WEST GERMANY’S FUTURE

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27151, 22 September 1953, Page 9

WEST GERMANY’S FUTURE

“Pessimistic Experts” Proved Wrong (Spacial Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 8-30 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 21. Summing up the implications of Dr. Adenauer’s success in the West German elections, the weekly newspaper, the “Economist,” says that whatever the final outcome, the fact remains that a clearly-formulated policy of winning West Germany for free Europe— a positive and not a defensive policy—has won a crucial diplomatic victory for the West. ‘‘Against a great deal of brilliantly argued, frighteningly candid, and politically distinguished advice,” members of the Atlantic Alliance who believed in Dr. Adenauer’s foreign policy persisted in the view that West Germany must first be securely tied into the free democratic community of the Western nations before progress could safely be made with restoring German unity. They were told that this persistence would make Dr. Adenauer and the Western Powers appear to be opponents of German unity, and that the West Germans would therefore vote against them. ‘‘This advice proved wrong. They were told that the spirit of Europe had changed and that plans of political, economic and military integration were out of date. The evidence is still to the contrary. They were told that the Russians would never accept an Adenauer victory. That still has not been proved correct. “Americans Were Right’* “Indeed it looks—one hardly dare say it—as if the clumsy Americans have been right and the pessimistic experts on Europe wrong.” The “Economist” discusses what it calls three possible ways of dealing with Germany as a power in Europe. These are:— <ll A disarmed and dependent Germany “with a burning political grievance about its eastern frontier that the Russians can at any moment remedy on their own terms.” (2) An armed and independent Germany “with a grievance that can only be settled by force.” (3) An armed Germany, which has not complete independence in military matters and has allies that are not prepared to allow its grievance to be dealt with by force. •‘But what is to be hoped for—indeed it is an essential tactical requirement—is that decisive steps should be taken to show the Kremlin that German membership of the Western political community is now a fact—not a fact to be negotiated about, but a fact from which negotiations begin.” The “Spectator” says that since Dr. Adenauer did far better than had been expected, American policy in Germany “is seen in the golden light of success”—success the more gratifying in view of the strong criticism of that policy. The “Spectator” adds that Americans now expect the Adenauer Government, in return for American support, to help create a European Army and, if the French balk, to create a German army on which American aid will be lavished. ‘Tor the present the stock of the German Federal Republic is high, so rightly or wrongly is the stock of the Eisenhower Administration.

“It will not be difficult to sell the American people the policy of putting their money on Germany, not only at the expense of France, but to some degree of ourselves. The Germans, in American eyes, have more than worked their passage,” says the article.