REACTION IN AMERICA

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27443, 1 September 1954, Page 11

REACTION IN AMERICA

Official Comment Withheld (Pec. 10 pun.) WASHINGTON, Aug. 29. In a dispatch filed before Mr Eisen - bower’s statement in Des Moines, James Reston, the chief Washington correspondent of the “New York Timesir laid, that official Washington waff not trusting itself to comment torieht en the French move. Washington was counting “10” this evening and promising to say something sensible tomorrow, he added. The correspondent said one Allied official, not American, had summed up the private remarks of those who saw the Paris vote as the end of their dreams of a federated Europe by say-faC.-May we live long enough to torejve iSrance.” Nevertheless, in spite of the bitterhem; those few United States officials who h»d agreed to discuss the vote in printe, seemed to agree on the following points: (fasting a form of sovereignty to Cemany—the first move to bring her iotoNA.T.o.—was not expected to be to difficult The French Prime Minister, Mr rerre Mendes-France, had indicated bat he would support such a move. .However, getting France to agree to the rearmament of Germany without Kringent controls, and getting Germany to rearm and help defend West- £ Europe on the basis of anything than equality would be exceedingly difficult France, of course, had the right of *eto over German membership in JAT.O. It was believed in Washingbn that it might be possible to pervade the West German Government to agree not to rearm for a time, ynfle the Allies tried to work out a wmula for bringing her into some of association with NAT.O. Support of Germany The United States High Commission- * in Germany, Mr James Conant, < J® been warning the State Depart■ynt that it must not lose the support in its efforts to win the *J?ort of France, and this advice was certain to take on new imporas a result of the defeat of Reston said. * idea being discussed was that command under General zrtoMher could be given greater m peace time over an enlarged Sy*ation. including German units. Sr?.* procedure, some Washington {F°ate felt, might be acceptable to 1 Adenauer and at the same time ffyu**France that United States and ; troops would dominate the new < *n*n units. -."•ton laid the defeat of E.D.C. ! reduced United States ™ and legal commitments prom--IZL?, *° Western Europe. The ' gE™”* oo Passed by the eighty-third JvuWh. stipulated, in general, that ■ "v united States military supplies put ! * pipeline after January 1, 1954. ■ .J 5 * 1 delivered to countries that w 2?* d “> ratify the E.D.C. .Dto United States would also be recom certain important commit- 1 u e 2! s rt took about keeping its troops to help co-operate with the v°” A Pril 18, 1554. Mr Eisen- 1 p°'”jL had sent a letter to the E-D.C. —assuming commitments which tn al "Ntod anything he was obliged Tn 2 d * r tte N ort h Atlantic Treaty. *"*" one commitment obliged Parted States to maintain its “fair E**r of the ground troops in the j SZL 1 •“ Europe as long as the threat ■ *h> Soviet Army continued, and -"Wort the so-called “forward yS-jy T*° ardently desired by —of defending Europe “as far *» possible.” second commitment had been a CJo* to consult with the Allies be--82 wooing the strength of United forces in Europe. In addition. tu» u <*?“ St *tes agreed to encourage g totogration between European Community forces and to seek . feZr*._of granting to those forces gjg, Mfonnation about the military °f the new American j , -*Ne Sudden Change** ."rnjusaid It was not expected 1 tnere would be any sudden 1 gjg* to Washington fa the United : Policy of maintaining troops 1 E”* heart of Europe, but It was liggv,® that these commitments 1 Irafawi o. withdrawn and the six i |— (P* States divisions in Europe ; IhettXr . reduc «i if a satisfactory . bringing a rearmed Ger- I Hid « . ° Western European defence : meet with the approval of I

,„T he Assembly is due to meet again today but will probably adjourn fa a day or so until the end of October. cou Jd be recalled, however, to decision on the Bonn ConvenPr ° Vide for German y' s

vo X e ’ . Mr Mendes-France correspondent of Reuters that the free world was now fa «?s with a new situation. □nA e ust ob \iously all get together and build something new. This must oe done,” he said. He would not say what he had in mind, but commented “there will not be much time for holidays.”