Show fI 1 OPERATION OPERA TION UNITY r Unity Must Be B Top Consid Consideration In Sn Alliance of Western Nations r n By Farnham F. F Dudgeon Editors Editors Editor's notes Tins This is one of a series of articles prepared by the Editor of Western West Vest Vest- Vestern i ern Newspaper i Union while on a a mile flight i ht through Europe Euro c and the thc Near Nur East Ent Purpose of tho tha trip trap was for the thel l writer Titer and thirteen other American Journalists Jour Jour- i J to observe progress made In buildup build build- j up of strength and integration of North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces and It the efforts being made by the Europeans s themselves in self help t The program on which the United United Unit Unit- 4 ed States is embarked in Europe must succeed for there is no accePtable acceptable ac ac- ac- ac alternative for our coun coun- try If II you are in a boat in a strong sea you ou do not stop pulling your oar if the boat starts leaking you ou keep on pulling even harder It was with these and other equally equal- equal ly inspiring words from General Dwight D D. Eisenhower in his Supreme Su Su- Su- Su preme Headquarters Allied Powers Powers Powers Pow Pow- ers in Europe near Paris France that we began our eight-country eight 4 day 24 inspection trip of at the major Western European countries allied with with t the United States against Soviet I aggression In this same initial briefing the supreme allied commander authorized authorized authorized author author- another direct quotation which was to register with us again and md again as we talked with United States officials and with the military mili mh- tary and political leaders of France Italy Turkey Greece Yugoslavia Western Germany and the Nether Nether- lands General Eisenhower said The free world vastly outnumbers the Iron Curtain countries in total resources The essential however is unity Dictatorships achieve unity by a dagger in the back the only way in which we shall obtain unity in NATO is for each of at our countries countries countries coun coun- tries to realize that its enlightened self-interest self is best served by clinging clinging clinging cling- cling ing together in this association Can this enlightened unity be achieved In an attempt to get some kind of answer to this vital ital international question our group of newspapermen had a pretty good look at much of what is happening in these countries countries countries coun coun- tries ring ringed d tightly around the western western western west west- ern footlights of at the Iron Curtain Here are some of at the essential impressions impressions impressions im im- created as a result of at our observations Deployed Around USSR The United States and its Western Western Western West West- ern allies are very very definitely deployed deployed deployed de de- de- de in a political and economic organization and in a limited military military military mili mili- tary aggregation around the Russian Russian Russian Rus Rus- sian perimeter from Norway on one ne flank through Turkey on the o other her flank The battle lines for defensive military mill mili i tary tactics are drawn Our strategy to defend the free world from Russian Russian Russian Rus Rus- sian aggression has been charted Maps showing the deployment of the enemy forces have been compiled from a working hard-working intelligence or or- What forces we have in readiness are placed where it is believed they would do the most good goad should the gong ring tomorrow tomorrow to to- morrow There is no feeling of at false optimism optimism optimism ism or of ot bluff Our leaders admit that we would be in serious trouble trou le leif if the Soviet forces were t to move tomorrow But we are in better shape today than we were six months or a year ag ago I If U we arent aren't strong enough to hold the Russians back why haven't haven't they struck to date One One military military leader put it this way We think Russia knows that if it this thing breaks it will be a fifteen round fight tight Russia might win the first round but we think they know that there would be fourteen more rounds to fight War is going to be up to the Rus Rus- The Allied forces have no thought of a preventive war war- General Eisenhower told us that there is absolutely no talk of such tactics and that it was completely out of ot the Western concept of civilization Strength Growing Our military strength is growing every day and our leaders are arc optimistic optimistic optimistic op op- op- op about achieving military goals set for next year and the year ear after arter and reaching their culmination tion in 1954 Great progress has been made in the tho year just passed in building up the allied political organization organization organization or or- through NATO and the milita military side through SHAPE It has been through the shear willpower and inspiration of at General General General Gen Gen- eral Eisenhower and other military military military mili mili- tary leaders like his brilliant chief chie of at staff Gen Albert M. M Gruenther that so much progress in planning the military organization at SHA SHAPE E Ehas has been made in such a short period And of course on the political side General Eisenhower again must be given much credit for the success of at NATO to date Everywhere Everywhere Everywhere Every Every- where we went his name was magic Everywhere also people speculated on his candidacy for the 1952 United States presidential elec elec- tion Net impression of at our group of at observers was that General Eisenhower Eisenhower Eisenhower Eisen Eisen- hower will be a Republican candidate candidate candidate candi candi- date and that his place in the Allied military picture will be taken by another American general European Army One of the biggest problems facing SHAPE is the building of an integrated European arm army in which I old century old nationalistic enemies will be fighting side by side under undera a common command This problem like others is being met head on and is s s being solved because of the great religious fervor which grips the allied leaders from General Eisenhower d down o own w n through all echelons of command This religion takes on a very definite form as you ou visit and listen to the military and political leaders who are faced with the job of at buildIng building building build build- ing an organization to offset the Soviet power This code is built on optimism that the job eventually can be done and on an unyielding faith that it must be done The problems of the Allies certainly certainly certainly are not confined to military matters The national economies of Great Britain and France particularly particularly particularly are in another critical phase The economies of all of the other countries which we visited need sup sup- port In many of the countries the facts presented to us indicated that had hadnot hadnot hadnot not the present military crisis evolved these governments today would be self But certainly certainly certainly the military crisis is at it hand and without the flow of money and materials from the United States there would be little hope in Europe today There is no particular secret about the fact that should the Russian Russian Russian Rus Rus- sian choose to launch his s offensive tomorrow our military forces and those of at our allies would be sorely pressed to do anything but give a creditable showing in strictly defensive defensive defensive sive tactics |