GERMANY’S PART IN DEFENCE OF UNITED EUROPE

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 December 1950, Page 3

GERMANY’S PART IN DEFENCE OF UNITED EUROPE

BONN, December 28.—The United States High Commissioner (Mr John McCloy) told the Germans last night that they must work out how much they could contribute to European defence, and not how little. Mr McCloy, who was speaking at a press conference, said that-German freedom and the German civilisation were also at stake.

The Germans need not fear that they would be sold out to Russia at any forthcoming' Four-Power negotiations, he said. The Western Allies would never allow Western Germany to become a Communist satellite.

The Bonn correspondent of the Manchester Guardian says, that the Germans truly believe that the time has come for them to become full partners in a United Europe, and that all political parties share the views of the Federal Chancellor (Dr Adenauer) on the necessity for immediate changes in the Allied Occupation machinery.

The correspondent recalls that several weeks ago Dr Adenauer asked the Allied High Commissioners to consider as a substitute for the present Occupation terms a contractural agreement between the Western Powers and Federal Germany. Recently at Bonn he told correspondents of his plan for signing what he called a “security pact.”

The High Commissioner at first rejected the plan, but later agreed to forward it to their governments. “Dr Adenauer’s plan may be revised or shelved, but the considerations which gave rise to it remain,” says the correspondent discussing Dr Adenauer’s moves for full partnership for Germany with the other Allied Powers,

“Dr Adenauer believes that the whole Occupation regime is a thing of the past, and the anxiety of the Allied Governments to rearm Germany has forced them to listen to him.

. “There are 250,000 Allied troops in various parts of the country with a fighting strength of five divisions. The Germans have long since ceased to regard these soldiers as an integral part of the occupation. Their duties in keeping civil order virtually came to an end when the last revisions to the dismantling programme were made.

“These Allied forces are now no .more than the advance guard of the Atlantic Army. The Germans think that as full partners in a United Europe they should have unrestricted industrial production, at least nominal sovereignty for the Federal Government, freedom to join the Atlantic Pacl( and then—but only then —to take a willing share in Western defence.”