WESTERN EUROPE: Filling the Vacuum

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Two flying diplomats went to Europe's rescue last week. Each after his fashion, Britain's Anthony Eden and the U.S.'s John Foster Dulles sought a means of filling the vacuum left by the defeat of EDC.

The initiative came from Eden, who, with one aide and one briefcase, flew to Brussels, Bonn, Rome and Paris. Only in Paris did he run into serious trouble.

Eden bore a clever plan, a characteristically British blend of something old and something new. Part I was a dust-covered document: the 1948 Brussels treaty, in which Britain, France and the Benelux countries agreed, in the event of outside attack, to provide "all the military . . . assistance in their power." Originally aimed at the Germans, the Brussels treaty became the first European alliance against Soviet imperialism. Last week the British revived it, proposing that the Brussels pact's references to German militarism be deleted and the treaty extended to include a rearmed Germany and Italy.

Part II of the Eden plan called for the return of German sovereignty and for speedy German rearmament under NATO control. To sweeten this for the French, Germany would accept restrictions on the size of its army; to make it palatable to the Germans (too powerful to be discriminated against any longer), similar restrictions would be applied to all. As Eden explained it, the West Germans, who have no overseas responsibilities, would commit the whole of their new army to NATO, whereas Britain, France and the U.S. would commit only their European contingents, thus keeping complete control of their own troops outside Europe. NATO would then set common "force levels."

Problems in Paris. The Eden plan had something for everyone. It would leave sovereignties intact but still link the Germans to the West in a European context. The French would be relieved to see Britain moving more closely to the Continent, but Englishmen need not fear, since the principle that Britain should not be more deeply committed to the Continent than the U.S. is would still be inviolate.

Premier Mends-France, over brandy and cigars, told Eden that he was prepared "en principe" to try the British plan. France would accept eventual German admission to NATO—but only under adequate controls. The question was: Who would be responsible for making the controls stick? Eden's choice was NATO, where the Americans too would be involved. But Mendès-France fears that the U.S. has little desire to check the Germans. So he wanted the job entrusted to the Brussels powers, all of whom bear the teethmarks of German aggression.

Eden returned to London, disturbed by Mendes' proposals (which he regarded as cumbersome), but convinced that there was plenty of "give" in the French position. Before leaving Paris, he got news that John Foster Dulles, just back from Asia, was winging his way to Europe.