Search

Six years ago West German rearmament was out of the question. Today it is taken for granted. This is true despite the failure of E. D. C., the uncertainties left by the London meeting, and the obvious fact that West German rearmament is a kind of time-bomb threatening to wreck any attempt at an all-European settlement. The rearmament of West Germany must be accompanied by measures for the protection of Germany's neighbors. At the same time any such measures should make the Germans feel that they had been denied equality of rights and would rob the military pact of a considerable part of its value. The rearmament of West Germany widens rather than narrows the gap between the two Germanys and creates tension which are fraught with peril for the whole of Europe.

The Big Four conference should be held as soon as possible after ratication of the London and Paris agreements. The place is not important. The paramount objective should be relaxation of present tension, which is more likely to be achieved by concrete solutions of a few specific problems than by vague declarations on general issues. The author refers a meeting of foreign ministers, because he thinks that good results are more likely to be achieved by the well-tried methods of diplomacy than by those of top-level conferences. The author said that he is fortified in this view by the published account of the Yalta conference. The unification of Germany should be one of the specific items on the agenda. This would involve agreement on free elections, the level of German rearmament, and the place, which a united Germany is to occupy in the world.