U.S. FORCES IN EUROPE

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27472, 5 October 1954, Page 13

U.S. FORCES IN EUROPE

Effect Of London Agreement (Rec. 9 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Oct. 3. The United States is not expected to confirm its promise to maintain troops in Europe indefinitely until the agreement signed at the London ninePower conference has been translated into binding treaties, and signed and ratified, authoritative sources said today. According to present plans, Mr Eisenhower will issue—probably before January declaration to the effect that United States troops will be maintained in Europe at their present levels so long as the threat to that area exists. ■' It is not necessary for the President to obtain Congressional ratification of that promise. z Under the United States Constitution the President is Commander-in-Chief of United States Forces, and he does not have to obtain Congressional approval for their disposition. However, Mr Eisenhower obtained in advance the support of Congressional leaders of both parties for such • a pledge to the now defunct defence community. The diplomatic correspondent of Reuter’s reported that officials today were confident that, whichever party won next month’s congressional election, Congress would approve transferring the promise of military support for the European Defence Community to the new arrangement agreed upon m London. Arms Ban May be Lifted Agreement, upon the new European security system, if implemented by next January 1. will also lead automatically to a lifting of the ban on the supply of any new arms and equipment from tne United States to countries which have not ratified the ED.C. treaty, such as France and Italy. In imposing the ban, Congress left it open to the President to accept participation in a collective defence arrangement satisfactory to him as a substitute for the ratification for the E-D.C. treaty. The only legislative action required by the United States Congress as a result of today’s agreement is ratification by the Senate of the protocol admitting a sovereign Germany to membership of the North Atlantic Alliance.