Sunday. January 27, 1957
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVE
Reunification of Germany; Chances Of European Peace Discussion Topic
(Editor's note: This is another
in the series of discussions in
the "Great Decisions . . . 1957"
program now underway in Jack
son county. The topic today dis
cusses German reunification and
chances for real peace in Europe.)
can Europe get together?
In its essence, the European
policy of th United States is fo
cused on the future of Germany.
That's the thesis of M. S. Han
dler, bureau chief for West Ger
many for the New York Times
since 1952, and a European cor
respondent for American news
media since 1941.
Writing in the Foreign Policy
association's "Headline Series"
bulletin. Handler pointed out
that 1957 will be a critical year
in German-American relations
because this is a general election
year in West Germany.
Laans Toward U. S.
The Christian Democratic par
ty, now in power under Chan
cellor Konrad Adenauer, has
traditionally leaned toward the
United States' view of the Euro
pean situation.
But, Handler pointed out, "in
the West Germany general elec
tions of 1953 Chancellor Ade
nauer carried the country on
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DIVIDED EUROPE The map above shows
international organizations and areas claimed
by various European nations. The map was
prepared in connection with the "Great De
cisions . . . 1957" program in which German
reunification and chances of real peace in
Europe are discussed. The map shows NATO
nations, and countries of the Warsaw Pact.
sion that would restore the Ger
man question to its proper place,
galvanize the West Germans and
armico thoir nt h i miasm and nn-
wave of enthusiasm for Euro-1 ljtical COmbativeness."
pean unity. This enthusiasm was ,, . , . . ,
focused nr. th- Eurnnpan nPfn i The second decision suggested
Communitv fF.nr, treatv " Rt ! bV Handler is that American of-
that treaty was killed by the
French national assembly, and
UL'ith its Hpmico (ha iaalietin nii.
ture of European unity began to ! thouSn " may succeed Ade"
disintegrate mto one where na-inauers group
tional interests were again par- "The Social Democratic case
amount. ! against the United States gov-
Adenauer did succeed in Ret- i ernment," Handler reported, "is
ting West Germany into the i based on three main points:
all these countries as well as
Germany be declared neutral."
A few days later Sen. Hubert
H. Humphrey, Minnesota Demo
crat, suggested a buffer zone be
tween East and West in Europe,
and "prescribed limitation" on
ficials establish closer relations I military forces of both sides,
with the Social Democratic par- j Satellite Problems
ty. which at this point looks as ! In making the proposals both
NATO alliance. But Soviet doc
trine then stated that reunifica-1
tion of East and West Germany 1
would be impossible after West
Germany has aligned itself mili
tarily with the West. And reuni
fication is, for the Germans, the
number one objective.
Public opinion polls taken in
Germany in July, 1956. showed
that the Social Democrats had
overtaken Adenauer's Christian
Democrats in partv preference,
and that the "undecided" vote
had swelled to 21 per cent.
Altrd Situation
'Thus." Handler pointed out,
"United States policy may have
to take Into account the possi
bility of a radically altered po
litical and psychological situa
tion in West Germany by the
autumn of 1957."
The Social Democrats, who
appear to be ahead in the run
ning now, are not anti-Western.
They are, however, willing to re
examine Grmany's role in
NATO, and they are definitely
pledged to abolish military con
scription. This would make it al
most physically impossible for
the federal republic of West
Germany to provide the half
million men it has promised to
NATO.
"There is no doubt," Handler
said, "that the first task of Unit
ed States policy in this present
fluid stage is to answer the
charge that it has permitted the
German question to fall into
abeyance . . . that it is giving
lip service to reunification and.
American refusal to consult
them as a loyal opposition should
be consulted; the state depart
ment's interference in the 1953
general elections on behalf of
Adenauer, and the exclusive pa
tronage given to the chancellor
on the theory that he alone rep
resents the German people."
Two Key Events
Two key events in January,
1957, may forecast whether Eu
rope remains divided indefinite
ly into two hostile armed camps,
or starts on the road toward
genuinely peaceful co-existence
between East and West.
Jan. 2 President Dwight D.
Eisenhower agreed to "study" a
Russian disarmament proposal
which would, in part, reduce
Western and Russian military
forces in Germany and ultimate- j explode into
senators had in mind Russia's
satellite problems in Eastern Eu
rope. Revolution in Hungary,
economic setbacks and the high
cost of maintaining Russian
troops in the satellites have been
suggested as good reasons for
Russia's readiness to discuss
troop withdrawals.
A danger signal was raised by
West German Foreign Minister
Heinrich von Brentano during
the December meetings of the
NATO council in Paris. If satel
lite unrest spreads to Commu
nist East Germany, von Bren
tano warned, there would cer
tainly be "incidents" in Berlin
and on the East-West German
borders. Any one of these inci
dents could set off World War
III.
Immediate negotiation with
Russia has, therefore, been
prompted by two different ap
proaches: First, that Russia is
weakened and ready to talk: sec
ond, that satellite unrest, espe
cially in East Germany, could
Iy in all of Europe.
Jan. 7 Russia and Communist
East Germany called for "a col
lective security system in Eu
rope" which would involve re
ductions in troop strength on
both sides.
There is nothing startling new
about these ideas. For several
years East and West have debat
ed arms control and inspection,
whether or not a reunited Ger
many should be allowed to join
the Western military alliance,
and on what terms Western and
Eastern Europe can coexist
peacefully.
Settlement Possible
What is new is that for the
first time Western leaders are
openly speculating that a settle-
Considering' Proposals
Although Washington is "con
sidering" Russian proposals
and will make new proposals of
its own before the UN disarma
ment subcommittee, probably in
March Secretary of State John
Foster Dulles made it clear in a
December 18, press conference
that he does not see "any present
likelihood" of an East -West
troop withdrawal as a step to
ward German reunification and
a general European settlement.
