THE NATIONS: Welcome

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Western ramparts against the U.S.S.R. grew higher and stronger.

In secret session, the Norwegian Storting (Parliament) voted 118-to-11 last week in favor of the government's decision to join the Atlantic Pact discussions in Washington. The no votes were cast by the Storting's eleven Communists.

Next day the Oslo government made the vote public. In Washington, Norway's Ambassador Wilhelm Munthe de Morgen-stierne was welcomed at the conference table, where the representatives of the U.S., Britain, France, Benelux and Canada had shaped a pact that was almost ready for signatures. Of these nations, Norway is the only one which has a common border with Russia. Norway also sent a note to Russia frankly mentioning her participation in the Washington talks, and rejecting Moscow's demand for a Russian-Norwegian "nonaggression pact."

Denmark made haste to get on the bandwagon, announced that Foreign Minister Gustav Rasmussen would fly to Washington to ascertain "the best possible basis for Denmark's final decision." There was hardly any doubt that Denmark would sign. Sweden made no move to abandon her lonely "neutrality," but she would find it increasingly uncomfortable as time went on.*

The West had scored. Moscow reacted with a thunderous press and radio barrage intended to intimidate all those who signed the pact, or who wanted to sign (e.g., Italy, who is being invited to join this week). In Norway's far north, where the 122½-mile Russian border is guarded on the Norwegian side by only a few ski patrols, there were rumors of Russian troop movements.