GERMANS MAY BE CALLED UPON TO SERVE IN EUROPE WITH BRITISH AND FRENCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27259, 9 December 1949, Page 7

GERMANS MAY BE CALLED UPON TO SERVE IN EUROPE WITH BRITISH AND FRENCH

New Zealand Press Association—Copyright Rec. 9 p.m. ’ BERLIN, Dec. 8. Germans may be called upon to serve in a European army alongside British and French troops,- said the West German Chancellor, Dr Konrad Adenauer, last night on the eve of his meeting with the Allied High Commissioners. He made the statement because “ tensions between the East and the West : have sharpened recently.” Today, Dr Adenauer will discuss with the Allied High Commissioners, at their invitation, his recent statement that he would fr ready “in extreme emergency” for Germans to fight with the West.

Dr Adenauer said: “It cannot be asked that Germans should serve in foreign armies. We do not want to be mercenaries or hirelings. It is to be hoped there will be no war, but if two Powers are making military preparations it is possible that something may happen. Germany will then be between them, unprotected and unarmed. If a European Union asked Germany to contribute to West European defence, then our people could have their part in this European army as well as British, French or other European nations.” Dr Adenauer added: “In view of the people’s army in Eastern Germany, the Allies must not leave us without protection.” Dismantling Agreement He said the great majority of the German people welcomed the recent agreement reducing the dismantling of German factories and pledging Germany to co-operate in keeping the peace. The Chancellor appealed to France, Britain and America not to take too seriously the Social Democrats’ “fuss” about the agreement. Dr Adenauer said he hoped a European federation, “in spite of the opposition of the British Labour Government,” would come into existence in the next few months. Dr Adenauer’s statement was made at a rally of his Christian Democratic Party. Ending State of War The Western Allied Powers will consult early next year on ways to end the state of war with the West German Federal Republic. One outstanding problem is whether it is possible to devise a formula permitting the continued occupation of Western Germany after technical ending of the state of war. Lord Montgomery’s Views. Charges that Field-marshal Lord Montgomery, now military chief of the Western Union High Command, had said in his off-the-record conferences while in New York recently that Western Germany must be rearmed, were made in the General Assembly debate on a census of armed forces by the representatives of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Byelo-Russia, says a message from New York.* Mr Stefan Wierblowski (Poland) said: “It is stated overtly that Western Germany must be rearmed and that a German army is to be set up. Field-marshal Montgomery said it during a recent conference with representatives of Wall Street. He said that the rearmament of Western Germany is necessary and public opinion in the United States must be prepared for it.”

The New York Times says that persons who heard the off-the-record talks declined to discuss whether rearmament was mentioned.