Neither Secretary Dulles nor
Senators Flanders and Hum
phrey are willing to consider
finally, that it Is only interested ment of this kind might be
in West Germany as a jumpmg
off place for attack against the
East."
Concrete Moves
The Times bureau chief sug
gested two concrete moves which
could be made by the United
States immediately.
One would be moving the
federal government of West Ger
many from Bonn to West Berlin
which Handler calls "a deci-
worked out
Sen. Ralph Flanders, Repub
lican of Vermont, suggested in
December: "Let us gain West
Germany's consent to neutraliza
tion in return for reunion. Let
us propose that the Soviet gov
ernment withdraw all of its
troops from East Germany,
Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hun
gary, while NATO withdraws its
troops from West Germany. Let
i precious
lunch-hour
until she
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Current Dividend
FIRST FEDERAL
Savings & Loan Association of Medford
29 North ivy Street
R. F. Kyle, President
Magazine Dealer
Acquitted Friday
Salem (UP) Salem mag
azine dealer Claude Cummings
was acquitted Friday night of
charges he distributed indecent
literature.
The jury deliberated about
9V4 hours, including time it
took to read George Sylvester
Vierick's "Men into - Beasts," a
pocket-type book which was the
basis of the trial.
Circuit Judge Val T. Sloper
instructed the jury to read the
25-cent book before returning a
verdict. The trial lasted two
days.
Earlier Friday. Judge Sloper
overruled a motion of defense
attorney Bruce Williams to dis
miss the case on grounds the
"rand jury indictment was faul
ty. The judge said that even if
the book were fact as alleged
by Williams instead of fiction
as stated in the indictment,
there was still ground for trial
on a misdemeanor charge.
The book was an autobiogra
phical account of Vierick's ex
periences in a federal prison.
Another Salem magazine deal
er. Jack St. Clair, was indicted
on a similar charge last Nov
ember, but trial resulted in a
hung jury- The trial was the
first test of Oregon's obscene
book statute.
The Dalles Woman
Sentenced to Prison
The Dalles (U.R) Mrs. Jean
Olson, 24, The Dalles, was sen
tenced to four years in the state
penitentiary Saturday after
n'eading guilty in Wasco county
Circuit Court of starting a hotel
fire in The Dalles last July.
The woman had been under
investigation in connection with
13 fires in The Dalles last sum
mer, including fires at three
hotels or apartments and several
businesses.
After her arrest for setting a
fire in the Gates Block hotel,
Mrs. Olson was sent to the
state mental institution at Pend
leton for observation but was
released a month later.
moving U. S. troops from Europe
altogether: and no American
statesman is willing to consider
a European settlement mat
leaves Germany divided.
It is on just these provisions
that Russian proposals differ
most from the West's. The Jan.
7 communique issued jointly by
Russia and East Germany calls
for a European security agree
ment "comprising both German
states before their reunification"
and calling for "the abolition of
military bases on foreign . terri
tories in Europe.
Continued Division v;;
In other words, Russia insists
on continued division of Ger
many; at least in the forseeable
future, and the withdrawal of
U. S. troops from Europe as well
as from West Germany. The
Communist East German govern
ment backs this position fully.
If East and West are to reach
any agreement at all, observers
agree, there will have to be some
"horse trading" between oppos
ing points of view. The question
uppermost in these observer's
minds is what does the West
stand to gain or lose in negotia
tions with Russia? !
On the question ortjerman re
unification, the U. ' S. position j
since the Potsdam conference in :
1945 has been thap this must j
come through free all-German ;
elections. Russia, however, fears
that free elections throughout
Germany could lead only, to a
Communist defeat. In population
alone. West Germany outnum
bers Communist East Germany
50,000,000 to 17,000,000. ;
Compromise Concessions
To persuade Russia to compro
mise on German elections might
involve such far-reaching U. S.
concession's as withdrawal of
troops from Europe, disbanding
of NATO, permanent neutraliza
tion of Germany or leaving the
question 4of reunification to the
two German governments.
Armed force withdrawals were
suggested by Russia in Novem
ber, the. Communist idea being
to reduce during 1957 by one-
third the armed forces of the
United States, Soviet Union, Bri
tain and France now stationed in
Germany.
The Flanders-Humphrey sug
gestion is more far-reaching, also
asking the withdrawal of Rus
sian troops from the satellite
countries of Eastern Europe.
Some Westerners assume that
Russia has been so weakened by
unrest in Hungary, Poland and
elsewhere that Russian leaders
may be glad to pull their troops
out of Eastern Europe. Also,
Western military leaders have
freely admitted that NATO's ef
fectiveness depends on substan
tial West German troops. Russia
might be willing to make con
cessions in Eastern Europe if, by
neutralizing Germany, she -could
insure that NATO would never
be a real military threat.
Two Possibilities
Two other possibilities have
been suggested. One is that Rus
sia may now be ready to com
promise on military matters in
order to compete with the West
in other fields economic com
petition, infiltration, subversion
and political activies.
The other suggestion is that
Russia genuinely hopes to work
out a peaceful settlement of Eu
ropean problems in order to take
care of internal affairs such as
trade, industrial and agricultural
development.
Still other observers doubt
that Russia would even consider
pulling out of Eastern Europe.
This position appears to be
strengthened by last week's evi
dence of a "return-to-Stalinism"
swing among Soviet leaders.
How close the U. S. and Rus
sian positions notably on arms
control will come in 1957 may,
some students of the situation
say, determine whether or not
Europe moves toward a perma
nent settlement during this year.
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