Greymouth Evening Star. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1946. Ideologies in Germany

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 April 1946, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1946. Ideologies in Germany

to recent cable messages, the long delay in reaching a political settlement for Germany is causing serious concern. The British Foreign Secretary, Mr. Bevin, is expected to have t.alks with the French Government on the question before the meeting of the “Big Four” Foreign Ministers on April 25 —a meeting which, incidentally, is awaited with some anxiety as past experience has led to the expectation in some quarters that the “Big Four” will be unable to reach an agreement oh the many problems confronting them.

The fate of a vanquished nation is not the only issue at stake. Zone control of Germany has been in operation for less than a year, and for some time now the results of conflicting ideologies have been apparent. Although the Allies are concerned about measures to prevent Germany from again becoming an aggressor nation, there is a danger more imminent and probably more fearful as a potential threat to the very basis of Europe’s life. This is the development in the Russian zone of a Communist State, which if it is pushed to its logical conclusion would mean the creation of a Russian-German bloc even more formidable than that of 1938-41. since it would not be weakened by ideological differences. Communist Activity.

There are signs that in the restless and disrupted state of German economy the intense activity of the Communist organisation is bearing fruit. The aim is oneparty rule, or, in plain words, dictatorship. Last month the proposal for the fusion of the Social Democrat Party and the Communists was rejected in a plebiscite conducted in the western, zones only, the Russians having refused permission for such a democratic method to be used in the territory under their control. In spite of that decision, the central committee of the Social Democrats and Communist party met and elected two presidents. The move illustrates the determination of the two parties to continue with the plan for the fusion of the Russian zone and Berlin, despite the flat rejection of the proposal by the rank and file of the for-

mer party. The immediate but not the main stumbling block in the way ot a unified administration of German life and industry is the French determination that the Ruhr and the Rhineland should first be detached from Germany and placed under separate control. Few of the French, feel convinced as yet of Germany’s real, defeat. They do not ask for political detachment of the Ruhr but for Allied direction of production which will ensure the Ruhr’s operation for the benefit of the Ruhr as a whole and not as a threat to peace. The French want the Rhineland detached from the Reich but not necessarily placed under their control. They would be satisfied to give it independence under the supervision of the Allied authorities.

Finally France desires the title to the coal, mines of the Saar and economic safeguards for them, but would also cede the political administration to a local Saar Government or international control. The Basic Problem.

Overall limitation on German’s industrial capacity and export trade cannot possibly be enforced save through, a central administration, as envisaged in the Potsdam agreements. Obviously such a programme would demand the closest possible control of German industry and careful supervision in future years to ensure that the prohibitions are being observed. There are indications that the Allies arc not prepared to embark on such an extensive policy because of the drain on. their man-power, particularly industrial, experts. The weakness of the Allies’ present position lies in their failure since Potsdam to make any progress from decisions on administrative and economic matters to decisions on the fundamental political issues. The basic problem is one of conflicting ideologies. The fate of Germany will not be decided by the rule imposed in Germany; it is bound up with the wider issue of the future relations between Great Britain., the United States, Russia and France.