western European Union,
for example, came to the con-
clusion that II Mr.. McNamara's
estimate Of Russian strength
was right then no Russian at
tack in Europe could ever be